The Influence of Diaspora Nigerian Music on Domestic Music Trends: A Comparative Analysis of Home and Abroad Productions

This study comparatively analyses the influence of diaspora-produced Nigerian music on domestic music trends in Nigeria, examining how artists in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada are reshaping sounds, aesthetics, and commercial strategies within the home music market. The globalisation of Nigerian music through streaming platforms and social media has created a complex transnational music ecosystem in which diaspora artists contribute to and are influenced by domestic trends simultaneously. This research purposively selects 30 diaspora-produced Nigerian music tracks and 30 domestically produced tracks released between 2021 and 2024, applying comparative musical analysis examining production techniques, language use, genre fusion, thematic content, and sonic aesthetics. The analytical framework integrates diaspora theory, transnational music studies, and African popular music scholarship. Supplementary data are gathered from interviews with 10 diaspora artists, 10 domestic artists, and 5 music industry executives with transnational experience. Social listening data tracking audience reception of diaspora versus domestic productions in Nigerian streaming markets supplement primary qualitative data. Findings will map the directional flow of musical influence between Nigerian diaspora and domestic contexts and assess whether diaspora productions are driving convergence or divergence in Nigerian popular music aesthetics. Keywords: Diaspora music, Nigerian music, transnational influence, comparative analysis, Afrobeats.