Hit songs in today’s music industry now 10% talent — Spyro

Nigerian singer and songwriter, Oludipe Oluwasanmi David, popularly known as Spyro, has said success in today’s music industry depends far more on financial backing than talent, arguing that skill now plays only a small role compared to money.

Speaking in an unreleased interview on NigerianTribuneTV’s Celebrity Chit-Chat, set to air on Monday, March 9, 2026, the singer said the structure of the industry has changed significantly compared to earlier eras when vocal ability and songwriting mattered more.

“I think it’s both,” he said while responding to a question about whether quality or promotional funding makes a hit song.

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“But these days you don’t even have to have quality to have a hit song,” he added.

The ‘Who Is Your Guy’ crooner explained that the emphasis on talent has dropped drastically, with success now largely determined by how much an artist can invest in promotion and visibility.

“Back then you can’t blow… back then it was 70% talent,” he said. “Now it is like 10% talent and, you know, 90% funds.”

Continuing, Spyro noted that artists today often succeed based on how relatable their content is to audiences rather than their vocal ability.

“It’s not about quality again, it’s just about how much you have and how much you can relate with your audience,” he said.

According to him, songs that reference everyday habits or popular lifestyle trends tend to gain traction more easily.

“If you can relate with them on something bad that they all do… you are singing about Igbo (marijuana), a lot of people smoke Igbo, so they gravitate towards that song,” he said.

“If you’re singing now about women, a lot of people like women… so it’s not about quality again.”

The singer also compared the current music landscape with earlier generations of Nigerian artists.

“Compare the songs of those days… compare the music that we had from the Plantation Boyz, the Daddy Showkey compare it to what we have now,” he said.

Spyro argued that the difference lies in the level of depth and storytelling in older music.

“So there’s no content, there seems… content seems to be missing,” he said. “It’s just all cruise now.”

Despite his criticism, he clarified that making entertaining music is not necessarily wrong but believes the industry needs balance.

“So it doesn’t mean that cruise is wrong, I’m not saying that you’re wrong to cruise,” he said. “But I feel like there should be a balance.”