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American pop star Billie Eilish once named Nigerian Afropop star Tekno as her favourite artiste.
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She made the revelation during Vanity Fair’s annual time-capsule interview in October 2019.
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Eilish praised Tekno’s music and said she loved every song he released at the time.
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The video has resurfaced as Tekno sparks debate over the sole originator of Afrobeats.
August 28, (THEWILL) — American singer Billie Eilish once revealed that Nigerian Afropop star Tekno was her favourite artiste.
Eilish commented during her 2019 time-capsule interview with Vanity Fair, which was filmed on October 18 and released in November that year.
When asked about her favourite artist at the time, the then 17-year-old singer named Tekno.
“My favourite artist is Tekno,” she said.
Eilish went on to praise the Nigerian singer’s music, saying, “There isn’t one song that I don’t like that he puts out. Every single song that that man puts out, I love.”
The comment came at a time when Eilish was rapidly becoming one of the biggest young stars in global pop music.
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In 2019, she was also promoting her debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”, which had become a major international success.
Her admiration for Tekno was not limited to the interview. Eilish later featured his music on a playlist, including “Agege”, his 2019 collaboration with Zlatan.
“Agege” was released by Tekno and Zlatan in 2019 and became one of Tekno’s notable collaborations from that period.
The singer has also built a catalogue of popular songs including “Pana”, “Duro”, “Diana”, “Rara”, “Jogodo” and “Go”.
Eilish’s comments highlighted the growing international reach of Nigerian music at a time when Afrobeats was gaining a wider audience outside Africa.
For Tekno, the recognition added to his profile as one of Nigeria’s influential Afropop artistes, with a career spanning singing, songwriting and music production.
The video has resurfaced as Tekno recently sparked a fresh debate about the origins of Afrobeats, arguing that Fela Anikulapo-Kuti should not be regarded as the genre’s sole originator.
Tekno acknowledged Fela’s major influence but also pointed to highlife legends such as Oliver De Coque and other musicians whose contributions, he said, deserve greater recognition.
The resurfaced video has therefore renewed attention on both Tekno’s influence in Nigerian music and his long-standing connection with international audiences.
Evi-Ben Ezaga is an entertainment and society writer with a passion for stories that explore culture, people, and the stories shaping society today.
