African musicians have constructed a formidable, enviable, colorful, fascinating, and catchy music space over the years, establishing Africa as a continent of different, distinct music genres and music talents.
African musicians are amplifying the output in the industry globally and taking the world by storm in a variety of exclusive genres such as High life, Afrobeats, Fuji, Amapiano, Kwaito, Kizomba, Soukovs, and Taarab, as well as popular general genres such as Pop, Rap, Rock, Metal, Funk, R&B, Roots, and Blues.
Africa has produced some of the best music icons who have overcome many obstacles such as racism and geographical limits to reach the top of their careers. Some of the great talents who have placed Africa on the world music map and told the authentic African story via their works include Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, Angelique Kidjo, Hugh Masekela, Youssou N’dour, and 2Face Idibia.
While the old legends have slowed down and are enjoying the fruits of their years of hard labor, youthful and multi-talented performers are frequently rising and developing more interesting genres, as well as introducing inconceivable changes to the existing genres. To keep you up to date on some of the various advancements in the African music industry, here are some of the young brilliant voices in Africa who may win some of the world’s most prestigious music awards.
1. Rema
Divine Ikubor, better known as Rema, is a Nigerian musician, rapper, and vocalist. His smash tune ‘Dumebi’ catapulted him to fame. Rema earned a record deal with Jonzing World and released his debut EP ‘Rema’ in 2019, landing him at the top of Apple Music Nigeria. His tune, ‘Iron Man,’ appeared on President Barack Obama’s ‘2019 Summer Playlist’. During a stage appearance in London in November 2022, he won an accolade for reaching one billion streams worldwide with his tracks. In the 2023 SoundCity MVP Awards, he was named Digital Artist Of The Year.
2. Ruger
Ruger is a Nigerian Afrobeats musician and songwriter signed to the Jonzing World record label, which is owned by another prominent Nigerian artist, D’Prince. He released the single ‘Ruger’ in 2021, off his debut EP ‘Pandemic’ and garnered international attention with another track ‘Bounce’ off his EP. With over 52 million YouTube views, ‘Bounce’ quickly rose to the top of Apple Music Nigeria. In November 2021, he published ‘The Second Wave,’ his second EP. ‘Dior,’ a single from the second EP, topped numerous playlists in Africa and the United Kingdom. Ruger was nominated Best New Artist at the SoundCity MVP Awards in 2023.
3. Gyakie
Gyakie Jacqueline Acheampong is a Ghanaian R&B and afro-fusion singer, Gyakie, who was born into a musical family, rose to prominence with the single ‘Love Is Beautiful’ in February 2019 and a five-track EP ‘Seed’ in August 2020. Her song ‘Forever’ received widespread exposure in several African countries, earning her international acclaim and topping music charts like as Billboard’s Top Thriller Global and Shazam’s Top 200 Charts. In 2021, she acquired an international record deal with RCA Records UK and Sony Music, and in 2022, she released her second EP, ‘My Diary,’ which included a collaboration with Davido.
4. Muzi
Muziwakhe McVictor Mazibuko, better known by his stage name Muzi, is a South African DJ, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He grew up in a musical family and began writing songs and developing beats at the age of 13. His debut album, ‘Boom Shaka,’ was released in September 2016. His second album, ‘Afrovision,’ released in 2018, catapulted him to fame. He has appeared in numerous top music performances and festivals, as well as toured various locations around the United States of America. Muzi has four studio albums to his credit: Boom Shaka (2016), Afrovision (2018), Zeno (2019), and Interblaktic (2021).
5. Ayra Starr
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe is a Nigerian singer and model. She grabbed the notice of Mavin Records CEO, Don Jazzy, after covering some hit songs by other artists and putting them on her Instagram account, and since then, she has been on an upward trend dropping chart-topping tracks. She rose to prominence with her eponymous debut EP, which featured the smash single ‘Away,’ which spent two weeks at the fourth slot on the turntable Top 50 and eighth on the U.S. Billboard Top Thriller worldwide.
6. Salle
Kosisochukwu Gospel Peters ‘Salle’ is a Nigerian musician who rose to prominence in 2021 after posting a video of herself singing and peddling in the streets of Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria. The viral video gained over 800,000 reviews and hundreds of comments, and it piqued the eye of top Nigerian music singers such as Don Jazzy and Davido. She hasn’t signed with a record company yet, but she has released her self-titled first EP and other singles.
7. Kidi
Dennis Nana Dwamena, better known as Kidi, is a Ghanaian singer and composer signed to Lynx Entertainment. He rose to international prominence with the release of ‘Say You Love Me’ in 2017, followed by the chart-topping single ‘Odo’. ‘Sugar,’ his debut album, was released in 2019. Kidi has released two studio albums, Sugar (2019) and The Golden Boy (2021), as well as one EP, 4Play (2022).
8. Elaine
Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli (Elaine) is a South African R&B singer from Pretoria. While still studying law at the University of Witwatersrand, she self-released her debut EP in 2019, which achieved No. 1 on the iTunes and Apple Music charts. RISA certified her EP as platinum (Recording Industry of South Africa). Later, she signed with Columbia Records. Her debut music video for the song “You’re The One,” which was published in April 2020, has over 10 million YouTube views and was named “Most Streamed Song of the Year” at the South African Music Awards (SAMA).
9. Fik Fameica
Walukagga Shafik, also known as Fik Fameica, is a Ugandan rapper. In 2015, he released his debut single ‘Pistol’ on the Black Man Town record label. He continued to release songs, earning him a recording contract with Kama Ivien Management. In 2017, he won various honors in Uganda and East Africa, including Most Popular Musician in Uganda. For his song ‘Kutama,’ he won the Breakout Artist, Best in Hip-Hop, and Best Rap Song awards in 2018. He collaborated with Nigerian musician Patoranking for his hit song ‘Omu Bwati’ in 2019 and went on to form his record company ‘Fresh Gang Records,’ signing additional artists, DJs, managers, and dancers. His club singles ‘Batuwulira’ and ‘Byenyenya’ helped him become Uganda’s most booked singer in 2017.
10. Titose
Titose Natasha Macha is a Botswana-born R&B and Trap soul singer and composer. She began singing at a young age, covering other artists’ songs before posting her own on SoundCloud. Titose launched her debut song ‘Drowning’ in 2019 and her first EP ‘Was It Something I Said’ in 2021, with the track ‘Best Friends’ featuring South African rapper The Big Hash. She created history by becoming the first Botswana-based artist to collaborate with Apple’s Platoon.
