Omah Lay has boldly declared himself the greatest Afrobeats artiste of the decade, insisting that his claim is based on artistic quality rather than commercial performance.
The ‘Soso’ crooner made the statement in a recent interview with Capital Xtra, maintaining that his strength is rooted in his craft, even if industry benchmarks suggest otherwise. He said, “I am the greatest Afrobeats artiste of the decade. I am the greatest,”
However, the 28-year-old singer clarified that metrics such as streaming figures, popularity, and public image may not place him at the top in many people’s estimation. He added, “When you consider numbers, personality, level of fame, and stardom, maybe you would not consider me. But when it comes to the art itself, I am the greatest,”
This is not the first time the Port Harcourt-born artiste has made such a statement. He previously described himself as Nigeria’s best artiste of the last 20 years, joining other Afrobeats stars who have made similar assertions about their dominance in the genre.
Born Stanley Omah Didia, Omah Lay started out as a music producer at 15 before rising to prominence in 2020 with breakout hits like ‘You’ and ‘Bad Influence’.
Known for his emotional songwriting and Afro-fusion style, he has a strong global following and remains one of Afrobeats’ most discussed voices.
At the 2026 Grammy Awards, he received a nomination in the Best African Music Performance category for ‘With You’, his collaboration with Davido, but lost the award to Tyla.