The rise of Tekno – when the young singer packed his bags and left the nation’s administrative capital for its entertainment capital in 2013, I wonder if he knew that in a couple of years, his star would become one of the brightest in a city of many, many bright stars.
But never mind his adopted city, Tekno’s star wasn’t even the brightest within his new group when their collective album Evolution was released a few months after his move. At Triple MG, at the time, Iyanya kept the cash register ringing, while songstress Emma Nyra was the label’s next great hope. With a baby face, bleached hair and bucket loads of potential, Tekno Miles was signed as a boy capable of becoming a made man someday, rather than a man who was a made man already.
Life Before Triple MG
Tekno grew up a military brat, he was born in Bauchi but also spent time in Kaduna and Nasarawa. His family would eventually settle in Abuja long enough to allow the aspiring singer and producer make the sleepy capital city the launching pad for his music career.
Tekno developed a reputation locally for being a consummate songwriter. He teamed up with Abu Jahbi mainstay White Nigerian to record one of the biggest songs in the city in 2012 – “Dirty Whine”. The regional success of “Dirty Whine” was the earliest indication of Tekno’s precocious talent – still a teenager, he manfully handled production and chorus duties.
But “Dirty Whine” was not Tekno’s record, the singer would have to wait till the following year to experience solo success with his first official single “Holiday” (featuring Davido). When it did catch on, the song signalled the beginning of the Tekno “One Word Hit Wonder Phenomenon” that we’ve come to know and respect – more on this later.
“Holiday” enjoyed massive airplay on radio stations in Abuja and environs, there was a feeling within the local entertainment community that they’d gotten a superstar of their own. The single’s success was a watershed moment for another Abuja mainstay as well GospelOnDaBeatz. Davido hadn’t released his debut album at the time, so the monster that was “All of You” hadn’t been unleashed in the clubs just yet. “Holiday” was therefore the first opportunity the country truly had to experience the musical genius that was Tee-Y Mix’s protege Gospel.
Back to Alhaji Tekno, interestingly arguably the most defining song of the singer’s career wasn’t actually his own – “Onye Ne Kwu” was Tekno’s hilarious remake of Ice Prince’s “Oleku” that got everyone’s attention. There was reportedly a bidding war for his signature but after a meeting with Ubi Franklin and Iyanya at a concert in Abuja, the duo convinced the singer that his future was with their new company Made Men Music Group (MMMG). Tekno then left his erstwhile employers, Kay Entertainment, and went to Lagos to chase his dreams.
Triple MG 1.0, A Failed Experiment
Tekno joined one of the most promising record companies in the country at the time – Iyanya had become a bonafide superstar, he and Ubi parlayed that success into a business, and Triple MG was born.
Tekno might have been signed officially in December, 2013 but he was already running with the squad months before then. The squad was growing too – Emma Nyra dueted with Iyanya on “Ur Waist” in 2012 and remained with the fold afterwards. Baci too was a regular, having worked as a hypeman for Iyanya for several years. Selebobo was the last piece of the puzzle and he was officially unveiled as an artist and in-house producer in March 2014. The crew pieced together a group album in 2014 titled Evolution to mixed reviews from the critics. Solo albums were expected to follow soon after, with Emma seen as the next to bat after Iyanya
But the success didn’t last very long, after a number of unsuccessful solo singles and a nasty falling out with Ubi, MMMG’s first lady was the first to exit the label, and she did so more than once. Baci would follow Emma out the door a couple of years after under far less acrimonious circumstances, the singer insists he was never truly signed in the first place. But perhaps the most shocking exit was that of label’s co-founder Iyanya a couple of months ago.
Iyanya’s departure came out of left field and both the singer and Ubi have gone to great lengths to try and convince the public that it was an amicable parting of the ways. Iyanya issued statements refuting claims in the media that the split was because of issues between he and Ubi’s wife Lilian, even going as far as threatening an OAP who discussed the matter openly on the air. Ubi, on the other hand, has suggested that – in a Super Cool Cats, Jagz Nation / Chocolate City manner – Iyanya’s new company will become a subsidiary of Triple MG, so business will continue.
Yes, Iyanya is starting a new label which will be a company out of Made Men Music with a different structure and a different focus, aiming at growing our industry.
Ubi Franklin
Time will tell how this new business arrangement will work out. However, in the final analysis, I think it’s safe to say that MMMG 1.0 fell well short of expectations. With the exception of Iyanya, no other artist has been able to release a solo project of any sort under the label in 2 years. In fact, only 2 of the original 5 members are still on the label’s books and only one of them, Tekno, seems close to putting out a solo project of any kind.
One Word Hit Wonder
Since signing with Triple MG, Tekno has furthered his reputation as a writer and performer of grade A pop music. Nowadays, he relies less on his own production and works with more accomplished producers like DJ Coublon and Selebobo to enhance the final product. However, regardless of which producer he works with, Tekno maintains the same approach to making music.
Just like the title of his singles, he employs a minimalistic approach to the song-making process – less is more – the emphasis is far more on a melody and a happy vibe than it is on substance and meaning. It’s as if Tekno sat through P Square studio sessions for their club records when he was younger, dumbed those lyrics down even further, added a playful twist and made the style his.
He isn’t averse to creating new words – “kpalanga”, “tankere” – if they fit a song’s melodic framework or repurposing old ones – like cassava (Pana) and spaghetti (Wash) – to mean something a little more naughty. The beat is usually uptempo so no need for vocal gymnastics, the storylines are scattered but brought together playfully by a love theme, and the songs are delivered so simply that any upcoming artist would feel like even they could have made it.
But that’s the genius of Tekno’s music, it may be simple, it may be catchy but it’s his now and anyone who tries to replicate it will sound like Desiigner at a Future concert.
This style has scored Tekno five moderate-to-big hits since he got signed. His latest “Pana” has grown like a wildfire in only a few weeks and could surpass the wedding favorite “Duro” as the singer’s biggest record. Something about its growth feels organic too, Tekno just might be ready to release that debut project of his.
The Future is Tekno
Triple MG is a label in transition, DJ Coublon has become an in-house producer and Selebobo and Tekno have remained while upcoming singers Chibbz and Tonye Garrick were recently recruited, perhaps to replace Baci and Emma Nyra. But finding someone to replace Iyanya as the captain of the new crew could prove to be a lot more complicated.
Enter Tekno.
Up until this point, the singer has been suffering from what we like to call the Solidstar syndrome or Jason Derulo complex – when an artist’s songs are so much bigger than the artist himself. Thankfully, there are strong indications that the dots are now connecting for the singer.
A couple of months ago, Tekno bagged his first major endorsement deal with MTN, which was a clear indication that brands are waking up to his obvious superstar potential. He recently embarked on a multi-city tour of Eastern Europe that was reportedly successful and if that wasn’t enough, the singer has been added to the roster for the eagerly anticipated One Africa Music Festival (Houston Edition).
It has taken almost 3 years but Tekno has been able show that he is no longer just a hit maker, songwriter and producer but also a sought-after performer and a superstar in the making. Triple MG does not need to search far and wide to find a new leader.