The name Azeez Fashola may not ring a bell. If you however, were to do a google search of the name Naira Marley or Marlians, thousands of posts may come up. Take this as a masterclass 101 in one of the hottest artistes in Nigeria right now, Naira Marley!
Did you know Naira Marley has a solid educational background?
Naira Marley studied at Porlock Hall in England before attending Walworth School where he got his general certificate of secondary education. He graduated with a distinction in business from Harris Academy at Peckham and also studied business law at Crossways College all in London.
Naira Marley started singing in 2014 after his friends encouraged him to hit the studio, and after that, he released his first melody, ‘Marry Juana’ ft Max Twigz and it turned into a UK road jam. He came to Nigeria after that and released “Drummer boy”. He quickly became friends with king of the streets and founder of the YBNL label – Olamide which may have been the start of his stardom. In December 2017, he released the Olamide and Lil Kesh-assisted single “Issa Goal”, which became the theme song for the Super Eagles at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
After that hit single, Naira became a force to be reckoned with as every Jam he released after that, became a hit back to back. Currently one of the most sort after artistes in Nigeria with a rumored net worth of $ 700,000 as at 2020, we can assure you that there are critical business lessons you can learn from Naira Marley.
While many may complain of the vulgarity of his music, there are business lessons we can learn from Naira Marley
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Be consistent
While Naira Marley may be the rave of the moment, his fame didn’t happen all of a sudden. He had been in music for a few years and was fairly active in the United Kingdom before returning home. Success is never an overnight journey. Put in the work and be consistent.
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Monetize your fame
Naira Marley has channeled the fame from his brushes with the law into pushing his music. On the 17th of December 2019, he released his EP titled Lord of Lamba (LOL). He also hosted a concert and has collaborated with several wave-making artistes such as Davido, and Zlatan Ibile. While this might not work for someone in a formal industry or a company, fame is a fickle thing and should be monetized.
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Turn crises into blessings
While Naira Marley was arrested and in EFCC custody last year, he got the inspiration to create a song – Soapy while discussing with an inmate. In business, there will be a crisis that pops up from time to time. Rather than spend the time lamenting, look for the lessons and opportunities involved.
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Stay close to your customer base
Naira Marley has maintained an active social media presence. He is known for tweeting from his handle, in a warm and friendly manner. Do you run a business? Stay close to your customers and be relatable. Leverage social media and other digital tools available to constantly stay top of mind with your target audience.
5. Create a community
There are hundreds of musicians in the country. Very few, however, have been able to create a community. Naira Marley has consciously created a community for his followers calling them Marlians. Marlians are known for being fun-loving and not wearing belts. People love being a part of a community. That is why social media apps like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are very successful. Create an active community for users of your products and/or services. Facebook groups have proven to be very effective too but in recent times, smart thinking people are looking for ways to move social to real life. Bringing the community from online to offline. If you have new products, events etc. it is your community that will patronize and support you.