“Afrobeat is mainly for Lagos, Yorubas” – Omah Lay opens up on struggles in music industry
Nigerian singer Omah Lay has opened up about the challenges he faced trying to establish himself in the Lagos music scene, claiming that the Afrobeats genre is largely dominated by Yorubas.
Speaking during the listening party for his forthcoming album Clarity Of Mind, the Port Harcourt-born singer opened up about the struggles he faced while trying to establish himself in the Lagos music scene.
“Afrobeats is mainly Lagos. It is mainly Yorubas. Fela Kuti is the pioneer, we all know that and he is Yoruba. I am from Port Harcourt and you have to break into Lagos. There are only two people from PH that you know; Burna Boy and me.” he said.
The singer explained that coming from Port Harcourt meant he had to work extra hard to gain recognition in the Lagos-based music industry, which he admitted became exhausting at some point.
According to him, he has now reached a stage in his career where he no longer seeks validation from the Lagos or global music industry, choosing instead to focus on the love he receives from his family and loyal fans.
“It got to a point I am like, you know what? I am going to take my time and look at my family and fans; people who really love me, I am going to stay there. The rest of you, the rest of the world, don’t love me. F**k off. That is it,” he added.
Watch video below…
“Afrobeats is mainly Lagos, It's mainly Yorubas. Fela Kuti is the pioneer, we all know that and he's Yoruba. I'm from PH and you have to break into Lagos. There are only two people from PH that you know, Burna Boy & Me"
– Omah Lay pic.twitter.com/zUCb2XsTGQ
— OLAMIDE 🌸💖 (@Olamide0fficial) March 10, 2026