Nigerian music and the dynamics of romance

An ideological analysis of Davido’s “IF” musical track

Abstract

Background: Music is an important instrument for communication with a universal appeal. Through the instrument of music, the barriers associated with spoken words are broken while at the same time, entertaining and educating the target audience. Music communicates trends, issues, and societal changes. Also, it serves as an instrument of social change. Therefore, the ideological meaning inherent in music is an important area of research because it provides insights into the prevailing popular thinking.  
Objective: This paper sought to ascertain the philosophical meaning of the lyrics of the Nigerian pop music artist’s (David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido) song, “IF”. In doing so, the researchers sought to examine how Davido portrays the dynamics of love, money, and romance in contemporary Nigeria.   
Methodology: The researchers deployed the ideological perspective to examine how Davido portrays the dynamics of love, romance, and money. Therefore, the research team viewed the music of Davido many times during which they took notes for further analysis.
Results: The researchers found that Davido made use of his music to portray love as dependent on the amount of money a man is able to spend on a woman. Furthermore, the artist presents physical appearance as the greatest asset of a woman which is meant for the highest bidder.  Consequently, the artist objectifies the body of women while highlighting finance as the only basis for a woman to respond positively to a man’s romantic advances.  Conclusion: In contemporary Nigeria, greater attention is paid to money and physical attractiveness as essential determinants of love. The growing acceptance of such musical videos points to the fact that the Nigerian society is fast abandoning its values of hard work, family history, and good  conduct that were once essential in determining romantic relations to the love for money and physical appearance.
Unique contribution: This study has shown how music is utilized to present the current dynamics of love with emphasis on the interplay between money and romance. The researchers also developed six stages that can be used to analyse musical contents.
Key recommendation: Further studies should be conducted to examine the association between exposure to Davido’s music and the behaviour intention towards love and romance among Nigeria music fans.