Africa
While Afrobeats has been hailed as Africa’s biggest cultural export, its growth on the continent is also cause for celebration.
The 2023 and 2024 IFPI Global Reports revealed Sub-Saharan Africa was the fastest-growing region in the world, with this year’s report documenting a 25% rise in music sales largely driven by increased adoption of paid subscription services (up by just under a quarter). And no other streaming service has been as innovative and effective at expanding their reach on the continent as Audiomack.
The company has been applauded for bolstering artists with user-friendly promotional and analytics tools while providing fans with a solid discovery experience, and its unparalleled work in Africa has been critical in the rise of Afrobeats and other genres on the continent. Audiomack opened its first African office in Lagos, Nigeria in 2020 and made three key hires, including Charlotte Bwana, who officially joined the company as head of media and brand partnerships and has since risen to vp of marketing, EU, Africa & MENA.
Bwana had been living in Nigeria at the time and working in Audiomack’s ambassador program, where she met with and onboarded artists onto the platform and continued expanding its Afrobeats division through social media marketing, idea generation, playlist curation and outreach to major labels, artist managers, booking agents and more. Once travel was allowed after the pandemic, Bwana “literally backpacked across Africa – Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa – doing Audiomack masterclasses, meeting artists and teaching them Audiomack one-on-one but also about the entertainment business,” she tells Billboard. “Somebody said to me, ‘A lot of companies are companies in the cloud, but you are a company that exists, we can actually meet you and shake your hand and call you on the phone. The difference between you and many other streaming companies is your availability.’”
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Bwana emphasizes that that “human touch” element has significantly helped scale Audiomack, which is the No. 1 music streaming app on Apple’s App Store in 22 African countries — including Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe — and the No. 1 music streaming app on the Google Play Store in Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. According to the company, in Nigeria alone Audiomack boasts 15.3 million monthly active users and 4.9 million daily active users and has racked up 58 billion total Afrobeats streams since 2020.
While the streamer hasn’t added more offices on the continent outside of its Lagos headquarters – which now has 12 people across its social media, graphic design, curatorial, business development and content operations departments – it has deployed ambassadors in additional countries like Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Those ambassadors help Audiomack better navigate the African market with “ideas of which artist is popping, which sound is buzzing in this territory, what the scene is like [and] what artists should we be focusing on,” Bwana explains.
Audiomack has also had to focus on tackling two key issues that hinder the platform’s mission to democratize streaming on the continent – the first being accessibility. “In Africa, before we talk about affordability of music, we have to talk about accessibility. A lot of people couldn’t access music in the first place, and Audiomack opened that door… and reshaped the landscape of the African music industry,” Bwana says.
In 2021, the streaming service partnered with MTN Nigeria, the fastest 5G network in West and Central Africa, to introduce the Audiomack+MTN Data Bundle program. Through the program, the company offered the more than 76 million MTN subscribers tailored data bundles, allowing them to stream unlimited music and access Audiomack content without the hassle of data charges. This year, the partnership expanded with the Audiomack+ subscription program, which offers MTN subscribers seamless access to premium Audiomack content – including uninterrupted streaming and offline downloads – through three flexible subscription plans. “We have a monthly subscription, a weekly subscription and a daily subscription, because we figured that people sometimes just buy premium for the day,” says Bwana, adding that 41% of Audiomack users use MTN. “They don’t need it for a month, or they can’t afford to pay that for the month. But if a big artist drops an album today, and they just want to listen to the album, they just pay for premium for the day.”
Still, Africa’s low internet penetration rate poses a problem for users without MTN coverage. According to the International Telecommunication Union’s Facts and Figures 2024 report, just 38% of the continent is able to use the internet, while only 11% have access to a 5G network. Bwana notes that offline downloads are “everybody’s favorite feature” on the app, with Audiomack reporting 1.9 billion offline downloads since 2020. “You’re able to listen to the music on the go whenever you’re not connected,” she says. “This is a premium feature for many DSPs, and for us, it’s a feature that you still can access on the ad-based tier.”
Charlotte Bwana
Courtesy of Charlotte Bwana
This gets to the second major hurdle Audiomack has been tackling: payment. While the company is making sure its different subscription models are suitable for African users’ limited internet access, it’s also ensuring the payment methods are just as convenient. “In Africa, [there are] 54 different countries, and you’re working with many currencies. As you’re scaling a business, you have to figure out how to accommodate the entire continent,” says Bwana. “Seventy percent of the population [in South Africa] is banked, so they have access to credit and credit cards, and they can pay for stuff online. Then you go to Kenya, where everybody uses mobile money. With every country that I’ve been to, not only am I talking to the artists to market them and create content, but I’m also talking to telcos and fintechs and trying to figure out payment systems so we can make it seamless for people to pay for music.”
Last year, Audiomack partnered with Flutterwave, Africa’s largest payment network, to leverage its expertise in secure and reliable payment processing so artists can “monetize their art effectively,” Audiomack CEO/co-founder David Macli said in a press statement. Audiomack can reach even more users in Africa via seamless payment options, including bank transfers, local cards and mobile money. This year, the company also partnered with Carry1st, Africa’s leading mobile games and digital content publisher, to tap into its proprietary payment solution, Pay1st, so consumers can purchase their subscriptions using local payment methods including mobile money, popular digital wallets and bank transfers. “A lot of people on Audiomack are Gen-Z, they’re in that age where they’re discovering music but they’re also gaming,” says Bwana. “We were thinking of how do we bridge the gap between music and gaming, and also, how do we make sure that the artists are earning more royalties and being discovered even by the gamers.”
Outside of accessibility and affordability, artist discovery is another one of Audiomack’s priorities. The platform has been identifying the continent’s rising stars before they gain global recognition through Keep the Beat Going, an annual campaign that focuses on amplifying artists’ profiles and introducing them to new global markets through billboards in major cities, playlists, digital ads, creator workshops and more. Since its launch in 2022, Keep the Beat Going has highlighted 72 artists from Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, including Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Rema and Uncle Waffles.
Aside from artists, Audiomack is also keeping its fingers on the pulse of new trends coming out of the continent. Bwana believes Nigerian street pop is the “next big thing,” as evidenced by Asake and Seyi Vibez’s success on the platform. The latter is the most streamed artist in Nigeria, accumulating 1.4 billion plays on Audiomack since 2020, while the former is a close second with 1.2 billion plays. To date, Asake’s 2023 album Work of Art is the most streamed Afrobeats album on the platform with 476 million plays, while his hit “Lonely at the Top” from the album is the most streamed Afrobeats song on Audiomack with 87 million plays.
“We have a lot of people achieving their first hundred thousand or million streams on Audiomack,” says Bwana. “[We’ve] accommodated both listeners and artists, and this is what really sets us apart from a lot of the other streaming platforms.”
Warner Music Group announced the launch of Warner Music Africa Francophone (WMAFR) on Thursday (Oct. 24).
The new venture will “spotlight incredible talent from Francophone Africa,” co-director Yoann Chapalain said in a statement. “It aims to connect diverse sounds and regions, elevate releases for maximum success, and expand the music’s reach globally.”
The launch comes at a time when demand for French-language music is growing. “Since 2019, French-language music streams have surged by 94%” on Spotify, the streaming service noted in a blog post in September.
“All regions of the world are embracing the richness and diversity of the French-language music scene,” according to Jeremy Erlich, head of music content at Spotify. “There’s been a sharp rise in the number of French-language music listeners on Spotify.”
Warner Music Africa Francophone will be a collaboration between Warner Music Africa, Warner Music France, and Africori, a distribution company. WMG previously announced that it acquired a majority stake in Africori in 2022.
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The company was working with around 7,000 artists at the time. “African music is booming all around the world and some of our artists are right at the heart of the explosion,” Yoel Kenan, CEO of Africori, said in 2022. “Through our partnership, Warner Music has proven that it is the perfect home for Africori and our artists going forward. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them as we break more artists on a global scale.”
WMAFR will be led by Chapalain along with Marc-André Niang. Chapalain also serves as A&R Manager at Africori, and Niang continues on as A&R director, French-speaking African repertoire at WM France.
“It’s important for us to be able to create new synergies for the development and structure of the Francophone market in Africa,” Niang said in a statement. “While the region is steeped in both culture and talent, the ecosystem faces challenges. Our team will connect creatives and help shape the environment to drive cross-cultural success.”
Simon Robson, WMG’s president of recorded music for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, likened WMAFR to 91 North, a joint venture between Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India that launched in 2023.
“There’s a strong cultural trade route between France and West Africa,” Robson added. “WM Africa Francophone will help us support the artists in that space.”
Gamma has established strategic partnerships with The Music Arena, The Temple Company and Sol Generation Publishing and Distribution in Africa as well as LPME Records in the Middle East.
Gamma’s latest partnerships bolster the company’s commitment to supporting artists and labels in these regions, which its founder Larry Jackson outlined last year to Billboard when his media and entertainment company first expanded its operations there. Last May, Sipho Dlamini and Naomi Campbell joined gamma as president and special advisor for Africa and the Middle East, respectively; Larry Gaaga was named vp/GM for Africa and Dany Neville was named vp of A&R for the Middle East last August.
“It’s incredibly gratifying to see the enthusiasm shown by our new strategic partners, their artists and stakeholders in aligning with gamma. We’re well under way, engaged in bolstering the creative momentum for artists from these key markets,” Dlamini said in a press statement. “An indication of our ambition is that in conjunction with our new partners we’re generating writing camps in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and the [United Arab Emirates]. I don’t know of another company that is navigating the continent and region in this manner with this reach. The creative collaborations we’re establishing will further travel local music to global adoption.”
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In June, the company officially launched gamma South Africa in Sandton, one of the country’s biggest financial hubs within Johannesburg. Gamma hosted a launch party on June 6, with Dlamini, Gaaga, Thabo Keith Ngweya, gamma’s strategic partnerships & culture marketing lead for Africa, Sikhulile Nzuza, gamma’s strategic partnerships, culture & operations lead for Africa, and more in attendance. The company has been providing dynamic opportunities for South African acts since last year, such as tapping DJ/producer MöRDA to remix “Mysterious Ways” on The Color Purple (Music From And Inspired By) that the company distributed alongside WaterTower Music last December (with Jackson as one of the producers, alongside Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders). Gamma recruited MöRDA again as well as Major League Djz, Junior Taurus and Soa Mattrix to create amapiano and Afro House-inspired remixes of Usher and Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer Pheelz’s “Ruin” from the former’s latest album COMING HOME that was distributed via Usher and L.A. Reid‘s mega and gamma in February.
Gamma’s partnership with the Johannesburg-based conglomerate The Music Arena aims to continue bridging the gap between South African artists and international markets by providing artists with unprecedented opportunities to collaborate with an international label, leveraging gamma’s expertise in the global market (especially in the U.S.), with a special focus on artist collaborations and joint ventures.
The Music Arena is comprised of three different music entities: Gallo Music, South Africa’s largest and oldest independent record label; Gallo Music Publishers, Gallo’s publishing arm that’s home to iconic composers and a rich repository of cultural works; and Content Connect Africa, the continent’s leading independent media and content business that represents over 2,000 African artists and labels. The Music Arena’s global footprint spans South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and the U.S.
“The Music Arena is delighted to be partnering with gamma in a multi-faceted deal, which will grow our artists’ presence internationally as well as represent gamma’s artists on the network operators’ platforms in Africa,” said Antos Stella, CEO of The Music Arena, in a statement. “Our focus remains on developing and growing our artists and composers globally.”
Gamma’s new alliances aim to cover the entire African continent. The company’s partnership with The Temple Company, a leading record label, TV/film production company and talent management agency based in Lagos, aims to connect Nigerian artists to global audiences by developing and promoting Nigerian talent, with a special focus on cross-cultural collaborations to maximize international exposure. One of the first projects from this partnership is Nigerian superstar D’Banj‘s new album Entertainer–The Sequel, the follow-up to his 2008 album The Entertainer, which will be released on Aug. 16.
“Our partnership with gamma marks a pivotal moment for The Temple Company and the Nigerian music industry at large. This collaboration will open up new opportunities for our artists to showcase their talents on a global stage,” said Idris Olorunnimbe, The Temple Company’s group chief executive. “We’re particularly thrilled about D’Banj’s upcoming album, Entertainer–The Sequel, which we believe will be a gamechanger in demonstrating the universal appeal of African music. Together with gamma, we’re committed to nurturing and promoting the incredible talent that Nigeria has to offer, and we’re confident that this partnership will play a crucial role in shaping the future of African music on the world stage.”
Gamma will also celebrate East Africa’s rich musical heritage through its partnership with Nairobi, Kenya-based Sol Generation Publishing and Distribution, the music publishing and distribution arm of award-winning Afropop group Sauti Sol.
LPME Records is committed to producing music that inspires unity and celebrates cultural diversity and establishing Dubai, UAE, as a musical creative hub. The labels currently represents three dynamic artists: the label’s first signee Dawda, a Gambian-Estonian star who blends Afrobeats, hip-hop, R&B and pop and has written and produced for Britney Spears, Akon, Oxlade and Snoh Aalegra; Yasmina, a Tajikistani artst who’s known for her unique fusion of Arabic and pop music; and Alya, an Emirati-British singer/songwriter/dancer/actress who draws inspiration from soul, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, amapiano and Afrobeats. Additional signings will be announced later this summer.
The state-of-the-art LPME Studios is reputable for having top-class sound quality and being a creative hub fostering musical innovation. The facility includes six production rooms, two Dolby Atmos rooms, a main stereo room, live band and vocal rooms and more. Artists like J Balvin and Jason Derulo as well as Grammy-winning engineer Tony Maserati have previously worked there.
“We are incredibly excited to enter into this partnership with gamma. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our mission to share the rich and diverse sounds of our artists with a global audience,” added Moh Denebi, LPME Records’ label manager and producer. “Together with gamma, we are confident in our ability to elevate our artists’ reach and impact, bringing fresh, innovative music to listeners around the world.”
Seven people were killed and many others were injured during a stampede at a music concert in Congo’s capital Saturday (July 27), authorities said. The stampede occurred at the 80,000-capacity Stade des Martyrs stadium in the heart of Kinshasa where Mike Kalambayi, a popular Congolese gospel singer, was performing, Kinshasa Gov. Daniel Bumba said. Explore […]
Ticketmaster announced Wednesday (July 24) that the company is expanding its presence in Africa with the acquisition of Quicket, described in a press release as “a major player in Africa’s general admission event and festival ticketing.” Quicket, which was founded in South Africa in 2011, is known for its self-service platform and event organizer […]
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Kendrick Lamar and the Global Citizen organization will partner to create a concert tour circuit for the African continent.
According to reports, the Global Citizen philanthropic organization is teaming up with Kendrick Lamar and his pgLang company to establish a major circuit for concert tours across the African continent. The initiative will begin with the “Move Afrika: Rwanda” concert which will feature Kendrick Lamar as the headliner on a bill with other local artists at the BK Arena in Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali on December 6.
“Our goal with Move Afrika is to inspire local youth and artists to unlock their creativity. We hope to curate an immersive experience that empowers various communities and cultures across Africa and around the world for a lifetime,” said pgLang in a press statement on the Global Citizen website announcing the event. An expansion of “Move Afrika” shows to neighboring nations is set to be held in 2025, and pgLang will oversee the curation of those shows for the next five years in coordination with Global Citizen and the Rwanda Development Board.
Much like its other concert events, fans who wish to see Kendrick Lamar live can purchase priority tickets when they’re available, or enter to win tickets through the Global Citizen app or the Global Citizen website. One difference is that while people would be able to watch Global Citizen concert events online if they’re not able to attend in person, the “Move Afrika: Rwanda” concert will not be streaming globally. “We want people across East Africa to be able to stream this and watch it on television live,” said Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans, citing also a wish to spotlight the local artists who will also be on the bill.
“The most exciting thing, honestly, is the hunger I see from the artist community to achieve this dream. I don’t think this is Global Citizen’s dream per se; I think this is the world’s dream,” Evans continued. “I think everyone has dreamed of doing this, and we’re just working to modestly try to create some scaffolding around it. In fact, probably not a week goes by when I don’t speak to an artist about their dream to do more across Africa.”
For more information, head over to the Global Citizen website.
Global Citizen and pgLang have teamed up to create a new touring circuit throughout Africa titled Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience. To kick off the initiative, Kendrick Lamar will headline Move Afrika: Rwanda at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on Dec. 6. Lamar’s pgLang company will serve as the Curator of Move Afrika […]
Rema and Davido were the top winners at the 2023 Trace Awards, which were held in Kigali, Nigeria, on Saturday (Oct. 21). The Trace Awards are a new awards franchise created by Trace, a global TV and multimedia platform. The purpose of the awards is to recognize African and Afro-influenced musicians from Africa and around the African diasporas.
Rema won two awards — song of the year for his global smash “Calm Down” and best global African artist (in a tie with Nomcebo). A remix of “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Davido also won two awards — best male and best collaboration. He won the latter award for “Unavailable,” a collab with Musa Keys.
Burna Boy won album of the year for Love Damini.
The Trace Awards included performances by approximately 50 Africa and Afro-inspired artists from around the world, including Davido, Yemi Alade, Mr Eazi and Diamond Platnumz.
In addition to the competitive categories listed below, awards were presented in three categories in which no nominees were announced. They were: a lifetime achievement award to 2Face, a Change Maker award to Mr Eazi (Nigeria) and the aforementioned best Global African artist award to Rema and Nomcebo.
Here’s the full list of winners and nominees from the 2023 Trace Awards:
Album of the Year
DNK – Aya Nakamura (France)
WINNER: Love Damini – Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Maverick – Kizz Daniel (Nigeria)
More Love, Less Ego – Wizkid (Nigeria)
Timeless – Davido (Nigeria)
Work of Art – Asake (Nigeria)
Song of the Year
“BKBN” – Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde)
“People” – Libianca (Cameroon)
“Suavemente” – Soolking (France)
“Encre” – Emma’a (Gabon)
“Sugarcane” – Camidoh (Ghana)
“Last Last” – Burna Boy (Nigeria)
“Rush” – Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
WINNER: “Calm Down” – Rema (Nigeria)
“Peru” – Fireboy DML (Nigeria) with Ed Sheeran (UK)
“Sete” – K.O (South Africa)
“Cough” – Kizz Daniel (Nigeria)
“MORTEL 06” – Innoss’B (DRC)
Best Music Video
“2 Sugar” – Wizkid (Nigeria) feat. Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
WINNER: “Baddie” – Yemi Alade (Nigeria)
“Kpaflotage” – Suspect 95 (Ivory Coast)
“Loaded” – Tiwa Savage(Nigeria) & Asake (Nigeria)
“Ronda” – Blxckie (South Africa)
“Tombolo” – Kalash (Martinique)
Yatapita” – Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Best Male
Asake (Nigeria)
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
WINNER: Davido (Nigeria)
Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Didi B (Ivory Coast)
K.O (South Africa)
Rema (Nigeria)
Best Female
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Josey (Ivory Coast)
Nadia Mukami (Kenya)
Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde)
Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
WINNER: Viviane Chidid (Senegal)
Best Collaboration
“Many Ways” – BNXN (Nigeria) with Wizkid (Nigeria)
“Mine” – Show Dem Camp (Nigeria) with Oxlade (Nigeria)
“Peru” – Fireboy DML (Nigeria) with Ed Sheeran (UK)
“Second Sermon” – Black Sherif (Ghana) with Burna Boy (Nigeria)
“Sete” – K.O (South Africa) with Young Stunna (South Africa), Blxckie (South Africa)
“Stamina” – Tiwa Savage with Ayra Starr (Nigeria) & Young Jonn (Nigeria)
“Trumpet” – Olamide (Nigeria) with Ckay (Nigeria)
WINNER: “Unavailable” – Davido (Nigeria) with Musa Keys (South Africa)
Best Newcomer
Azawi (Uganda)
Krys M (Cameroon)
Libianca (Cameroon)
Nissi (Nigeria)
Odumodublvck (Nigeria)
Pabi Cooper (South Africa)
WINNER: Roseline Layo (Ivory Coast)
Best DJ
Danni Gato (Cape Verde)
DJ BDK (Ivory Coast)
DJ Illans (France)
DJ Spinall (Nigeria)
WINNER: Michael Brun (Haiti)
Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)
Best Producer
DJ Maphorisa (South Africa)
Juls (Ghana)
Kabza de Small (South Africa)
Kel-P (Nigeria)
WINNER: Tam Sir (Ivory Coast)
Best Gospel Artist
Benjamin Dube (South Africa)
Janet Otieno (Kenya)
WINNER: KS Bloom (Ivory Coast)
Levixone (Uganda)
Moses Bliss (Nigeria)
Best Live
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
WINNER: Fally Ipupa (DRC)
Musa Keys (South Africa)
The Compozers (Ghana)
Wizkid (Nigeria)
Yemi Alade (Nigeria)
Best Dancer
WINNER: Robot Boii (South Africa)
Tayc (France)
Uganda Ghetto Kids (Uganda)
Yemi Alade (Nigeria)
Zuchu (Tanzania)
Best Artist Africa – Anglophone
WINNER: Asake (Nigeria)
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Black Sherif (Ghana)
Davido (Nigeria)
Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Fireboy DML (Nigeria)
Best Artist Africa – Francophone
WINNER: Didi B (Ivory Coast)
Emma’a (Gabon)
Fally Ipupa (DRC)
KO-C (Cameroon)
Locko (Cameroon)
Serge Beynaud (Ivory Coast)
Viviane Chidid (Senegal)
Best Artist Africa – Lusophone
Gerilson Insrael (Angola)
WINNER: Lisandro Cuxi (Cape Verde)
Perola (Angola)
Plutonio (Mozambique)
Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde)
Best Artist – Rwanda
Ariel Wayz (Rwanda)
WINNER: Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)
Bwiza (Rwanda)
Chriss Eazy (Rwanda)
Kenny Sol (Rwanda)
Best Artist – East Africa
Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)
WINNER: Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Zuchu (Tanzania)
Khaligraph (Kenya)
Nadia Mukani (Kenya)
Azawi (Uganda)
Best Artist – France & Belgium
Aya Nakamura (France)
Booba (France)
Nihno (France)
Ronisia (France)
Soolking (France)
WINNER: Tayc (France)
Best Artist – UK
WINNER: Central Cee (UK)
Headie One (UK)
Ms Banks (UK)
Raye (UK)
Stormzy (UK)
Best Artist – The Caribbean
Admiral T (Guadeloupe)
Bamby (French Guiana)
Kalash (Martinique)
Maureen (Martinique)
Popcaan (Jamaica)
Princess Lover (Martinique)
WINNER: Rutshelle Guillaume (Haiti)
Shenseea (Jamaica)
Best Artist – Indian Ocean
Donovan BTS (Mauritius)
GaEi (Madagascar)
WINNER: Goulam (Comoros)
Mik’l (Reunion)
Sega el (Reunion)
Terrell Elymoor (Mayotte)
Best Artist – Brazil
Djonga (Brazil)
Iza (Brazil)
Leo Santana (Brazil)
WINNER: Ludmilla (Brazil)
Luedji Luna (Brazil)
Best Artist – North Africa
Amira Zouhair (Morocco)
Artmasta (Tunisia)
WINNER: Dystinct (Morocco)
El Grande Toto (Morocco)
Kader Japonais (Algeria)
Raja Meziane (Algeria)
Nigerian dance artist Kah-Lo released her debut album, Pain/Pleasure, on Sept. 8 via Epic Records. Here, she writes about the long journey that brought her to this achievement.
I always knew I would become a musician, before I even knew how to spell the word. I always wrote poetry and other bits, but didn’t start making music until I met a bunch of like-minded friends in secondary school in the mid-noughties.
Prior to meeting these friends – most of them rappers and boys – a lot of my dreams of becoming a musician seemed so wildly far-fetched that at 13, my teachers and classmates once sat me down and, out of genuine concern, tried to talk me out of chasing these dreams.
Growing up in Nigeria at the time, telling most people you wanted to make music for a living was like telling them you wanted to toss your life in the trash. Telling them you wanted to make globally accepted music was even worse. To be a successful musician – one who made a lucrative living, was so beyond anyone’s imagination, you started to sound crazier the older you got.
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It was a dream that was never validated until I met those friends. We wanted to make music Nigerians had never even thought to make, and we wanted it to be so good it would be heard, respected, and measured on the same plane as the musicians we idolized.
We started to see what could be possible when a label called Storm Records launched with a slew of rappers, musicians and producers fusing Nigerian instruments and slang with Western patterns and flow in a way we had never heard before. They had Naeto C and Ikechukwu, who came onto the rap scene fresh from New York. They also had Sasha P – a standout female MC who started out with one of the first rap collectives known as the Trybesmen. She came back on the scene with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it lyrical maturity I’m still decoding to this day.
It started to dawn on me that our dreams were, indeed, valid. These rappers weren’t making Afropop or Afro- anything. They were making rap. But this was 2007, and Afropop itself was barely even scratching the surface, let alone Nigerian artists making Western-adjacent music in Nigerian accents. However, I left Lagos for New York in 2009 — knowing at the very least, it was possible.
I eventually started cultivating a sound and posting my original music to SoundCloud. I started getting messages from DJs asking to use the monotone deadpan talk-rap sections of my reverb heavy alt-R&B over dance music. In that era, dance music was dubstep and Baauer’s “Harlem Shake,” so these requests confused me. How would it even work?
I eventually connected with electronic producer Riton via Twitter, and used what was then my last $20 to head to the studio in Brooklyn to record with him. We made two tracks. One of them was a carefully written alt-R&B number, and the other was “Rinse and Repeat.”
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At his insistence, I used the talk-rap style over a minimalist dance beat he had made. I had never made dance music before – at least not intentionally. I couldn’t fathom how a genre I mostly associated with looped vocals and sample-heavy hits from the early-2000s by the likes of Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim and Groove Armada could possibly command significant attention. The climate of dance music I knew at the time didn’t accommodate such stylings. I cried on the way home and decided to move back home to Lagos since it was clear music wouldn’t work out for me. Who would listen to that?
I was wrong. The song became a global hit.
Over the next few years, I would perform in places I had yet to even dream of. All over Europe, North America opening for Sofi Tukker, touring in Australia and a brief gig in Russia. Albeit incredible, it was also a bit uncomfortable. The bulk of the shows would be lineups full of white male DJs where I’d end up being the only Black person/woman on the stage. Sometimes, it would be entire towns where I seemed to be the only Black person there at all.
Once in a while, we’d do gigs where there would be other insanely talented Black artists in the green rooms – Raye, MNEK and Kelli-Leigh were frequent fixtures. However, I quickly started to notice, we weren’t on the lineups for our own merit. In most cases, we were there because we had collaborated on hit records with the white, male DJs who were booked for these gigs.
I dyed my wigs all sorts of bright colors to make sure I looked extra captivating on camera, because the recap videos and livestreams I asked my friends and family to watch almost always seemed to miss me. I figured perhaps I wasn’t dynamic enough on stage.
I didn’t start attracting my own attention until I debuted an electric green wig in Ibiza in the summer of 2018. I visually became hard to ignore with such a bright color against my dark skin, and that bled into the music and my persona as well. Things started to change, and I started to get booked on my own accord – much to the chagrin of my collaborators.
We – the Black artists who made up the bulk of the vocal prowess that was in dance music – weren’t supposed to be in the limelight. We were supposed to live in the shrouded mystery of samples, topline vocalists or even session musicians. In dance music, the DJ was king. To draw attention to yourself in that way was to overstep, and to even be credited as a primary artist on a record was something you had to fight for, and viewed as a “favor” you were to be grateful for.
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Meanwhile, Nigerian pop music was just starting to be recognized by mainstream media outlets as its own thing. My first few tracks had been referred to as having “Afrobeat elements” – I imagine due to my blended Nigerian accent. I had to constantly reiterate I was making house music, and not Afrohouse.
Regardless, it seemed like the very space I was taking up as an artist was defying odds, and it was wonderful, because it’s all I really ever wanted to prove. Being nominated for the Grammy for best dance recording in 2017, for “Rinse & Repeat,” was one of the best milestones of my career. One of the most respected musical bodies had recognized my art as it was, and not based it off of my cultural background.
I started getting collaboration requests on a larger scale from some of the biggest DJs in the world. Chances to release my own records were few and far between – and when I eventually did, I hardly got much support on the scale my features would.
It wasn’t until my dear friend and DJ/producer, Michael Brun, taught me how to DJ that I fully understood the power of my vocals. The delivery and global citizen feel of it made it a perfect fit for beat-matching, and it was malleable enough to go over any beat style. It started to make sense why – since my days on SoundCloud and even to this day – my a cappellas were always in high demand. It gave me a new perspective, and I began understanding the power of “no,” for instance, when the track wasn’t one I felt was a good fit for me and my brand.
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Understanding that power, and going from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance, opened me up to new opportunities. No longer would I be minimized to support DJs when I bring just as much to the track as they do. Some collaborators were not happy about this, and it led to a lot of friction, naturally so.
I moved back to New York and signed to Epic Records in 2020 at the peak of the global pandemic, and I released my debut EP in the summer of 2021, aptly called The Arrival.
For the first time in my career, I released a body of work that I had creative control over and truly represented me in every facet. It spawned a solo single on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart – a feat that was deemed unrealistic for a Nigerian and a Black woman making dance music.
“Drag Me Out,” a one-off single, followed the year after to the same acclaim. It wasn’t a fluke, and I could stand on my own. Black female “vocalists” – who are usually talented singer/songwriters in their own right – can stand on their own. I’m insanely proud of proving people wrong.
My debut album, Pain/Pleasure came out this past Friday, September 8th. The first half of it was written while I was going through a lot of these trials and tribulations, so I explore themes of anger on “fund$,” pain on the title track, and hurt on “Karma.”
The last half of it is a lot more triumphant, because through all of that and against all odds, I did it. I overcame, and there’s a lot to celebrate for it.
Rema and Burna Boy each received three awards at the 2023 Headies Awards. The show, which celebrates Pan-African and Afrobeats talent, was held on Sunday (Sept. 3) at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta.
Rema won best male artist, digital artiste of the year and African artiste of the year. In addition, Selena Gomez, who teamed with Rema on the global hit “Calm Down,” won international artiste of the year, while Director K, who directed the music video for the “Calm Down” remix, won best music video.
Burna Boy took Afrobeats single of the year and song of the year, both for “Last Last” as well as best R&B single for “For My Hand,” featuring Ed Sheeran.
Three artists won two awards each — Odumodublvck, Asake, Victony & Tempoe.
The eligibility period for the awards was January 2022 to March 2023.
Actor and host Terrence J. Nigerian and actress Osas Ighodaro hosted the show, which was streamed live on YouTube (U.S.) and HipTV (Africa) Network.
Bayanni, Khaid, Guchi, Bloody Civilian, Odumodublvck and Eltee Skhillz competed for rookie of the year. The winner, Odumodublvck, will receive not only glory, but also also a solar-powered, two-bedroom, fully furnished house.
Sean “Love” Combs was previously announced as the recipient of the international artiste recognition award. He was not present at the show, but organizers say his plaque will be delivered.
The Headies Awards, originally called the Hip Hop World Awards, were established in 2006 by the Hip Hop World Magazine of Nigeria to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry.
This marked the show’s second year at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. It was held in Lagos or Nigeria every year from 2006 to 2021 (except 2017 and 2020, when there was no ceremony).
In the past year, three major, all-genre music awards shows have introduced Afrobeats or African music categories. The American Music Awards were the first major music awards show to add such a category. They added favorite Afrobeats artist at the show that aired Nov. 20, 2022. Wizkid was the inaugural winner, beating Burna Boy, CKay, Fireboy DML and Tems.
The MTV Video Music Awards added a new category this year — best Afrobeats. The front-runner is Rema & Gomez’s “Calm Down,” which is nominated in two other categories, best song and best collaboration.
The Grammys added a similar category, best African music performance, this year (for the awards that will be presented on Feb. 4, 2024). Grammy nominations will be announced on Nov. 10.
Here is the full list of winners for the 2023 Headies Awards. For more details, visit theheadies.com.
Hall of Fame
WINNER: Youssou N’dour
Special Recognition
WINNER: Sound Sultan
International Artiste Recognition Award
WINNER: Sean “Love” Combs
International Artist of the Year
Drake
Future
WINNER: Selena Gomez
Don Toliver
Ed Sheeran
Album of the Year
Love, Damini – Burna Boy
WINNER: Mr Money With the Vibe – Asake
Rave And Roses – Rema
Boy Alone – Omah Lay
Outlaw – Victony
Timeless – Davido
Song of the Year
“Calm Down” – Rema
WINNER: “Last Last” – Burna Boy
“Ku Lo Sa” – Oxlade
“Buga” – Kizz Daniel & Tekno
“Finesse” – Pheelz Ft. Bnxn
“Sungba Remix” – Asake Ft. Burna Boy
Best Female Artiste
Tems
Simi
WINNER: Ayra Starr
Tiwa Savage
Best Male Artiste
Asake
WINNER: Rema
Kizz Daniel
Ruger
Omah Lay
Burna Boy
Rookie of the Year
Bayanni
Khaid
Guchi
Bloody Civilian
WINNER: Odumodublvck
Eltee Skhillz
Best Recording of the Year
“Alone” – Burna Boy
WINNER: “Soweto” – Victony & Tempoe
“I’m A Mess” – Omah Lay
“Ku Lo Sa” – Oxlade
“Stand Strong” – Davido Ft. Sunday Service Choir
“No Woman, No Cry” – Tems
Producer of the Year
Magicsticks – “Sungba Remix” (Asake)
P.Prime, Tmxo & Pheelz – “Electricty” (Pheelz Ft Davido)
Andre Vibez & London – “Calm Down” (Rema)
Tempoe – “Soweto” (Victony & Tempoe)
Kel-P – “Kpe Paso” (Wande Coal & Olamide)
WINNER: Rexxie – “Abracadabra” (Rexxie, Naira Marley, Skiibii & Wizkid)
Songwriter of the Year
WINNER: Simi Kosoko, Godsfavour Chidozie, Kosoko Adekunle, Marcel Akunwata – “Loyal” (Simi)
Stanley Didia, Adebajo Adebanjo – “I’m A Mess” (Omah Lay)
Tems, Ludwig Goransson, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Ryan Coogler – “Lift Me Up” (Rihanna)
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, Austin Jnr Iornongu Iwar, Peace Oredope, Ludwig Goransson – “Alone” (Burna Boy)
Daniel Benson “In My Mind” (Bnxn)
Fuayefika Maxwell – Earth Song (Wizard Chan)
Best R&B Single
WINNER: “For My Hand” – Burna Boy Ft. Ed Sheeran
“Mmadu” – Ckay
“Just 4 U” – Dami Oniru
“Red Wine” – Preye
“Hard To Find” – Chike – Ft. Flavour
“Loyal” – Simi Ft. Fave
Best Rap Single
“Hustle” – Reminisce
“Big Energy” – Ladipoe
“Back In Uni” – Blaqbonez
“Bando Diaries” – Psychoyp
WINNER: “Declan Rice” – Odumodublvck
“My Bro” – Jeriq Ft. Phyno
Best Alternative Song
WINNER: “Earth Song” – Wizard Chan
“Final Champion” – Cruel Santino
“The Traveller” – Basketmouth Ft The Cavemen
“In A Loop” – Boj Ft Moliy & Mellissa
“Game Changer” (Dike) – Flavour
“Tinko Tinko” – Obongjayar
Best Vocal Performance (Female)
Niniola – “Memories”
Simi – “Loyal”
WINNER: Waje – “In Between“
Liya – “Adua Remix”
Preye – “Red Wine”
Dami Oniru – “Just 4 U”
Best Vocal Performance (Male)
Oxlade – “Ku Lo Sa”
Ric Hassani – “My Only Baby”
Magixx – “Love Don’t Cost A Dime”
Chike – “Spell Remix”
Praiz – “Reckless”
WINNER: Wande Coal – “Kpe Paso”
Best Music Video
Blaqbonez & Perliks – “Back In Uni” (Blaqbonez)
Tg Omori – “Pbuy” (Asake)
Director Pink– “Spell Remix” (Chike & Oxlade)
Tg Omori – “Bandana” (Fireboy & Asake)
Director K – “Common Person” (Burna Boy)
WINNER: Director K – “Calm Down” (Rema)
Best Collaboration
Asake Ft. Burna Boy – “Sungba Remix”
Bnxn Ft. Kizz Daniel & Seyi Vibez – “Gwagwalada”
Pheelz Ft. Bnxn – “Finesse”
WINNER: Spyro Ft. Tiwa Savage – “Who’s Your Guy Remix”
Pheelz Ft. Davido – “Electricity”
Wande Coal Ft. Olamide – “Kpe Paso”
Best Street-Hop Artiste
Rexxie Ft. Naira Marley & Skiibii – “Abracadabra”
WINNER: Seyi Vibez – “Chance (Na Ham)”
Asake – “Joha”
Zlatan Ft. Young Jonn – “Astalavista”
Poco Lee & Hotkid – “Otilo”
Mohbad – “Peace”
Afrobeats Single of the Year
WINNER: “Last Last” – Burna Boy
“Rush” – Ayra Starr
“Buga” – Kizz Daniel & Tekno
“Finesse” – Pheelz Ft Bnxn
“Who’s Your Guy?” – Spyro
“Asiwaju” – Ruger
Headies’ Viewers’ Choice
Ruger – “Asiwaju”
WINNER: Victony & Tempoe – “Soweto”
Fireboy Dml & Asake – “Bandana”
Ayra Star – “Rush”
Asake – “Terminator”
Mavins – “Overloading (Overdose)”
Crayon – “Ijo (Laba Laba)”
Oxlade – “Ku Lo Sa”
Kizz Daniel & Tekno – “Buga”
Pheelz & Davido – “Electricity”
Best West African Artiste of the Year
Gyakie (Ghana)
WINNER: Black Sherif (Ghana)
The Therapist (Liberia)
Camidoh (Ghana)
Best East African Artiste of the Year
Zuchu
WINNER: Diamond Platinumz
Rayvanny
Eddy Kenzo
Hewan Gebreworld
Best North African Artiste of the Year
Marwa Loud – Morocco
Wegz – Egypt
WINNER: El Grande Toto – Morocco
Soolking – Algeria
Best Southern African Artiste of the Year
Aka (South Africa)
Nasty C – South Africa
Costa Titch – South Africa
Uncle Waffles – South Africa
WINNER: Focalistic – South Africa
Dj Tarico – Mozambique
Best Central African Artiste of the Year
Fally Ipupa – Democratic Republic of Congo
Gaz Mawete – Democratic Republic of Congo
Matias Damasio – Angola
Emma’a – Gabon
WINNER: Libianca – Cameroon
Best R&B Album
Home – Johnny Drille
WINNER: The Brother’s Keeper – Chike
Reckless – Praiz
Waje 2.0 – Waje
Matter of Time – Dami Oniru
To Be Honest (Tbh) – Simi
Best Alternative Album
Horoscopes – Basketmouth
WINNER: Gbagada Express – BOJ
Some Nights I Dream of Doors – Obongjayar
Subaru Boys: Final Heaven – Cruel Santino
Heart of the Heavenly Undeniable – Somadina
Native World – Native Sound System
Best Rap Album
Fly Talk Only – Payper Corleone
Palmwine Music Vol 3 – Show Dem Camp
WINNER: Young Preacher – Blaqbonez
Ypszn3 – Psychoyp
Teslim: The Energy Still Lives in Me – Vector
Billion Dollar Dream – Jeriq
Next Rated
Young Jonn
Seyi Vibez
WINNER: Asake
Victony
Spyro
African Artiste of the Year
WINNER: Rema (Nigeria)
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Marwa Loud (Morocco)
Black Sherif (Ghana)
Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Lyricist on the Roll
Ladipoe – “Clowns”
Vector – “Clowns”
WINNER: Payper Corleone – “Fly Talk Only”
Alpha Ojini – “Vigilante Bop”
A-Q – “Family First”
Tec (Sdc) – “Live Life”
Best Inspirational Single
“Stand Strong” – Davido Ft Sunday Service Choir
“Jireh (My Provider)” – Limoblaze, Lecrae & Happi Music
“This Year” – Victor Thompson & Ehis ‘D’ Greatest
WINNER: “Eze Ebube” – Neon Adejo
“Tobechukwu” – Nathaniel Bassey And Mercy Chinwo
“I Get Backing” – Victoria Orenze
Digital Artiste of the Year
Burna Boy
Ayra Starr
WINNER: Rema
Omah Lay
Kizz Daniel
Asake