‘New Era’ debut album for Nigeria’s Kiss Daniel

In announcing the news and sharing the album cover, the singer omitted a release date. He accompanied the post with a note: “I want to appreciate my fans for this. You gave me the inspiration needed to prepare this ‘love potion’ album: NEW ERA! Thank you God for fuelling my spirit when I nearly gave up.”

Kiss Daniel’s second single ‘Woju,’ which was released in 2014, became a hit in Nigeria and propelled the 21-year old to stardom. He has since played several gigs around the country. Last year, his engagements included performing at the Literary Evening, a yearly celebration of budding literary talents in the country organised by the novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

A well-received remix of the song followed. It featured Davido and Tiwa Savage.

In mid-2015, on its way to becoming a hit, Kiss Daniel’s follow-up single ‘Laye’ was criticised on social media for sounding like ‘Woju’. The singer’s team responded with a statement that reads in part: “Trust me, the criticism from some of our fans all over the world, will definitely be used to our advantage and make us get better in our field by the day.”

‘Good Time,’ the last solo single from the singer, has received no such criticism. Its video, directed by AJE Filmworks, has been praised for its quality. In January 2016, his compatriot and colleague Wizkid recorded and released a version of the song.

In recognition of his work, both the All Africa Music Awards and the Headies handed Kiss Daniel nominations for their 2015 editions. While he left the Headies emptyhanded, he won the trophy for Most Promising Act in Africa at the AFRIMA ceremony.