65 people, places, events and things to watch out for in 2013

It’s going to be a special year; 2013 is the first year since 1987 to have 4 different numbers…

If you think 2012 was that eventful, then sit back and watch the new year unfold with established and promising artistes breaking new grounds, new technology making life easier, political and economic decisions affecting continents and celebrity babies being  born.

We’ve once again done you the favour of putting together a list of 65 people, places, events and things to watch out for…

2FACE IDIBIA: The Pop giant is yet again on our watch list , not just because he plans to release a sixth solo album, but because he and his wife Annie will finally be giving the public an elaborate wedding in February.

360 DELIVERY: The budding delivery service spearheaded by Noble Igwe and Oye Akideinde has shown so much growth and will continue expanding their coverage.

9ICE: After releasing his fourth and fifth albums (Bashorun Gaa and Versus) simultaneously, the pop singer will be repeating the feat in 2013; in late December 2012, the Alapomeji boss disclosed he will be releasing his sixth and seventh LPs (GRA and CNN) this year. He will also be releasing label’s compilation album ‘Alapomeji All Stars’

AFCON 2013: The 29th edition of the African Cup of Nations will kick off on January 21, 2012 in South Africa, with 16 countries participating as usual. Nigeria is in the GROUP C category, along with Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and last year’s winners Zambia.

AFRICA MAGIC VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARDS: In March, the first edition of the Africa Magic Awards will hold, fielding 28 awards in 26 categories, with awards for acting, directing, script-writing and cinematography. Other fields which will be honored include editing, make-up, sound, lighting and costuming, among others. Nollywood is expected to dominate the awards.

AMAA: It made its’ debut nine years ago but has managed to become the most respected award platform for movies and practitioners of the industry. Year after year, AMAA has honoured deserving players and will be doing so again this year. Entries have since been called for interested participants.

AMARACHI UYANNE: The 10-year-old Edo State dancer won the first edition of the Nigeria’s Got Talent show last year, going home with N10m.

APPLE-SAMSUNG SCUFFLE: In 2012, the two companies were still entangled in over 50 lawsuits around the world, with billions of dollars in damages claimed between them. While Apple won a ruling in the U.S., Samsung won rulings in South Korea, Japan, and the UK. The high profile battle continues in 2013 in the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and France.

ARISE FASHION WEEK: The annual fashion show has become a major event in the calendar, having featured over 200 designers and models in the previous editions. This year is expected to go in the usual glamorous style and play host to fashionistas in their hundreds.

A.Y.O: He is the fifth winner of the MTN Project Fame but is yet to make the expected impact on the industry. Perhaps, the 25-year-old is waiting for 2013 to hit the spot and make the impact like his successors Chidinma and Iyanya.

BANKY W and EME: The EME boss will be focusing more on his solo career this year as he plans to release his fourth solo album ‘R&BW’ in the first quarter of the year. The EME crew had it popping in 2012 and will be working on their individual careers this year, starting with Skales releasing a solo effort.

BARACK OBAMA’S INAUGURATION: On January 21, 2012, U.S President Barack Obama will once again be inaugurated into the White House, after defeating Republican-Presidential aspirant Mitt Romney in the 2012 US Polls. Will Jay Z perform once again? We’ll be watching…

BIG BROTHER AFRICA 8: Every year, organisers of the Big Brother Show bring to the table fresh ideas to keep the show going. This year is not expected to be an exception. The show has managed to become one of the most followed shows on TV, especially among Nigerians. Although the organisers are yet to disclose what format it will take, auditions are expected to kick off in a few weeks.

BOVI: After acting as an understudy with popular comedian Basketmouth, right after working as actor Richard Mofe Damijo’s PA for two years, Bovi Ugboma Akpos has been able to come out of the shadows. 2013 looks like a good year for him to finally establish himself as a stand-up comic, actor and producer.

BRIDGET AWOSIKA: Her designs are a mix of edgy and body flattering designs which got the approval of some celebrities who rocked them to different events.  Her label is a brand to look out for this year; Bridget will be giving a lot of people a run for their money.

BRYMO: His Chocolate City debut ‘#SonofAKapenta’ finally dropped in 2012. This year BrymO will continue his reign and will try to make it to A-list status with the help of his label mates Jesse Jagz and M.I.

BLACKBERRY 10: In late January, the much awaited BB 10 mobile operating system will hit the market. Some of the properties include a very graphical user-interface, a new intelligent keyboard, as well as a camera app which allows the user to adjust a portrait by moving through time scale to optimize picture quality.

BURNA BOY: The new dancehall sensation who had a brilliant debut in 2012 (minus his tragic fall at The Headies) will be looking at dominating his genre. The likes of General Pype and Shank won’t be much competition if he remains focused.

CHIDINMA: Last year, she released her debut album, Chidinma, which officially kick started her career. Months later, she raked in awards, including the NMVA and KORA. The year looks promising for the petite singer, and with more hits like Jankoliko and videos like Kedike, she just might ‘get there’ sooner than she thought.

CONFERDERATIONS CUP: In June, the FIFA Confederations Cup will be held in Brazil in 2013, as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Participating countries include Brazil, Spain, Japan, Italy, Uruguay, Mexico, Tahiti, and the winners of the African Cup of Nations.

D’BANJ: Dapo Oyebanjo spent 2012 breaking ties with his former Mo’Hits partner, launching his international career and setting up his own label, DB Records. He will be releasing his anticipated fourth solo album ‘D King’s Men’ and continue his reign as one of the biggest pop stars in Africa.

DAMMY KRANE: With the momentum gathered in 2012, there’s a very strong possibility the Hypertek rookie breaks through this year with just one hot single.

E-COMMERCE SITES: For over two years now, internet marketing has become the trend, and more platforms have continued to tap into the sector. With the likes of Dealdey, Ttiso, Konga, Jumia and other platforms, it looks as though this trend will continue throughout the year.

EUROPEAN FINANCIAL CRISIS: The European sovereign debt crisis has been making it difficult or impossible for some countries in the Eurozone to repay or re-finance their government debt without the assistance of third parties. The EU is expected to release as much as €230m to mobilize investments.

GOOGLE: With over 53,000 employees and well over a hundred products, internet based company Google will continue its dominance in 2013, with new products such as the Nexus and the computerized goggles ‘Google Glass.’

THE HEADIES: Sure to make the list this year after a huge comeback in 2012; Ayo Animashuan and the HipHopWorld gang will once again be highlighting and honouring those worth it in 2013.

INTERNET NEWSPAPERS: The likes of Premium Times, Daily Times, Daily Post, Citizen’s Platform and YNaija have done pretty well reporting factual events and happenings in Nigeria on a daily. Expect them to continue and possibly expand their coverage this year; building e-newsrooms that relies partly on crowd-sourcing and online leads….

INSTAGRAM: With over a hundred active users, the online photo-sharing and social networking service is still growing rapidly with more and more Nigerian celebrities also sharing their candid and intimate photos with their fans

IPAD MINI: Released in November 2012, the iPad Mini is already becoming the trendy gadget to have. Call it a balance between the iPad (which suddenly looks big) and the iPhone.

IROKO: The Jason Njoku led online media platform will continue with their monopoly of offering exclusive movie viewership on the web. Their music platform version has also rebranded, launching a more convenient mobile platform for users.

IYANYA: The ‘Kukere’ singer enjoyed much success in 2012 and will release his second album ‘Iyanya Vs Desire’ in early February. Expect the singer to stage a concert in the UK and perform at many more shows this year.

JETA AMATA: Call him a trend setter and you may be right. After his success with his movie Amazing Grace, Jeta has gone ahead to film other big projects, one of which is Black November, featuring American singers Wyclef Jean and Akon. It will likely be released later this year.

KIM KARDASHIAN-KANYE WEST: The fairy tale love life of the socialite and rap star gets amplified with the couple expecting their first child. Trust the paparazzi to be all over Kim K from the gym to the hospital this year. She will also continue her messy divorce proceedings with her husband Kris Humphries.

KUNLE AFOLAYAN: He told NET his new movie, October 1, has been budgeted at $2 million and will begin shooting in March. Considering the success of his previous work, Afolayan has become a force to look out for each year. You may also want to watch out for  his new cultural documentary ‘Isedale Yoruba‘ showing on DSTV.

LADUN LAIDI: The Linda Ikeji type blog has started getting a lot of attention, and with more effort from the young blogger, she may be hitting the spot this year…

LIONEL MESSI: After his brilliant record in 2012, scoring a total of 91 games in 69 matches, a lot of attention has been drawn towards the Argentina/Barcelona player, with many hoping to see whether he will top his record or if it will be broken by another player.

MAY D: Akinmayokun Awodumila has moved on strong after leaving Psquare’s record label. He will be looking at releasing his debut album this year, after setting up his Confam Entertainment label, and releasing new singles.

MERCY CHINWO: Since she won the second edition of the Nigerian Idol, not much has been heard about her, but perhaps 2013 is the year she has been waiting for.

MISS NIGERIA: For undisclosed reasons, the 2012 edition of the pageant failed to hold in December. Crown hopefuls and fans of the pageant expect an amazing experience when the 2013 edition holds later in the year.

MR MOE MUSA: U.K based Mr Moe started directing five years ago, but is presently one of the most sought after video directors in the country. He is responsible for the countless videos of Nigerian acts including Ice Prince, Wizkid and Iyanya, and has become the-go-to-man for acts who want to shoot their videos in the UK.

MTV BASE: The 24-hour music and general entertainment channel will be producing a new VJ after six years. Add that to the weekly Big Friday Show and a possible MTV African Music Awards, which has been absent for the last two years.

N6: Nnamdi Nwabasili is one of the young voices making bold statements on radio, running the ‘Night Café’ show with Joyce. His humorous and sometimes odd candid opinions have listeners glued to Cool FM 96.9.

NEW ENTERTAINMENT CHANNELS: Amaka Igwe is getting ready to  launch her own TV channel ‘Q’, a predominantly series platform. Wale Adenuga’s WAP TV already began operations on Monday, October 1, 2012… There’s Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife on the way too….There’ll definitely be plenty to choose from in 2013…

NIGERIAN BASKETBALL TEAM: The Nigerian national basketball team, aka D’Tigers, will be heading to Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire this year for the 27th FIBA Africa Championship, after a lukewarm outing at the 2012 Olympics.

NOLLYWOOD: Trust the second biggest movie industry in the world to produce more and more home videos this year, but more importantly, better scripted movies starring some of the top Nigerian actors, and of course, a handful of their Ghanaian counterparts.

NSE IKPE-ETIM: The actress, who’s in her late 30s, has 2013 to prove her worth as one of the top actresses in in her time. Already reported to be engaged and possibly welcoming a baby, the year looks eventful for her…

OKADA BAN IN LAGOS: In late October 2012, the Lagos State Government placed a ban on commercial motorcycles on major roads and express lanes. While Lagosians are readjusting, some sources say a ban might also be placed on Tricycles.

OLAMIDE: The Yoruba-lingo rapper has shown an impressive improvement in lyrics and stage craft. Armed with a new album ‘YBNL,’ he will dominate the rap circle with a bunch of hits and upcoming videos.

OMOTOLA JALADE-EKEINDE: With a hyped up all new reality show ‘The Real Me,’ Omotola will be in our faces all year long. She’ll also be giving her critics something to talk about when she releases her upcoming music album.

OSI SUAVE: Trending 40 times on social network Twitter is no small feat, so expect the young, energetic and humorous radio presenter to take it to the next level at The Beat 99.9 FM.

PASCHAL OJEZELE: The 24-year-old emerged as the Season 9 winner of the popular Gulder Ultimate Search reality show, walking away with N9m, a brand new 2012 SUV and a N500,000 ‘swagger allowance’ last year. 2013, here he comes.

PLAYSTATION 4:  The Sony PlayStation 4 destined for a Christmas 2013 launch. With the sales of the PlayStation 3, the latest instalment is predicted to have the highest number of sales when it drops

The ROYAL BABY: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s first child will be born this year, will it be a boy or girl? We don’t know for now, but we know there’ll be a tabloid circus surrounding the baby’s birth.

SILVERBIRD CINEMAS (IKEJA): Offering just about the same services they offer at the Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island and at the Ozone Cinemas in Yaba, the new cinema, located at the Ikeja City Mall will attract a lot of theatre lovers.

SPELLZ: Benjamin Obadje was arguably the hottest producer in 2012, and he’ll continue the trend with unreleased work on Tiwa Savage and 9ice’s upcoming albums.

SPINLET: Since it was introduced to Nigeria in May 2012, the online music platform has shown promise, even if it seemed the slowed for sometime in 2012. Music distribution will continue to go digital, and platforms like Spinlet, Iroking, iTunes, Notjustok and Truspost are well positioned to play big…

STAR TREK: It’s probably the longest running music festival in the country, and continues to thrill the supporters of the brand, taking popular music stars to Nigerian cities. The success it has recorded in the past is no doubt a reason to look forward to this year’s edition.

SUPER EAGLES: After missing out of the Nation’s Cup in 2012, the Stephan Keshi led team will be hoping to hit gold at the African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

TIWA SAVAGE: Still characterized as the hottest female singer in the country, Tiwa will be releasing her long-awaited debut ‘Tiwa O Ni Baje‘ in mid-February.And what’s this we hear of a wedding?!

TONTO DIKE: By far the most controversial actress in Nollywood, Ms Dike might grow some confidence and hit the stage to make her first music performance after skipping out twice last year. In February, her ‘My Life, My Damage’ movie which she co-produced with Uche Jombo will be premiered.

THE EXPERIENCE: The interdenominational gospel concert convened and hosted by Pastor Paul Adefarasin recorded a very high number of attendees, reportedly up to 500,000 thousand, coming out to see the likes of Kirk Franklin and other gospel singers.

THE NAKED CONVOS: We’ll describe this as the digital version of erotic novelist E. L. James’s mind. Already having a cult following from a large number of Nigerian youths, the blog covers topic from having casual sex to long relationships and lesbianism.

TRYBE RECORDS: After launching Da Trybe 2.0 crew, signing new acts K9, Sojay, Aramide and Rukus, along with producer Sarz and Sheyman, producer-rapper-singer eLDee will be looking at 2013 to unleash his acts to the mainstream.

WAJE: After waiting forever on Waje to releasing her debut, she has promised to do so in 2013. With seven singles already released, it’ll be nice to see her pull one or two surprises…

WANDE COAL: The black Diamond of Africa squashed rumours of leaving his Mavin Records family and has promised to release more music and possibly a follow up album to his 2008 pop classic.

WILL SMITH: Along with Jaden, his son, Will Smith acted in the sci-fi movie ‘After Earth’ which will be released in June 2013. Fans who saw the duo in the Pursuit of Happyness may be in for another great movie experience.

YVONNE ‘VIXEN’ EKWERE: The Silverbird TV presenter is branching out, setting up her own online TV platform ‘Vixen Red Carpet,’ and in the last few weeks, has covered a number of top shows. She’s looking at making that big break in 2013.

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