If you visit Oiza & Meyi’s Instagram page, one of the first things you’ll notice is a bold declaration in their bio: “Nigeria’s No. 1 Girl Group.” In another context, it might read like little more than marketing bravado.
But a look across Nigeria’s current pop landscape makes the claim surprisingly difficult to dispute. At a time when the country’s mainstream music scene is overwhelmingly dominated by solo acts, few female duos have sustained the level of visibility, chemistry and artistic consistency that Oiza & Meyi have steadily built over the past few years.
The singer-songwriter duo have carved out a distinctive place in Nigerian music by reviving the tradition of the girl group for a new generation. While they draw from a rich legacy of women making music together, they are also reshaping what that tradition can look like today, blending close-knit harmonies, contemporary Afropop influences and an unmistakable twin dynamic that has become central to their identity.
Nigeria’s musical history has never lacked remarkable women singing together. The Lijadu Sisters fused Afrobeat, funk, soul and social commentary into one of the country’s most enduring catalogues, while groups such as Desperate Chicks and SHiiKANE each demonstrated, in their own era, the creative possibilities of women making music collectively.
Yet despite that legacy, the industry’s centre of gravity has long favoured the solo star, leaving girl groups to navigate a more challenging path to mainstream success.
Unlike solo careers, groups demand constant creative alignment, shared ambition, the willingness to divide both applause and criticism, and the ability to navigate the inevitable tensions that partnerships often bring.
For Oiza & Meyi, however, those challenges have never threatened their partnership. As identical twins, they share a relationship built on trust and intuition, qualities that shape both their personal lives and their artistry. “Being a duo is unique because the industry is mostly built around solo artistes, but we’ve always seen it as our greatest strength,” they tell The Nollywood Reporter. “We’ve had each other through every high and low, and that support is invaluable.”
That connection was evident in the bathroom freestyle videos they shared during the COVID-19 lockdown, performances that first captured audiences online and introduced many listeners to their effortless vocal chemistry.
It continues to define records such as “Na Je,” their acclaimed collaboration with Falz and FirstKlaz, which has introduced them to an even wider audience while reaffirming their place among Nigeria’s most promising emerging acts.
As Oiza & Meyi continue to build momentum, the sisters are focused on more than viral moments. They are steadily expanding their creative ambitions, from music to acting, while remaining committed to proving that girl groups still have a place in contemporary Nigerian pop culture.
In a conversation with The Nollywood Reporter, they reflect on their journey from lockdown freestyles to “Na Je,” their feature acting debut in Say Who Die, the realities of building a career as a duo in an industry designed for individuals, and the body of work they hope will define the next chapter of their career.
TNR: For people discovering Oiza & Meyi today, how would you describe the artistic identity you’ve been building together, and what has shaped that vision?
Oiza & Meyi: We’re storytellers first. Our music is rooted in our Northern Nigerian upbringing, our culture, and our experiences, but we also love blending those influences with contemporary sounds. Whether we’re singing in English, Hausa, or Pidgin, the goal is always the same: we want our music to feel honest, timeless, and emotionally connected. We want people to hear us and feel something.
Many people first encountered you through your freestyle videos before hearing your official records. How important have those spontaneous performances been in defining your artistry?
Those videos changed our lives. During the lockdown, we started posting ourselves singing in our parents’ bathroom because we loved the acoustics. There wasn’t a big plan behind it; we just enjoyed making music.
Looking back, those freestyles introduced people to our harmonies, our chemistry, and the authenticity that’s still at the heart of everything we do today.
“Na Je” has become one of the standout records from Falz’s latest project, with many listeners discovering Oiza & Meyi through it. How did you become part of the song, and what was it like working with Falz and FirstKlaz?
It actually happened by chance. Earlier that day, Falz called to ask if we knew of any Northern choir, and we told him we didn’t, as we were on our way from Abuja to Lagos.
As luck would have it, we missed our flight and decided to stop by the studio. A beat came on, we instinctively started humming, and Falz said, “Sharp, let’s record that.”
We had no idea whether it would ever be used, but about a week later, he sent us the song with FirstKlaz’s verse, and that’s how “Na Je” came to life. Working with both of them was such a natural and enjoyable experience.
On “Na Je,” you deliver part of your performance in Hausa while reflecting on the realities of contemporary Nigeria. What informed that creative choice, and how important is it for you to draw from Nigeria’s diverse cultures in your music?
Using Hausa felt completely natural. We’re Igala girls who grew up in Abuja and went to school in Zaria, so Hausa was a language we spoke almost every day. In Northern Nigeria, Hausa is almost like English; it’s the language many people use to communicate across different ethnic groups.
So incorporating it into our music wasn’t a deliberate creative decision; it was simply natural. Nigeria is incredibly rich in culture and language, and we love reflecting that diversity in our music and celebrating the beauty of our different cultures.
As identical twins, what does your creative process typically look like? When you’re making music together, how do ideas evolve from the first spark to the final record?
It’s very collaborative. Sometimes one of us starts with a melody while the other immediately hears the harmony. Other times it’s a lyric or even a conversation that becomes the foundation of a song.
We challenge each other creatively, but we also trust each other’s instincts completely. By the end of the process, it’s hard to separate who did what because everything becomes one shared vision.
You made your feature acting debut in “Say Who Die” last year. How different was it telling stories through film compared to music, and did the experience influence your creativity in any way?
Acting challenged us in a completely different way. Music allows us to tell our own stories, but acting requires you to step into someone else’s world. It taught us patience, discipline, and the power of subtle storytelling.
It definitely inspired us creatively, and we’d love to continue exploring both film and music.
There are far fewer female groups in Nigerian music today than there were in the early 2000s. What has it been like building a career as a duo in today’s industry, and do you think that landscape is changing?
Being a duo is unique because the industry is mostly built around solo artistes, but we’ve always seen it as our greatest strength. We’ve had each other through every high and low, and that support is invaluable.
We do think the landscape is changing. Audiences are becoming more open to different kinds of artistes, and we hope to see more female groups emerge because there’s definitely space for them.
As identical twins, people often see you as one creative unit. How do you make sure each of your individual personalities still finds expression within Oiza & Meyi?
We may look alike, but we’re very different people. We have different personalities, interests, and creative strengths, and we make room for each. Oiza loves making hair and jewellery, and she studied Theatre Arts, so she’s very passionate about acting.
If there are any plays or acting opportunities, please involve her; she’d absolutely love that. Meyi is the fashion and fine arts girl, and she enjoys expressing herself visually through styling and art. Those individual passions feed into what we create together, so while people see Oiza & Meyi as one unit, we’re also constantly growing as individuals.
Looking ahead, are there musicians or filmmakers you’d love to collaborate with, and what do you think those collaborations would bring out in your creativity?
We’ve been fortunate to work with amazing artistes like The Cavemen and Falz, but there are still so many creatives we’d love to collaborate with. We’d love to work with Asa, Odumodublvck, Tems, Omawumi, and we’d happily collaborate with The Cavemen again.
They all have such distinct artistic voices, and we think they’d bring out different sides of our creativity. In film, we’d love to work with Kemi Adetiba and Kayode Kasum because they’re incredible storytellers, and we’d love to be part of projects that leave a lasting impact.
With so much attention on your music at the moment, are you working towards a larger body of work, and what can listeners expect from this next chapter of Oiza & Meyi?
Absolutely. We’re working on a body of work that feels like the truest reflection of who we are right now.
People can expect honest storytelling, rich harmonies, influences from Northern Nigeria, and music that feels both intimate and expansive. We’re excited for people to hear this next chapter.
As your careers continue to grow across both music and film, what kind of legacy do you hope Oiza & Meyi will leave for the next generation of female artistes in Nigeria?
We hope people remember that our music made them feel something. Whether it made them laugh, cry, reflect, dance, or simply feel seen, we want our songs to leave an emotional imprint.
If people can look back years from now and say, “Oiza & Meyi made me feel,” then we’ve done what we set out to do.
