Nigerian singer, Teni Makanaki is joined by Costa Titch and Ch’cco from South Africa to release a new single, “Maitama”. Jay Synths and Bigfish, who have both collaborated with other well-known Nigerian musicians, produced the song.
Teni, who rose to fame with the critically praised breakthrough single “Case,” released her debut album WONDALAND in 2021. The album amassed over 100 million streams worldwide and earned YouTube Music’s designation as a “trending artist on the rise.”
Following the release of “Little (I Love I Love),” Teni’s most recent single, “Maitama,” as usual, displays the singer’s distinctive tone and range.
In “Maitama,” which is named after a well-known town in Abuja, Nigeria, Teni’s adventure of leaving home and starting a new life is chronicled. This voyage demonstrates her evolution and growth.
It’s worthy to note that the song demonstrates how Amapiano, a sound that is increasingly becoming associated with African music, blends well with Teni’s distinctive sound.
Teni revealed during the discussion of the album that the song was written in a private setting and that she is committed to persevering despite any difficulties that may come her way.
“Maitama” is very personal to me, as I wrote it from a space that I was in. I know I won’t have everything in life figured out, but eventually, it will all fall into place, and something great will happen one way or another. I know I’m not stopping. I’m just going to keep on pushing,” said Teni. “This track is about me having fun in both good and bad times and expressing myself. I may not know where I’m going, but I’m going somewhere. “Maitama” is just a mood of, yes, I don’t have all the answers, but if I keep going, something beautiful is surely bound to happen. It’s about maintaining the balance of faith, hard work, and fun.”
Listen, we all know Teni is good and her distinguished and eclectic records fuse her authentic love for her Nigerian culture. However, “Maitama” is just another of Teni’s output. I feel like she gave us crumbs when she’s supposed to dish us full loaves at this time.
Matiama is within Teni’s comfort zone, and you know what they say about comfort zones!
We know what Teni can do, we want more!
Listen to the song below:
Teni’s Career
While a member of Shizzi’s Magic Fingers Records, Teni released her debut single, “Amen.” In 2017, she parted ways with the record company and joined Dr. Dolor Entertainment. After releasing the track “Fargin” in September 2017, Teni began to acquire popularity. After releasing the top hits “Askamaya,” “Case,” and “Uyo Meyo,” she achieved success. On MTV Base’s list of the Top 20 Hottest Naija Tracks of 2018, “Askamaya” came in at number fifteen.
Teni was highlighted on YouTube Music’s Trending Artist on the Rise on February 20th, 2019. She released the video for “Sugar Mummy” on May 3, 2019. She dropped a brand-new song titled “Power Rangers” on June 14.
On October 11, 2019, Teni released Billionaire, her self-titled debut EP. There were no guests on any of the six (6) songs that made up the “Billionaire EP.” Pheelz and Jaysynths Beatz produced the EP.
Teni collaborated with Nigerian DJ Neptune in April 2020 to release an EP titled “Quarantine Playlist,” in which she plays out various stages of being in quarantine and discusses the strains of being on lock down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Production on the four-track EP, which was done by Tempoe, P. Prime, and Dra, is primarily mid-tempo.
Teni disclosed the title and anticipated release date for her upcoming first album on February 2, 2021. This was posted on her Instagram page “Now is the moment… And the record’s working title will be “WONDALAND” — #MARCH2021 #WONDALAND”
Her first record, Wonderland, took more than two years to create and was recorded in locations like London, New York, Orlando, Ondo, Lagos, and Abuja.
Pheelz, Damayo, Tempoe, P.Prime, Millamix, Krizbeatz, and Ozedikus were in charge of the album’s production. It was made available for purchase and online streaming on a number of music services, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, and Google Play.
