Making hit songs isn’t that easy otherwise everyone would do it. It takes a lot to even get one hit but it takes even more to have a lasting relevance in the music business.
Every year, there are new artistes coming out. The public have fickle taste which makes the industry ever competitive. There’s a need for artistes to be on their toes at all times, constantly bringing the goods to cement their names in the industry.
Many artistes have shot to fame rapidly and went down the drain in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, it’s without a trace. This leads us to the case of Mish; the Akwa Ibom Ayaya hit-maker.
In 2011, Michael Aniekeme Meshach came through with Akwa Ibom Ayaya, probably the biggest song out of Nigeria that year. The success of the song knew no borders, ranking in charts outside of Africa. A couple of years after the initial release, the song still enjoyed massive airplay nationwide.
In Akwa Ibom Ayaya, Mish expresses a nostalgia for his routes. A conscious song that brings light to the uniqueness and sweetness of one’s home. Indeed, there’s ‘no place like home.’
Mish went mainstream in the aftermath of the song’s release. Even the then Governor of Akwa Ibom state lauded the son of the land who made the song. Mish had brought international publicity to his state of origin.
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Nine years later, Mish’s musical career is squandering in relative obscurity.
In December 2015, Mish was reported to have gotten married to his significant-other at the country’s capital Abuja.
His wedding was said to have been attended by the then Senator Godswill Akpabio who was projected by Mish through his debut during Akpabio’s tenure as the Governor of Akwa Ibom state.
Mish released an album titled Made In Nigeria in 2017 with people barley even noticing. Perhaps, the public had moved on from the view of Mish as an aesthetic singer, who blends Africa music with Western sounds.
It would be harsh to label Mish a ‘One hit wonder’. “Every Woman Is Beautiful” is another of his hugely impressive song. It was also a hit back in the days. But since his emergence, there had been a sense that it would be otherworldly for him to eclipse Akwa Ibom Ayaya as his best record. Time brought these thoughts more light.
In the case of Mish, it is not a matter of lack of efforts to come up with more good music. He has been trying as evidenced in his 2017 album and multiple other singles. It is a matter of fact; merely any of them is as catchy or inspiring as his breakout hit.
In a somber manner, Mish has lost his relevance to the Nigerian music industry, fading away like a fall from the skies.
