Nigerian street-pop sensation Bella Shmurda has opened up about a costly lesson in the music industry, spending a staggering $40,000 to promote a song that ended up going nowhere.
In a new episode of The Afrobeats Intelligence podcast hosted by Joey Akan, Bella shared the story behind the failed single and how ignoring his instincts led to a major misstep.
“I’m a dreamer. A seer,” he said. “I saw in a dream that my next song should be a street song… it was very obvious.”
Despite the clear sign from his dream, Bella chose to test the message by releasing a different kind of song, one that wasn’t tailored for his core street-pop audience. According to him, it was a deliberate move to “be sure” of what he saw in his vision.
Unfortunately, that decision cost him. Even after pouring $40,000 into marketing the song, it didn’t gain traction.
“The song didn’t go well. Then I dropped the actual street song, spent less than 20 million [naira], and it went to No. 2 in the country,” Bella revealed.
While he didn’t mention the title of the underperforming track, the story highlights the rising cost and risk of music promotion in Nigeria’s competitive industry, and the importance of trusting one’s instincts.
Bella also spoke about his role as a label boss at Dangbana Republik, one of the fast-rising street music collectives in Nigeria. He touched on signing emerging talent Fola, who is already making waves with several hit singles, including two collaborations with Bella himself.
You can catch the full conversation with Bella Shmurda on The Afrobeats Intelligence Podcast, where he discusses his journey, label life, and the hard lessons learned on his path to stardom.
