"Sexy Mama" is a song recorded 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 ...
featuring
Wizkid
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...
for the former's second studio album, ''
Desire'' (2013). It was issued to
digital retailers as the album's fifth single on 6 February 2013, coinciding with the release of the parent album, through his label Made Men Music Group. Written by both of the two musicians, "Sexy Mama" was solely produced by D'Tunes. It is a
dancehall and
dance-inspired track that contains lyrics pertaining to a man's interest in a girl he met at a club.
The single received generally positive feedback from music critics, who favoured the track as one of Iyanya's best songs. "Sexy Mama" peaked at number one on Nigeria's "Official Naija Top Ten Chart", compiled by
MTV Base
MTV Base was a British pay television music channel from Paramount Networks UK & Australia that focused primarily on hip hop, R&B, grime, garage, reggae, funk, soul and dance music. It was launched as part of MTV's digital boutique of music ch ...
. An accompanying music video was released on 26 April 2013 and features both of the artists performing the song and choreography amidst a white backdrop. The use of special effects prompted a nomination for "Best Use of Visual Effects" at the 2013 Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA). Iyanya has also performed the track on several occasions, including at various nightclubs.
Background and composition
The release of "Sexy Mama" coincided with that of Iyanya's second studio album, ''
Desire'' (2013).
It was
digitally released on 6 February 2013 through Made Men Music Group to the
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
,
while a version of "Sexy Mama" featuring non-explicit lyrics was released exactly one month later on 6 March.
A
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
and
dancehall-inspired track,
"Sexy Mama" was written by both Iyanya and Wizkid, while its production was handled by D'Tunes. Its lyrics revolve around a male protagonist developing interest in a woman he met at a dance club. Wizkid joyfully sings: "Girl your dance makes me crazy / I'm feeling your sexy waist / And this is still the baseline".
Reception
"Sexy Mama" received a positive response from music critics. Joey Akan from ''Pulse'' called it one of Iyanya's best songs to date,
while ''Okay Africa''s Jacob Roberts-Mensah described it as one of "Nigeria's most infectious dance ballads".
Similarly, Qazim Quedy from 360 Nobs declared it an "amazing track" and a "wonderful listen".
On Nigeria's "Official Naija Top Ten Chart" for commercially released singles, "Sexy Mama" debuted at number eight on the list, for the week spanning 24–31 May 2013. It was Wizkid's second entry on the listing, following his 2012 single "
Azonto
Azonto is a dance and music genre from Ghana. Ghana News Agency cites their study which found out the dance is connected to the traditional Ga dance Kpanlogo, associated with the coastal towns in the country such as Chorkor, James Town, Tes ...
".
After spending nearly two months on the chart compiled by
MTV Base
MTV Base was a British pay television music channel from Paramount Networks UK & Australia that focused primarily on hip hop, R&B, grime, garage, reggae, funk, soul and dance music. It was launched as part of MTV's digital boutique of music ch ...
, it reached the top position on 26 July of the same year.
Promotion
An accompanying music video for "Sexy Mama" was released on 26 April 2013 through Iyanya's official
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
account and later appeared on his verified
Vevo
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...
account on 16 October 2013.
The visual commences with the two artists standing in front of a white backdrop while several female dancers appear sporadically through the use of digital and animated effects. Because of this, the video itself was nominated at the 2013 Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) for the "Best Use of Visual Effects" category,
but lost to
Sound Sultan
Sound Sultan (born Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi; November 27, 1976 – July 11, 2021) was a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, comedian, and recording artist. He was regarded as one of the pacesetters of modern hip hop music in Niger ...
's video for "Natural Something".
At a 2014 special event promoting
Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
Africa
* Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco
*Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...
's new line of
vodka
Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuritie ...
s, the singer performed "Sexy Mama" and "Away" on a blue lit dance floor.
During the Music Festival Lagos 2015, held in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
, Nigeria, Iyanya performed "Sexy Mama" in addition to both "Gift" and "
Flavor
Flavor or flavour is either the sensory perception of taste or smell, or a flavoring in food that produces such perception.
Flavor or flavour may also refer to:
Science
*Flavors (programming language), an early object-oriented extension to Lis ...
".
Accolades
Track listing
Charts
References
External links
*
{{Wizkid
2013 singles
2013 songs
Dancehall songs
Iyanya songs
Song recordings produced by D'Tunes
Wizkid songs
Songs written by Wizkid