‘Pana‘ feels like a cultural needle-drop moment. Released in July 2016, Tekno’s landmark single recalibrated the sound of contemporary Nigerian pop and became a timestamp for an entire era. For those who remember its arrival, the song instantly transports them back to the first time they heard it.

The Kritzbeatz-produced evocative record is a dancefloor body-heat classic, a physical intimacy psalm propelled by Tekno’s syrupy vocals and the song’s sticky arrangement, with a smattering of thin drum rolls that quicken the pulse.

Tekno’s masterpiece and legacy is a cherry-red, hot-lusted vehicle cruising to the apex of Erotic Afropop (listen to ‘Fine $hit’ by Fola and ‘Tornado’ by Ayra Starr for recent examples). With a conversational ease, Tekno is on cruise control, pushed by a mid-tempo groove that pays homage to Highlife from the South-East. He exhales effortless sensuality throughout as he lingers on the borders of full explosion, never fully arriving.

Delivered in mostly Pidgin English and a smattering of Igbo, ‘Pana’ is one of the last few national pop records to emerge before streaming splintered the collective consciousness of Afrobeats listeners into algorithmic bubbles. With a Yoruba love interest and Tekno dubbing himself ‘Alhaji’, he touched the three cardinal points of Nigeria’s flawed ethnonational imagination, ensuring the song resonated across the country.

“Tekno’s sound was inescapable between 2016 and 2017,” writes Billboard in its flawed list of The 50 Best Afrobeats Songs of All Time: Full Staff List. This statement, however, is not far from the truth. Tekno Miles, as he was initially known, was ubiquitous during this period. Off the back of Pana’s success, Tekno landed an international record deal.

Beyond his credentials as a hitmaker, whether in the vocal booth or behind the production board, Tekno was a star heading towards superstardom. In 2026, it is safe to say he did not break the final glass ceiling that would have placed him in the rarified air we in the culture have lazily tagged as The Big 3.

What went wrong for Tekno?

In 2013, Augustine Miles Kelechi Okechukwu caught my attention with his latest single, ‘Holiday,’ featuring the then-pop-upstart Davido. Produced by GospelOnDBeatz, an Abuja hitmaker, Tekno was, I hate to describe it this way, a breath of fresh air. The single was breezy, light and fun. It was a synth-laden record that Tekno delivered with a confidence that belied his status as a pop freshman. Taking a dancehall-pop or pop-dancehall approach, Tekno’s pockets of grooves and melodies made ball-knowers ask, “Who is that guy?”

Davido and Tekno’s musical chemistry would alter the trajectory of Nigerian pop music four years later.*

With his rising profile in Nigeria’s capital and environs, Tekno obviously had to make the move to the country’s entertainment capital, Lagos, encouraged by the duo of Iyanya and music executive Ubi Franklin.

Iyanya and Ubi tapped Tekno, along with Nigerian-American singer Emma Nyra and singer/producer Selebobo, who would produce one of the biggest Afrobeats records of all time: Yemi Alade’s ‘Johnny’.

In 2014, Tekno released two singles under Triple MG, ‘Dance’ and ‘Anything.’ These two songs reflected how the pop starlet had absorbed Lagos’ fast-paced club sound, abandoning the summery mood that defined ‘Holiday.’

Two events in 2014 would be pivotal to this story. In September 2014, newbie Kiss Daniel (later Kizz Daniel) released ‘Woju,’ which ushered in the trend of mid-tempo club hits. Secondly, in December 2014, Triple MG All Stars headlined the weekly Industry Nite at Quilox Night Club in Victoria Island, Lagos. Tekno gave a half-hearted performance that would foreshadow problems down the road.

Tekno kept the momentum going with his efforts on his label’s compilation album – The Evolution. Then in June 2015, Tekno pivoted, ditching the stale Lagos club sound. He released ‘Duro’, produced by DJ Coublon, a delightful number built on throbbing percussion, synth stabs, and a palmwine-soaked Highlife guitar riff bubbling with froth.

Tekno’s lovestruck vocal turn is a yearner’s classic, dripping with the kind of unbridled confidence that makes him boldly declare, “…Your beauty making me to realize, hmmm baby, say NEPA don bring light.” The detour was a hit, but it lacked the weight of a seismic force capable of shifting the industry.

Tekno followed this hit with ‘Wash’ in the same vein as ‘Duro’, complete with humorous lines like “If you like karate, I’ll teach you mathematics.” After ‘Wash’ came ‘Where.’ These records built the momentum for the generation-defying hit, ‘Pana.’

When Tekno scored his classic song, it was right at the time when a putsch was happening in mainstream pop. Davido was dealing with the disappointing results of the ambitious Son of Mercy EP released in 2016. Wizkid was in la-la land in search of international clout, which would culminate in his 2017 album, Sounds From The Other Side. Burna Boy had a sophomore slump with On A Spaceship in 2015, but began to show signs of life on his redemptive EP, Redemption, in 2016.

The crown was for the taking, and the throne or thrones had many contenders: the bi-national Mr Eazi, Runtown, Kizz Daniel and Tekno. All these artists made hits that helped push Afrobeats into the global market during the final phase of its international siege. They offered something different – less frenetic club music and a soft, sensual edge over the brash eroticism of the latter set.

It can be argued that Tekno was the most gifted of the lot and the most primed for superdom. With a lithe frame, eternal boyish good looks, and a penchant for breaking into unorthodox dance steps, Tekno was the sure princely candidate to become king. He emerged as one of the clearest embodiments of that sensual strain of Afropop, so it was no surprise that he grabbed the headlines when it was reported that he was in a relationship with Ghanaian-British singer Lola Rae that would result in a daughter.

And if this were a classical Disney tale, this is where Tekno would ascend the throne with his Queen and rule the pop kingdom, only if life were like fairy tales.

On March 28, 2017, Billboard wrote an article titled, ‘Will Tekno Be the Next Nigerian Pop Star to Break In North America?.

“Veterans like Trey Songz and Ludacris have posted clips of themselves listening to the song on Instagram, and “Pana” also caught the attention of Imran Majid, senior vice president of A&R at Columbia, who signed the track and re-released it in December”, the article pointed out.

The American music industry was in search of an African pop star, and Tekno was one of its big bets.

In September 2017, back home in Africa, Tekno made the headlines for giving a tardy performance at a concert in Kenya. After showing up at 3 am, Tekno was only on stage for 30 minutes. His camp blamed the local DJ for audio sync issues.

Tekno’s lax attitude towards live performance hindered his reputation as a bankable international act. According to a top media executive who was at the O2 Arena for one of the Big 3’s historic headline shows, Tekno’s set failed to convince the international music executives in attendance that he was the next big thing out of Africa.

Despite this flaw, Tekno was steadily churning out hits from 2016-2018, such as ‘Diana,’ ‘Rara,’ ‘Yawa,’ ‘Be,’ ‘Go,’ ‘Samantha,’ ‘Mama’ featuring Wizkid, ‘Anyhow’ and ‘Jogodo.’ The latter hit was a bombastic re-fix of the hit ‘Kpolongo’ by the duo of Mad Melon and Mountain Black.

Despite his reputation as a hit man, his biggest contribution in this period was producing one of the greatest Afrobeats tracks of all time.

After the underwhelming performance of his EP, Davido was on the verge of being an outsider in the ranking of elite pop acts. As the story goes, Davido happened to be at Quilox Night Club, owned by Shina Peller, son of the famous magician Professor Peller. Shina Peller would later enter politics and serve in the House of Representatives in Abuja.

In the club that night was Tekno, who beckoned to Davido and told him he had a smash hit for him, and that they should leave the club right away to record it. That record was ‘If,’ a song that not only turned Davido’s fortunes with a historic 2017 run but also cracked the American music industry, earning an RIAA-certified Gold plaque and earning its place as one of the greatest Afrobeats songs of all time.

Tekno extended his benevolence to DJ Cuppy, the daughter of Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola. The pair collaborated on ‘Green Light,’ a hit that showcased Tekno’s ability to turn anything he touched into gold at the time.

Internationally, Tekno received the biggest international co-sign of them all when Canadian rapper Drake posted him on his Instagram. He would co-write and co-produce the Swae Lee and Drake 2019 single ‘Won’t Be Late.’

In December 2017, Tekno, DJ Cuppy and Davido were surprise guest acts at NATIVE LAND – the annual Gem-Z driven concert that was at the forefront of promoting alte acts that had begun to emerge in the mid-2010s. Tekno performed all his bangers, and Davido’s set included his revival jam, ‘If.’

With his stack of hits piling up, people had one question for Tekno: “Where is the album?” Tekno had shunned dropping an album at a time when the market favoured hit singles over LPs. Regardless, by 2018, his contemporaries had released albums. Kizz Daniel had released his debut album in 2016 and followed it up with his sophomore set later that year. Mr Eazi, for his part, had already put out two mixtapes. Runtown could boast of a debut album as far back as 2015.

The lack of a project was another gaping hole in Tekno’s artistry, which had been brewing as far back as 2016 when Tekno was nominated for the historic Next Rated awards at the Headies – a category reserved for new artists that had yet to drop an album. Tekno mocked his inclusion in the category that had Asa, Wande Coal, Wizkid, Davido and others as past winners. His nomination was later withdrawn after he refused to participate in promotional activities tied to the category. By 2018, his lack of an album, EP or even mixtape was worrisome.

That wouldn’t be the biggest of his problems. In November 2018, Tekno confirmed he had an illness which was affecting his ability to sing. He later revealed he had Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), which caused severe damage to his throat. He underwent a surgical procedure called hypopharyngeal dissociation in London, where doctors worked to prevent stomach acid from reaching his vocal cords.

During his forced hiatus, the pop landscape would shift with the introduction of a new generation of singers such as Fireboy DML, Joeboy and Rema. The sun had set on his class.

His presence was still felt in 2019 as he was a guest act on Beyoncé’s Afrobeats-leaning soundtrack album, ‘The Lion King: The Gift,’ released in the summer.

After recovering from illness, Tekno made a strong return in late 2019, and one of his boldest moves was walking away from his label.

In August, Tekno announced his exit from Triple MG without dropping a project. It was revealed he was setting up his imprint with Paul Okoye (not of Psquare fame) of Personal Global Management Consultants, who had acquired 50% of the label.

A few days later, he would controversially announce his musical comeback. To promote his new single, ‘Agege’ with new-school rapper and Street-Hop act, Zlatan, the singer danced with and sprayed money on strippers inside a transparent glass-sided truck along the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge in Lagos. The scene caused outrage, which eventually led the Lagos state police to arrest and question him over public indecency.

Even though ‘Agege’ isn’t a classic Tekno hit, it put him back in public consciousness and in the ears of American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, who said her favourite artiste for the year was the Afrobeats hitmaker.

Finally, after an eight-year wait, Tekno delivered his debut album ‘Old Romance.’ Technically, it wasn’t a bad album, but it wasn’t a pop triumph from one of the artists who recalibrated the mainstream pop sound in the mid-2010s.

Motolani Alake of Pulse Nigeria wrote this about the album, “Kudos to Tekno’s A&R, who tries to find a conceptual nexus/central theme for this album. It ties into Tekno’s strengths as an artist. He has never been the greatest storyteller; neither has his music ever been about astute songwriting.”

Post-2020, Tekno has soldiered on. Even though he is not a headliner like he was some years ago, he did feature on one of the biggest Afrobeats records of all time, ‘Buga’ by Kizz Daniel in 2022. His sophomore album, ‘The More The Better,’ released in 2023, is his best work. “The More The Better is a thoroughly enjoyable album that presents an already acclaimed Tekno unveiling new facets of his artistry. With enchanting melodies, impeccable engineering, impressive lyricism, and an overall advancement in craftsmanship, he is firing on all cylinders on this project,” wrote Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku for the Afro Critik on the album.

His latest body of work, ‘Where Did Love Go,’ is stuffed with populist pop tunes that hark back to a decade ago, when Afrobeats singers mined for records that could resonate with the entire nation, before streaming changed the game.

Tekno’s story is not one of collapse so much as mistimed destiny. Illness interrupted him at the precise moment Afrobeats was reorganising itself for a streaming age, and by the time he returned, the game had changed. The monoculture that made a song like ‘Pana’ feel national had become fractured.

Yet that should not obscure what he was at his peak: one of the defining architects of mid-2010s Afropop, a melodic savant whose instinct for sensual, crowd-moving records helped reshape mainstream Nigerian music.

Princes matter too, especially the ones who change the kingdom as Tekno did. His catalogue carries the evidence of a rare pop intelligence: one that understands rhythm as seduction, and the hit song as a national event, a skill rare these days. The final glass ceiling may have remained intact, but Tekno’s fingerprints are all over the modern Afrobeats palace.

This article was written by Ayomide Tayo. Views expressed are strictly the author’s and do not reflect The Netng’s

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