The exit of Nollywood actor, Ray Emodi, from movie production and acting has sparked mixed reactions among fans, especially given his outstanding performances and niche in the industry.
Emodi shared the news of quitting acting for music on Instagram, explaining that fans often ask about his absence from the screen.
The movie star reflected on his years in the film industry, recalling how some roles required working in unsafe environments, including locations where gunshots could be heard nearby.
Ray Emodi is not the first actor to quit acting for music, as some popular Nollywood stars had at some point in their acting career ventured into music.
In this article, Naija News highlights five popular celebrities who attempted to cross over into the music industry but faced criticism and limited success.
1. Tonto Dikeh: In 2013, the actress cum politician ventured into music with singles “HI” and “Itz Ova” but was met with widespread criticism. She also collaborated with popular artistes such as Solid Star and Terry G, but the songs flopped. The music outcome forced Tonto Dikeh to return to acting and brand influencing.
In 2025, Tonto Dikeh pointed to the influence of her “worst friends” as a key reason her music career failed. She lamented that her singing ability did not match the ambition her friends instilled in her, claiming that with the right talent, she would have surpassed the fame of stars like Tiwa Savage, Cece Winans, or Whitney Houston.
2. Jim Iyke: Nollywood superstar, Jim Iyke enjoyed a short-lived success in music after releasing a single titled ‘Who Am I’ with 2Face Idibia, which received quite some airplay both on TV and radio. Apart from that, he also released an album ‘Born to Do This’ with several notable features, but unfortunately, it did not do as well as the earlier single with 2Face.
3. Genevieve Nnaji: In 2005, Genevieve was suspended from acting, and she decided to give music a shot and released a song titled ‘No More’ and got a recording deal in Ghana shortly after, but the music did not gain momentum, and the outcome was not enough for her to make a mark in the Nigerian music scene.
4. Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde: The A-list movie star popularly known as Omosexy was not an exception when it comes to music flops. She released two albums with singles ‘Missing You,’ ‘Feel Alright’ and ‘Gba’ but her music career failed to gain mainstream traction. After failing to make an impact on the airways, Omotola returned to acting on the big screen, where she continues to flourish.
5. Patience Ozokwor: In the mid-2000s, veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor, better known as Mama G, also delved into music, releasing hits like “Ihe Neme N’uwa,” “Iyo Ngwo Ngwo,” and “National Moi Moi”.
The thespian also released a video for her single, “Adaeze’ back in 2012. After that, the songs stopped making waves, and she has since gone back to acting.
