The entertainment industry creates room for multiple platforms to express talents. Little wonder, we have seen people start as comedians and later end up as actors. We have also seen comedians drop music albums (Basket Mouth, Julius Agwu and the likes quickly comes to mind). Notable in this cross over act are, musicians venturing into acting and vice visa.

In the recent past, we have seen actors drop music albums, singles, Eps. The list includes, Mama G, Nkem Owoh, Ramsey Noah, Desmond Elliot, Genevive Nnaji, Omotola Jalade, Tontoh Dike, Jym Iyke, the list goes on.

While some never did well in their second love, others went on to establish tracks that somewhat became an anthem; ‘Agreement by Nkem Owoh, ‘I go chop your Dollar’, Mama G’s ‘National moi moi’, are typical examples. This however is a far cry from the musicians who have switched roles as actors. They have experienced more success as compared to their counterparts in the movie industry.

Here is a list of a few musicians who created an impression as actors:

Falz
Folarin Falana, also known as Falz, has acted in several Nollywood productions, including Brotherhood, Merry Men, Quam’s Money, 10 Days in Sun City, , and Chief Daddy.
Falz played the character of Segun in Jenifa’s Dairy. In 2016, he won the African Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA) for Best Actor in a Comedy Movie or Series. In 2018, he also won the AMVCA for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Quam in Tope Oshin’s film New Money.
He is arguably the most successful among them.

Reminisce
Nigerian rapper Remilekun Khalid Safaru, known by his stage name Reminisce, made his acting debut in the industry in 2018 in the film King of Boys.
Reminisce portrayed the villain in the film, Makanaki, a Nigerian mobster from Lagos, which both reviewers and viewers favorably attested to the fact that he was flawless in his act.

Illbliss
Like Reminice, Illbliss delivered like a pro in the movie King of Boys. He even spoke Yoruba like it’s his mother language.
He played the role, Maka and carried his character like a rap.


Banky W
Musician, businessman and politician, Olubankole Wellington also known as Banky W, has been featured in multiple Nollywood movies including Sugar Rush, The Wedding Party, and Up North.


Yemi Alade
Yemi Eberechi Alade, also known by her stage as Yemi Alade debuted as an actress in the 2020 Nollywood film Omo Ghetto: The Saga, which was directed by JJC Skillz and Akindele. She played the role of Mogambe, the head of a drug trafficking gang.
Her interpretation of the character, Mogambe was on point and left fans yearning for more movie appearance by the ‘Johny Crooner’.

Waje
Aituaje Iruobe, known professionally as Waje, was featured in the drama series, She Must Be Obeyed, where she played the role of Xcite.

Peter Okoye

The year 2018 saw the entry of a Nigerian singer known by the stage name Mr P into the Nollywood film business. In the Netflix production Lionheart, which was directed by Nnaji, Mr P made his acting debut as Arinze.
He also appeared in the movie Shanty town.

 


Simi
In 2019, Simisola Bolatito Kosoko Ogunleye, better known by her stage as Simi, made her acting debut in Kunle Afolayan’s film Mokalik (Mechanic), playing the intriguing part of Simi.

Chike
Chike’s springboard into the entertainment industry was made possible after he competition Project Fame West Africa, where he finished in second place during the first season.
From there, he showcased his abilities on The Voice Nigeria, where he was given a notable spot. To further his profession, Chike acted in the Africa Magic Showcase telenovela Battleground as Mayoma Badmus.
His role as Ify in the film Gangs of Lagos further convinced fans that Chike is made to entertain.

Tiwa Savage
Tiwatope Omolara Savage, better known by her stage as Tiwa Savage, made her acting debut in the hit MTV series Shuga. She also had an appearance in an episode of the hit Funke Akindele series Jenifa’s Dairy.
Savage’s feature film debut, Water & Garri which we look out for, is scheduled for May 10, 2024.