Known as the “one take God” and “Oba Orin”(king of music”, melodious voiced Teniola Apata, Stage name; Teni; Teni De Entertainer is our Wonder Woman for this week. She is an embodiment of talent and confidence.
27 year Teniola Apata, better known as Teni, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and entertainer.
Portfolio Accolades
Teni released her debut single “Amen” while signed to Shizzi‘s Magic Fingers Records. She left the record label and signed with Dr. Dolor Entertainment in 2017.Teni started gaining prominence after releasing the single “Fargin” in September 2017. She made her breakthrough after releasing the hit singles “Askamaya”, “Case” and “Uyo Meyo“. “Askamaya” was ranked 15th on MTV Base‘s year-end list of the Top 20 Hottest Naija Tracks of 2018.
She won Rookie of the Year at the 2018 Headies Awards, and Most Promising Act to Watch at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. She also won Best New Artist at the 2018 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. NotJustOk ranked her eighth on its list of the 10 Hottest Artists In Nigeria. She was listed on Premium Times‘ list of the Six Nigerian breakout stars, viral sensations of 2018.
On 20 February 2019, Teni was featured on YouTube Music‘s Trending Artist on the Rise. On May 3, 2019, she released the video for “Sugar Mummy”. She also released a new single titled “Power Rangers” On June 14, 2019.
Teni who was recently nominated in the category of best new international act in this year’s BET Awards, also has a degree in business administration from American InterContinental University. 
Teni Networth And Endorsements
Teniola is currently an artiste on the rise. Her successes in 2018 and 2019 contributed majorly to her earnings and this has improved her net worth considerably. Teni is currently worth $2 million in US Dollars, which when converted to Nigerian Naira, is about ₦720 million.
Her endorsements include;
- 2019: Brand Ambassador for Wema Bank Nigeria under the alat_ng scheme.
- Budweiser Brand Ambassador 2019
- Brand Ambassador for TomTom 2019
- Pepsi Naija Brand Ambassador for 2019
- 2019: Endorsement deal with Tecno Mobile
Teni Personality
Teni’s music is courageously cheerful. The young lady is body positive and a proof that Body size does not determine or diminish success.
This cheerfulness in the face of many societal ills is the dominant tone of Teniola’s music sets. Her music is bubbly in its Pop quality, instantaneous in its structure. As suspected, Teni has confirmed she doesn’t write her songs. In an interview with Tim Westwood, she said:
“Everything is a freestyle. I just get into the spirit and I’m gone. Most times I can’t remember if this is me; like I’m lost. I’m lost.”
One finds a semblance in this technique with the musicality of kids, just singing and playing with whatever word pops in their head. But seeing as Teni is a professional musician, what influences her choice of words are narrowed and the sound which accompanies it precise. As a child born into a family of music lovers, (the Afro House superstar Niniola is her big sister) Teni’s musical influences range from Fuji to Highlife. These impound on the necessary contemporary trend of Afro Pop to give Teni’s music off as s cocktail of sounds.
Technique
Teni’s come-up is quite unprecedented. On the surface, there weren’t many factors that sold her off as a mainstay. She was often berated for her looks, her sound, it was said, lacked a gut punch, she wasn’t affiliated with any of her more popular colleagues. ‘Fargin’, released late-2017 changed that: Teni would go on to write what is popularly considered one of the best songs of Davido’s career ‘Like Dat’; she signed on to Nigerian producer Shizzi ‘Magic Fingers Records’; she left the label and signed to Dr. Dolor Entertainment, a partnership she has described as ‘flexible’.
Ever since that break-out, Teni has embraced the politics of her presence in the music industry. How she does this? By being ignorant to the politics. She instead, refers to this politics as her life, one she doesn’t have to prove its validity to anyone.
Teni’s Struggle In A Male Dominated Genre
An open secret it is, that for a female act to be successful, it would take at least twice the talent and efforts than it would take a man. A shortcut that has successfully been employed by the ladies is to present themselves as worthy of the male gaze, as sexual fantasies. These overblown images are sold as the pitch and depending on a number of less influential factors, they are accepted into the folds of the mainstream. Arguably, there have been few female acts that have veered from this “tested and trusted” path but these names exist on the fringes, the alternative. To be mainstream is to swim the murky swim of ‘pimping up’ In one sentence, we can confidently assert Teni as the most alternative artiste in the mainstream.
To grow into the music which dominates today is to be a participator in the trade of sound. A direct opposite from the previous aspiration of being a king in your own home; today, to be a king you have to conquer far away lands and return with trophies of domination: evidence of high charting singles, multiple streams, international collaborations and shows. To do this, many artistes have employed an on-the-go image to be sold to their followers. They always seem to be busy with getting the next collaboration, doing the big interview on a foreign media house, posting a picture of a sold-out venue. The little things that inspire genuine happiness are neglected for the business of PR.
Teni And Her Success Story
Teni does little of of bothering about PR. When she does, it is with immense gratitude to her fans and God; instead, she lives through her new found celebrity life with her fans, giving them millions worth of reality television entertainment. Across her social media handles, she posts humorous videos regularly. Her kind of humor is not outlandish or forced – you get a feeling she is honest in her deeds. With her unique fashion, these videos are aesthetically elevated. It becomes a move worthy of study: how Teni turned what was deemed a shortcoming to a present-day strength. In this, Teni is a walking revolution. She presents the instantaneous quality of everyday life and she lets us live through her emotions and story.
Unarguably her most successful song ‘Uyo Meyo’ was let fly on the wings of the typical Teni social media video post. One bright 2018 day, her fans woke up to a made-up Teni, beautiful and exuding radiance through her smile. She was in a gown; through her caption (“I finally graduated”) it was discerned that she’d achieved an academic landmark. She broke into a song – the most heartfelt they’ve ever heard. It was rendered in a dialect native to Ekiti state. She was urged by its viewers to release the song as an official single and she did. It was only right that when a video was shot for it, it was of endearing scenes that showed how far she’s come.
Teni is a story in progress but for now, let’s give her due flowers. More than any song on the topic, her career has been the definition of originality and how staying one’s truest self could be beneficial.
Style
Despite her androgynous disposition, Teni is a beautiful melanin queen. Check out some of her photos.
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