"Kukere" ( Efik: "Don't think/worry") is a song by Nigerian singer

Iyanya Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk (born 31 October 1986), known by his stage name Iyanya, is a Nigerian Afropop recording artist. Career He rose to fame after winning the first season of ''Project Fame West Africa'' and is best known for his hit single "Kuk ...

. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...

'' (2013). Upon its release, the song peaked at number 1 on Top FM's May Chart, Soundcity's Viewers Choice,

Rhythm FM Rhythm 93.7 FM is a commercial radio station located in the Old GRA neighborhood of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The station broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format, playing a variety of music genres including R&B, hip hop, with occasi ...

, and The Beat 99.9 FM's Blackberry Top Ten Countdown. Moreover, it peaked at number 2 on Radio Port Harcourt.

CEO Dancers Dancer Soliat Bada appearing on NdaniTV in 2018 The CEO Dancers is a London-based trio of female dancers and choreographers who rose to recognition following their performance at '' Britain's Got Talent 2013'' which saw them reach the semi-final of ...

performed the song during their performance on ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

''. To further promote the album in London, Cokobar and Iyanya held the Kukere Queen Competition. Participants of the competition were asked to upload a dance video of themselves and state three reasons why they deserve to win.

Accolades

"Kukere" won Best Pop Single and was nominated for Song of the Year at

The Headies 2012 The Headies 2012 was the 7th edition of The Headies (known as the Hip Hop World Awards until the 6th edition). It was hosted by M.I and Omawumi. The ceremony took place on 20 October 2012, at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lag ...

. It also won the Hottest Single of the Year award at the 2013

Nigeria Entertainment Awards The Nigerian Entertainment Awards were established in New York City in January 2006. The awards recognize the contributions of African entertainers with a special focus on Nigerians. Ceremonies * 2006 Nigeria Entertainment Awards * 2007 Nigeria ...

, and was nominated for Best Contemporary Afro (Live Beats Choice) at the 2012 Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA). It was also nominated for Most Popular Song of the Year at the 2013 City People Entertainment Awards.

Track listing

; Digital single

Kukere Remix

The remix of Kukere features vocals from

D'banj Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo (born 9 June 1980), better known by his stage name D'banj, is a Nigerian singer and rapper and the founder of Mo' Hits Records with producer Don Jazzy. He has won several music awards, including the awards for ''Best Af ...

. It was released on 20 August 2012 as the third single from the ''Desire'' album. The song reprises the original hook and instrumental of Kukere.

Background

In an interview with

Toolz Tolu Oniru, popularly known as Toolz, is a Nigerian radio personality, talk show host, and presenter. She is best known for hosting ''The Midday Show'' on The Beat 99.9 FM. Early life Toolz was born in London on 6 July 1983. She had her primary ...

, Iyanya said D'banj reached out to him to do the remix. He also said he was honored to work with D'banj. Furthermore, he said they would be shooting a video for the remix. However, the music video was never shot.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the remix received positive reviews from music critics. Ayo of Jaguda.com said, "Iyanya came, saw and conquered. He gave us one of the biggest dance track ever made, props to D'tunes for the crazy beat. After having a successful song, i bet you know there will be covers and remixes, and the master of Killing Songs, koko master jumps on this song with Iyanya." Damilare Aiki of ''

BellaNaija ''BellaNaija'' is a lifestyle, entertainment and fashion website in Africa. headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. History BellaNaija was founded by Uche Eze in 2006 as a media startup which later metamorphosed into BellaNaija.com while studying for ...

'' said, "When Iyanya released Kukere in March 2012, it was no doubt that the song would quickly become a national anthem as it was a breath of fresh air from Iyanya, who had previously released other buzz worthy singles including Love Truly and I'm the One." Demola OG of

NotJustOk NotJustOk is a Nigerian music download website created in June 2006 by Ademola Ogundele. With over 1.2 million viewers per month, from 183 countries, it is one of the most visited websites in Nigeria. History Coined from Seth Godin's book '' Pur ...

added, "An already huge national track, Kukere is going to get bigger and move further. Iyanya gets D'banj on the Kukere remix and as you can imagine it is fiya."

Track listing

; Digital single

References

{{authority control Iyanya songs 2012 songs 2012 singles D'banj songs Song recordings produced by D'Tunes