Glimpses of Creative Industry in 2025

What will the creative industry look like in 2025? More deals? More policies? Or more steeze? Vanessa Obioha looks at some of the trends that may define the industry, and yes, A.I. made the list 

More Grammy Wins

Since Burna Boy won the coveted Grammy award in 2021, Nigerian artists have consistently featured on the nominations list. In 2025, this trend continues with Nigerians dominating the recently created Best African Music Performance category, which celebrates the continent’s rich musical culture. While Tyla won the inaugural award last year, Nigerians are poised to take centre stage this year, with nominees like Burna Boy, Tems, Yemi Alade, Asake, Wizkid, and Chris Brown featuring Davido and Lojay. All eyes are also on Tems, who made history as the first indigenous African to break into the R&B category. She leads the 2025 Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best Global Music Album alongside Rema for his Heis album.

Live Events Make an Explosive Comeback:

One of the trends that emerged in the Detty December celebration of 2024 is the ubiquity of live events. From concerts to conferences and festivals, the entertainment industry is experiencing a boom in live performances. This upward trend suggests that the live events sector will soon surpass its pre-COVID numbers.

Infrastructure Development:

While live events were the highlight of the 2024 holiday season, they exposed significant infrastructure deficits in the industry. To accommodate growing crowds, ensure safety, and improve the attendee experience, Nigeria’s creative sector requires better event facilities. The $4.5 billion deal between Del-York Group and TSC Global to develop Lagos Film City (also known as Kebulania) is a promising development. This massive project, in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, will create an ecosystem for film, music, live events, and training, while generating jobs. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2025, and the city will include a 50,000-square-meter hyperscale data centre and a 1GW sustainable gas-fired power system to support AI-driven productions.

The newly renovated National Theatre will also play a role in addressing Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges, providing world-class facilities for creative events.

More Investments and Training:

The economic potential of the creative industry will continue to attract investors. From Singapore’s TSC Global to Sterling Bank, which supported the tourism and fashion industries last year, to other international companies, there will be an investment boom in the creative industry. But investment will not only be in financial terms but also skill development. This is an area where streaming platforms like Netflix are likely to invest more this year. While the streaming platform has paused the commissioning of Nigerian films, they are likely to turn their focus on training emerging filmmakers.

A Stronger Push for Oscars Nomination

Nigeria’s quest for an Oscars nomination in the International Feature Film category has been a recurring conversation, particularly around meeting language requirements. In 2025, the focus may shift to gaining greater visibility at international film festivals, where many successful films begin their Oscar journey. To achieve this, Nigerian filmmakers will need to craft provocative, universally appealing themes, improve film quality, and adopt aggressive marketing strategies. The Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy will also need to promote Nigerian films globally, not just locally.

Gen Alpha’s Style Takes Centre Stage:

Generation Alpha—those born between 2010 and 2024—will become a cultural focus in 2025. While Gen Z made waves on social media, Gen Alpha, growing up alongside artificial intelligence, will likely influence new lifestyle choices. It will be interesting to see how they shape culture and trends.

A Kaleidoscope of Festivals:

2025 is shaping up to be a year of festivals, building on the success of 2024. Expect celebrations of not just film and music, but food, fashion, technology and lifestyle. The inaugural Lagos Shopping Festival last year set the tone for a diverse range of events, and this trend is set to expand.

Streaming Continues to Dominate:

The demand for visually compelling content will rise in 2025, and creators will increasingly turn to platforms with global reach. Whether for music or film, local or international, more streaming platforms are likely to emerge, providing opportunities for content to reach wider audiences.

Exponential Growth for the Fashion Industry: Nigeria’s fashion industry was a global fixture in 2024, with numerous fashion shows showcasing the country’s designers and models. The industry, valued between $4.7 billion and $10 billion last year, is expected to grow further in 2025. From local to international runways, Nigerian fashion designers and models will continue to push African culture. Nigerian textiles, already popular on runways such as Africa Fashion Week Nigeria and Wear Nigeria Fashion Show, will continue to dazzle on the runway, signalling a resurgence of interest in traditional fabrics.

Nigeria Cuisine Expands Beyond Jollof Rice:

 Jollof rice has long been the staple food that Nigeria is known for globally but that will likely change this year as food content creators are promoting other cuisines. Think of our local soups, stews, and even our boli (roasted plantain) and moi moi (bean pudding) which are beginning to gain global attention.

Alté in Global Spotlight: Going by the recent data released by the music streaming platform Spotify, Alté, the experimental mix of Afrobeats, R&B and hip-hop, with electronic influences, is gaining popularity globally. The global success of Alté-influenced musicians like Tems, Rema and Odeal symbolises how the genre is taking its place in mainstream music culture. Countries like Ghana have embraced the sound with over 60 billion Spotify streams, and Alté now has 41% more global plays than it did in 2024.

AI Adoption will Increase: There is no denying that artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a future possibility; it’s here to stay. In 2025, its use in the creative industry will continue to expand. While concerns about AI-generated compositions are rising, particularly in the music industry, creatives are eager to explore how AI can enhance their work while pushing for policies to protect intellectual property.