Your song, on the soundtrack of Me & Ms. Hanatu — the long-awaited documentary, years in the making and now in post-production, headed for festivals and screens worldwide.
Produced by the team behind Sundance premieres and Netflix and Amazon releases, edited by the studio behind Beyoncé and National Geographic's IMPACT with Gal Gadot — and scored, in part, by you. One winner joins the soundtrack alongside Dr. Panam Percy Paul, Zuri, Chimdi and Elder Nate. And this is bigger than one winner: it's Nikao Sound scouting its next stars for the label. Open to every Nigerian singer-songwriter, at home and in the diaspora.
Twelve songs are already released under Nikao Sound — real tracks, real music videos, streaming everywhere.
Also on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Audiomack, and everywhere else as Nikao Sound.
Your original song should speak to the Nigerian experience through one of these six lenses. English primary, minimal pidgin. This is a music competition — we're judging the song, not the video. A phone camera and a lyric video are completely fine. Some entrants will bring more production to theirs; that's their choice, not a requirement. The song is what wins.
Making it through — the daily fight, the quiet endurance of ordinary Nigerians.
What Nigeria can become — vision, light, refusal to give up on the dream.
Truth-telling in melody. Naming what is wrong, demanding what is right.
Rebuilding after loss — family, community, nation. Healing, returning to wholeness.
The spiritual anchor that sustains a people under pressure. Songs from the soul.
Bending but not breaking — a people who refuse to be erased.
The winner earns a permanent place in Nigerian music history — on the soundtrack of a major film, heading to festivals and screens around the world.
Me & Ms. Hanatu — years in the making, now in post-production, from the team behind Sundance premieres and Netflix originals. Your song rides with it.
Your song on the Me & Ms. Hanatu documentary soundtrack.
Released globally alongside Dr. Panam Percy Paul, Zuri, Chimdi and Elder Nate.
You keep your songwriting credit. You earn from every stream.
Featured across every ATN and Nikao Sound platform, announcement to release.
Nikao Sound is a working label — real releases, real distribution, real marketing, for real artists. This isn't one winner and a closed door. It's how we find the next voices for the label, the same way we built Zuri, Elder Nate, and Chimdi. Stand out here, win or not, and Nikao Sound may come calling.
Record an original song as a music video. Any production level. Theme must match one of the six pillars above. English primary, minimal pidgin.
Dr. Panam Percy Paul and Mike Arnold personally review every submission and choose five finalists, featured across every ATN platform.
Nigeria — and the global diaspora — votes for their favorite of the Top 5. Most votes wins the soundtrack spot.
The winning track joins the Me & Ms. Hanatu soundtrack. Full press, social campaign, and release rollout.
Legendary Nigerian gospel artist, composer, and worship leader whose music spans decades — fusing African rhythms with deep spiritual lyrics. Global Music Director, Let Us Rise. His selection carries the weight of a movement.
Founder of the African Truth Network and the vision behind Me & Ms. Hanatu — building platforms for African voices to tell Africa's own story.
Any entrant may submit an AI-generated or AI-assisted song, provided it's clearly labeled as such at every stage. Every submission, human or AI, is judged on the strength of the song alone — disclosed, and decided by the people.
Fill in your details below and hit submit — it goes straight to our team. Every submission is reviewed personally by the panel. Nigeria is waiting to hear you.
Open to Nigerian singer-songwriters, domestic and diaspora. Entrants under 18 require a parent or legal guardian's consent, given at submission. Each artist may submit up to two songs — no more than two entries per artist will be judged.
Your song must be original — written and owned by you, with no uncleared samples, interpolations, or third-party material. By entering you confirm you hold all rights necessary to submit it.
Entering grants Nikao Sound and the African Truth Network a limited, non-exclusive license to display, stream, and promote your submitted video for judging and contest promotion. You keep every other right to your song. Non-winning entries transfer nothing beyond this.
The soundtrack spot goes to one winner. But Nikao Sound is an active label, and we're watching every submission for artists worth signing separately, on their own release and marketing deal. This is never automatic and never a rights grab: nothing beyond the limited promotional license above transfers unless you sign a separate agreement with us.
Any entrant may submit an AI-generated or AI-assisted song, provided it is clearly labeled as such at submission. This includes Nikao Sound's own AI artists — Elder Nate, Zuri, and Chimdi — who remain eligible to enter and win. All entries, human or AI, are judged on the work alone.
All judging and eligibility decisions by Dr. Panam Percy Paul, Mike Arnold, and the African Truth Network are final. We may disqualify any entry that violates these terms.
This is a plain-English summary for entrants. It is not a substitute for the signed winner's recording agreement, which governs if you win.