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MOLIY was working at a Victoria’s Secret in Orlando, Fla. after dropping out of college at 19 when her back started hurting from all the restocking. One day, “they were calling me in for work. I just muted my phone and never went back,” she tells Billboard with a chuckle.
She moved back home to Accra, Ghana soon after and decided to pursue music full time after her friends connected her to local creatives, and she constantly found herself in the studio. MOLIY grew up around all kinds of music: Her mother owned a restaurant/bar called The Gomeries right next to their house that played Céline Dion, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston all night long. Meanwhile at the crib, MOLIY listened to Rihanna, Beyoncé, Missy Elliott and Keri Hilson as well as Ghanaian acts like Eazzy, Itz Tiffany, Sister Deborah and MzBel. Her eclectic music taste, paired with the rise of Nigeria’s subcultural alté scene that has also influenced some Ghanaian artists, “opened my mind to thinking even though I may not sound like the ideal Ghanaian artist, I could create a space for myself,” she says. “That just kept me going.”
Months after dropping her introspective, Afro-fusion debut EP Wondergirl, MOLIY garnered buzz in 2020 when she appeared on fellow Ghanaian artist Amaarae’s Afropop bop “Sad Girlz Luv Money.” The remix, featuring Kali Uchis, reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year, and it hit No. 28 on Rhythmic Airplay.
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Then at the end of last year – after months of teasing it with a now-viral dance of her whining her waist while covering her face with her hands – MOLIY released “Shake It To The Max (FLY),” an Afro-dancehall club banger that’s bound to make any listener “bend your back,” “bend your knees” and buss it down once the bass-bumping production and scratching hits. Jamaican stars Shenseea and Skillibeng – the latter of whom assisted another African darling, Tyla, on last year’s “Jump” – enhanced the dancehall vibes when they hopped on the remix. And Davido, Victoria Monét, Ciara, J-Hope, Spice and many more have been shaking it to the max all over the internet.
With the help of the remix, “Shake It To The Max” has spent six weeks (and counting) at No. 1 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs and is in the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US. Four years after her feature on “Sad Girlz Luv Money,” MOLIY has returned to the Hot 100, as “Shake It to the Max” has reached No. 55 (chart dated June 21), and she’s back at radio with the song reaching No. 18 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. “Shake It to the Max” has registered 47 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 289.3 million official on-demand global streams (through June 12), according to Luminate.
Billboard spoke with June’s African Rookie of the Month about reflecting on the success of “Sad Girlz Luv Money,” creating a more “upbeat and energetic” vibe with “Shake It to the Max,” officially meeting Vybz Kartel after performing with him at his first U.S. show in 20 years, and anticipating the remix with him and Stefflon Don.
How did your upbringing impact the music you listen to and the music you make?
Although we have our own local music heavy on rotation, we’re also very in touch with worldwide music. There’s a lot of music that tends to cross over especially from major acts, like Céline Dion, MJ, Whitney Houston, Chris Brown. I went to an international high school, so [I was] around students from different cultures who would play stuff. I was lucky enough to have heard lots of different styles that I was drawn to, like hip-hop, R&B, dancehall, Afrobeats, highlife, hiplife.
And what kind of music do you listen to now?
I’m listening to Brazilian funk, Caribbean music, soca, EDM-infused Caribbean music as well like Major Lazer. I’m trying to create a sound that’s in that realm, so that’s all I listen to right now.
While you were in Florida, you started studying business administration in college but eventually dropped out. What made you decide to move back to Ghana?
My brother and sister were able to figure out [work and school] a lot better. I don’t know why I didn’t feel like it was working. I don’t think I was making friends that much, and the whole job thing was not what I expected when I was moving to the U.S. There’s a certain fantasy of how people assume leaving Ghana and going to live outside is. For more fortunate people with heavy bank accounts, it’s probably easier to adjust. But when you’re trying to hustle and figure it out by yourself, and you’re young, it’s difficult. I gave up. I wasn’t down for that, so I went back to my mom. I’m like, “Mom, I’m home!” [Laughs.]
How did you transition into making music full time in Ghana?
It started with me listening to YouTube beats and trying to write music. I would pour myself a glass of wine in the middle of the night and just be vibing, freestyling melodies and writing. I was also observing the music industry in Ghana and Africa, especially in Nigeria, because Nigeria has this whole scene of alternative music, and people were coming out with some crazy sounds — sounds you wouldn’t expect to hear from an African. It opened my mind to thinking even though I may not sound like the ideal Ghanaian artist, I could create a space for myself. That just kept me going.
What kind of sounds and styles does your music encompass? How would you describe your music in your own words?
It’s very worldwide. I sing in English even though I could try to tap into some of the Ghanaian dialects like Twi. Sometimes people ask me, “Why don’t you make music in this language?” That’s because I feel English is the most universal language. My sound is worldwide, but it’s Afro-fusion because you can hear it in my accent, in my wordplay and even in some of things I speak about. It’s very influenced by hip-hop, dancehall and a lot of the music I grew up listening to.
I remember early stages of being obsessed with music. The first stage was pop, which is Michael. And then the second stage was hip-hop. Oh my God, did I love Eminem! I would just listen to an entire song, especially “Mockingbird,” and write down all the lyrics and try to sing it in the same way. Then after hip-hop, I graduated to dancehall. From dancehall is when I started listening to Afrobeats because at that stage, the sound was growing globally. I was being introduced to Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy. I went through all these stages of loving these genres so much that now [my music] is a combination.
Prior to the success of “Shake It to the Max (FLY),” you debuted on the Hot 100 in 2021 with the Kali Uchis remix of Amaarae’s “Sad Girlz Luv Money.” Four years later, what does the success of that song mean to you and your career?
When that happened, it made me a big believer in what I was doing. You can have success at home, but once it’s crossing over to the U.S. and the rest of the world, it grew my faith a lot more. It’s a reassuring feeling because I’m living in my purpose when I’m making my music. When something like that happens, it’s a big pat on the shoulder like, “OK, babes, you’re on the right track. Keep going.”
Outside of “Sad Girlz Luv Money,” you appear on another song on Amaarae’s THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW album: “Feel a Way,” alongside your sister Mellissa. You and Mellissa are also both featured on Boj’s “In a Loop” in 2022. Were those merely coincidences, or did you two purposefully hop on those songs together?
Most of the time, we’re together. When I’m going into a session, I need her moral support. At the time, I felt like I would be more comfortable if she was there. She’s also super creative and talented, so if I needed help, she could tap in. Boj requested the both of us to pull up. But with Amaarae, she came with me to support me, but while she was there, she’s like, “Wait, I have this idea.” And then Amaarae is like, “Well, do it.” [Laughs.] That’s how that happened.
At the 2025 Telecel Ghana Music Awards, Stonebwoy shouted you out during his acceptance speech when he won best reggae/dancehall song of the year, saying that he “respected” how you’ve been “taking [dancehall] where nobody expected it to go within a very short while.” Why have you gravitated toward dancehall so much?
I wouldn’t say my initial decision was to just make dancehall music. I knew I wanted to make something that was upbeat and energetic, something people could dance to. Most of my previous music people would say is chill, sexy and vibey. I would hear comments like, “I love to hear your music when I’m taking a drive” or “I love to hear your music when I’m in my room chilling with my girl.” But I want to be heard in different places. I want to be heard in the club. I want to be heard at the festivals. When I met [producers Silent Addy and Disco Neil], it was a combination of me knowing I wanted to create a certain vibe and knowing that these guys make dancehall, we merged these two ideas and went from there.
Prior to “Shake It to the Max,” “Shake It” was featured on your 2022 EP Mahogany St. Is there any relationship between the two songs?
No, not at all. [Laughs.] It’s so funny because when I was teasing “Shake It to the Max” and it wasn’t out yet, I could see the streaming numbers for that song going up because people thought they were searching for it and they were gonna find it there.
Take me back through the making of “Shake It to the Max.”
I was in Orlando and I was speaking to this producer Tejiri, he worked with Tems on “Wait For U.” I found him on Instagram and I’m like, “Hey, let’s work.” We were trying to find ways to make it happen. I went to LA specifically to work with him, and then the second time, he was like, “I’m coming to Miami and I’m going to be working with a whole bunch of different people. You should pull up.” So we linked up. I met a couple different producers: Mr. NaisGai (he works with Rauw Alejandro), Silent Addy and Disco Neil. Tejiri was trying to work on something with them for their artists’ projects. At the time, we were thinking, “OK, MOLIY is here, maybe we can create something for her to collab on the projects, or we could just make some records.” Some of the work we did was a collaboration between Tejiri and Silent Addy and Disco Neil.
A year later, we had had three separate sessions together. The last session was in August, and we created three or four songs. The last one was “Shake It to the Max.” Earlier in 2024, I hadn’t dropped any music by myself. [My manager Therese Jones and I] were trying to figure out how we can take things to the next level for me. She was like, “You know what, MOLIY? Why don’t you tease some music?” I teased about three or four songs in one Instagram post. When I added “Shake It to the Max,” I was like, “Hmm, this song is actually a vibe.” After that post, I wouldn’t say anyone particularly screamed out, “Oh my God, we love that one!” I just kept doing videos to this one song on TikTok and that’s when I started trying to be creative with what I do and how I’m posting it.
Why were Shenseea and Skillibeng the right artists for the remix?
In my opinion, they’re the top of the top of the top, top, top of the top in Jamaica. I genuinely love each of their music, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I would not change anything with how that remix happened. They loved the song. The original song was No. 1 in Jamaica, and it was great leverage to make them feel like it was a good idea. I didn’t make it happen, however. It was Silent Addy and Disco Neil. The producers made the conversations happen.
Since that remix has blown up, you’ve released more with other artists like Major Lazer, Gladdest and Kalash and Maureen. What inspired that strategy?
With the Kalash and Maureen one, that was also the producers. They’re very hands-on with how these remixes came about. Even with Major Lazer, it was them as well. They have relationships with these people already [because of] the dancehall industry. The first time I came across Gladdest was [when] she was doing the dance challenge in the middle of NYC. The next time I came across her, she did a freestyle to it on her TikTok. It was [getting] a lot of positive reactions. The same way I was posting practically every day to promote the “Shake It to the Max” remix, she was posting every day to promote her freestyle. She was super passionate about it, and there was no way we were not going to put out the record with her as well. What I love most about all of this is the people that we’ve worked with genuinely wanted to be part of the moment. They’re supported it, they’ve promoted it, and it feels so organic and amazing.
When can fans expect the Stefflon Don and Vybz Kartel remix?
I honestly don’t know. I want it to come out. She wants it to come out. Vybz is also excited for it to come out. We’re working on it with our teams. There were some [Vybz] verses going around TikTok. I remember people asking me, “Why are you not putting out the Vybz version?” I’m like, “Guys, it’s not official.” Some DJ probably put one of his old verses on the song and it was making rounds on TikTok. And then Steff comes along and was like, “Babe, I got Vybz.” [Laughs.] It’s really dope, and I’m excited for it to come out.
Vybz brought you out as one of his special guests during his one of his two historic sold-out shows at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in April. How did the opportunity come about? Considering dancehall is a crucial element in your music’s DNA, what was it like to share the stage with the King of Dancehall himself?
It’s insane. Everything happens so fast, you don’t get a moment to soak it all in. But every moment of that was super exciting. Prior to being on stage, I actually hadn’t met him yet. So afterwards, I got to meet him, and he was just so nice and so cool. The aura was there. Gamma made that happen. They spoke to him about it, and they also got Skilli and Shen to pull up.
Would you say that’s the biggest “pinch me” moment of your career so far, or does another moment come to mind?
It’s definitely one of the first “pinch me” moments during this entire process. No, the first one would be hearing Shen and Skilli on the song officially. People were dropping freestyles, and they posted their verses as freestyles. But me knowing that the song is actually coming out with them was the first “pinch me” moment because I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else for the first remix.
The second would be this Billboard Hot 100 second moment. When you’re an artist and people see you doing something great, it’s like, “Wow, amazing! But can you do it again?” Throughout this process, there are so many highs and lows and so many moments I’ve had to remind myself to be positive and be hopeful. It’s crazy to see when something amazing does happen. It’s not all for nothing.
Who would you love to collaborate with this year?
Me and Drake would be fire. Me and Wizkid would be fire. Doja Cat would be amazing. I also really like Ice Spice. That would be so, so, so cute. Cash Cobain would be dope.
What’s next for MOLIY in 2025?
There should be a project, I wouldn’t say an album, but there should be a project coming out. I would hope it would be more like I’m dropping singles and then at the end of it, there ends up being a project. I’m also on the road right now. We’re doing MOLIY on the road and I have so many shows lined up, just trying to spread the gospel of “Shake It to the Max.”
Billboard’s The Stage hit SXSW London on Thursday night (June 5), marking the first time the event took place in the U.K. The show at the capital’s Troxy was headlined by Lagos-born, London-based superstar Tems, a day after she collected the Diamond Award at the Global Power Players Event alongside Sir Elton John and EMPIRE […]
Billboard is continuing to expand its global footprint with the launch of Billboard Africa, which was announced Wednesday night (June 4) at our inaugural Global Power Players event in London.
In partnership with Global Venture Partners, Billboard Africa will continue Billboard‘s commitment to highlighting major developments within the African music industry and embracing the continent’s diverse voices and rich stories through events, awards and exclusive multimedia content. The platform aims to become the leading hub for African music and culture, strengthening ties between artists and fans as well as the local music economy.
“We are thrilled to launch Billboard Africa, a pivotal step in recognizing Africa’s profound contributions to global music culture,” said Josh Wilson, managing director at Global Venture Partners. “African music is not only rich and diverse but a driving force that continues to reshape global music trends. Billboard Africa will create a space where these voices are amplified, where artists connect with new audiences, and where fans and industry professionals alike can witness the full impact of Africa’s creative energy.”
In honor of Billboard Africa launching, we’re celebrating 11 African artists’ trailblazing efforts in the global music scene.
While Rema‘s “Calm Down,” featuring Selena Gomez on the remix, became the first African artist-led song to hit one billion Spotify streams, he’s not the only African artist in Spotify’s Billions Club. Wizkid was the first African member and also one of the first members ever when Drake’s “One Dance,” also featuring Kyla, became the very first song to hit one billion streams on the streaming service in 2016. And while Wiz is also the first Nigerian artist to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the same song in 2016, South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela became the first African artist to top the all-genre songs tally nearly 50 years earlier with “Grazing in the Grass.” CKay also landed a historic No. 1 on a Billboard chart that was brand new at the time: the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart that we launched in partnership with Afro Nation in 2022, which ranks the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the country.
Like Masekela, many African acts have paved the way for others to achieve historic firsts in their own right. Miriam Makeba, also known as “Mama Africa,” was the first African artist to win a Grammy in 1966, and almost 60 years later, Tyla won the first Grammy in the best African music performance category that the Recording Academy introduced in 2024. And Tems, who won her second Grammy in that category earlier this year with “Love Me JeJe,” made history in a whole different field when she became the first African-born woman to own a Major League Soccer team when she joined the San Diego FC ownership group as a club partner.
From the 1960s to the 2020s, take a look back at more of the historic firsts African artists have accomplished.
Miriam Makeba becomes the first African artist to win a Grammy (1966)
Billboard has partnered with Global Venture Partners, a Dubai-based venture capital firm focused on fostering economic growth across Africa and the Middle East, to launch Billboard Africa. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Billboard editorial director Hannah Karp first announced the news at our inaugural Global Power […]
Does it even feel like summer if Darkoo doesn’t drop? After last year’s “Favourite Girl” and “Focus On Me (All the Sexy Girls In The Club)” earlier this year, she’s giving the girls another reason to whine their waists with “Like Dat.” And three years after their sweet “2 Sugar” collab from his More Love, Less Ego album, Ayra Starr and Wizkid join forces again on island-infused Afrobeats banger “Gimme Dat” (which has no relationship to the aforementioned P-Square hit).
Speaking of Wizkid collabs, he teams up with Nigerian hip-hop icon Olamide for a new track, “Kai!,” while Seyi Vibez celebrates his new partnership with EMPIRE with a sonic departure in the form of new track “Pressure.” Meanwhile, Fido follows up his breakthrough smash “Joy Is Coming” with a new cut called “Money Moves,” while Kizz Daniel returns with a surprise seven-song EP called Uncle K: Lemon Chase that leads with the breezy song “Black Girl Magic.”
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We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new songs by African acts that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and pregame the summer season with our Spotify playlist below.
Ayra Starr & Wizkid, “Gimme Dat”
Ayra Starr and Wizkid are ready to fill up the “freakin’ dancefloor” this summer with “Gimme Dat.” The slow-burning acoustic guitar melody from Wyclef Jean and Mary J. Blige’s 2000 Grammy-nominated hit “911” and tropical drums, courtesy of producers VybeO and Mikabeatz adds to the song’s sensuality and serenity. But Wiz steals the spotlight in the middle of the song with his audacious “Goddamn” declaration that kickstarts his verse about sticking to one shorty who has all his attention.
June Freedom, “Oh My Lady”
The Cape Verdean American crooner creates a vibrant ode to intimacy with his latest single “Oh My Lady.” Producer Abolaji Collins Kuye’s glimmering Afro-fusion groove complement Freedom’s blend of English and Cape Verdean Kriolu sweet nothings that roll off his tongue as he reminds us that home isn’t always a place, it’s your person. “Two souls locked in, fully understanding each other on every level: mind, body and soul. I wanted to capture that rare kind of love that holds you down but still lets you fly. It’s like wake up to peace and falling asleep in passion,” he said in a press release.
Darkoo, “Like Dat”
The British-Nigerian star heats things up again with “Like Dat.” The pulsating Afroswing beat will immediately send any “naughty naughty” girl’s hips swinging, but her suave voice drives the track’s flirtatious energy. And Darkoo plays into her affinity for Y2K sonics and aesthetics by paying homage to the music video for Sean Paul’s 2003 smash “I’m Still in Love With You” with the same bold pop of orange and yellow in the Sam Fallover-directed “Like Dat” visual.
Ayox & Qing Madi, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE”
The self-proclaimed “loner of Afrobeats” Ayox and Billboard’s repeat 21 Under 21 honoree Qing Madi are a melodic match made in heaven on “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE” from his sophomore EP WHEN NOBODY IS WATCHING. They swap sweet-sounding confessions about taking accountability and wanting to do better by their lovers over pulsating rhythms and thrilling saxophone riffs.
Twitch 4EVA, Yung D3mz & Uche B, “Temperature”
Ghanaian artists Twitch 4EVA and Yung D3mz and producer Uche B team up on the scorching single “Temperature.” The spurts of the log drums feel like trickling beads of sweat down the body, but the whistling ad-libs interspersed throughout the song add more ventilation.
Olamide & Wizkid, “Kai!”
Two titans of the last two decades of African music, Olamide and Wizkid, teamed up for this slick cut, which layers a horn section over some traditional Afrobeats drum patterns and features both icons crooning, using their voices as additional instrumentation to augment the track. The video sees the two of them dressed to the nines in a nightclub setting, too, enhancing the overall vibe of the track.
Seyi Vibez, “Pressure”
Fresh off his new partnership with EMPIRE, Nigerian street prince Seyi Vibez immediately diverted from his usual grittier sound to drop this love song, with warmer and more inviting themes than his usual gruffer fare. It’s “a complete shift from my usual sound,” he said in a press release about the track. “It leans into melody, intimacy and raw emotion. It’s smoother, softer and more intentional. I wanted to show my range, to prove that I can give you fire and tenderness in the same breath. This track is about the quiet power of love and attention. Sometimes the loudest statement is how you move when no one’s watching. That’s real pressure.”
Fido, “Money Moves”
Fresh off his breakout smash single “Joy Is Coming,” Fido returns with “Money Moves,” an engaging cut with an earworm hook — quickly becoming a hallmark of his — that brings in amapiano elements to underpin his melodic vocals. If joy was coming on his last single, it’s arrived in the form of stacks of cash in this one.
Bhadboi OML feat. L.A.X., “River”
Bhadboi OML has been steadily building a name for himself with a string of single releases over the past year or so, and this one lands with a breezy vibe just on the cusp of summertime with a hook that implores the listener to “cry me a river.” Teaming up with fellow Nigerian and veteran artist L.A.X. adds another dimension to this one, but Bhadboi takes the bulk of it and delivers a hit for the season.
Kizz Daniel, “Black Girl Magic”
Returning out of nowhere with a new EP, the seven-song Uncle K: Lemon Chase — featuring collaborations with ODUMODUBLVCK, Angélique Kidjo, Bella Shmurda, Zlatan and more — Kizz Daniel bolsters his discography with “Black Girl Magic,” a free-spirited, lighthearted ode to treating your girl right no matter the cost. The full project is worth checking out, but this one sets the tone.
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union stopped classifying Pluto as our solar system’s ninth planet and demoted its status to “dwarf planet.” But 17 years later, Nigerian singer Shallipopi tells Billboard he’s “claiming it now” as his own domain.
He’s intimately familiar with that level of sovereignty, as Shallipopi – born Crown Uzama in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria – descends from a line of kingmakers, the Uzamas, who are the highest-ranking chiefs in the Benin Kingdom who appoint the new Obas, or traditional Edo rulers. And even though the 1994 Taiwanese kung fu comedy film Shaolin Popey that he grew up watching at home inspired his stage name, his self-appointed nickname Pluto Presido speaks more to his prestige — and the rule he has over his fans, the Plutomanians.
He’s even labeled his musical style “Afro Pluto,” a rousing fusion of Nigerian street-pop, Afropop, hip-hop and amapiano that’s littered with local slang with an infinite number of meanings and guided by a cadence that’s closer to talking than singing. And in just a few short years, it’s helped Shallipopi grow into one of the most in-demand up-and-comers from the continent. He says South African DJ/producer Tyler ICU texted him to hop on the remix of “Mnike,” the biggest amapiano record of 2023 that Rihanna claimed was one of her favorite songs that year. A week before the “Mnike” remix’s release, Shallipopi tag-teamed with Rema on their hometown hit “Benin Boys,” the first single from the latter’s Grammy-nominated album Heis. He’s also linked up with a range of other emerging and established Afrobeats acts like ODUMODUBLVCK on the chant-worthy club banger “Cast” and YBNL boss Olamide on “Order.”
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And two years after his 2023 breakout hit “Elon Musk” in honor of “the richest man in the world,” he says, Shallipopi strives for that level of astronomical wealth on his biggest hit to date “Laho,” which means please in the Edo language of Bini. While he name checks Italian footballer Mario Balotelli to prove the kind of prosperous company he keeps, “Laho” has attracted plenty of ballers in real life.
A month after the song’s release, Indiana Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam explained how he adopted the viral “Laho” dance, featuring pointed fingers and shuffling feet, to celebrate the team’s three-point shots in an interview with ESPN. “I just be playing it, and the guys, I think JJ [James Johnson] is the first one that saw me do it. And he was like, ‘Nah, I like that for a three-point celebration,’” said the Cameroonian basketball player, who added that he and his teammates “gon’ pull it out for sure in the playoffs.”
And while celebrating his team becoming Premier League champions again, Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott wrote “Minister of Enjoyment,” a phrase from the hit’s second verse — meaning someone whose main purpose is to find pleasure in life and enjoy it to the fullest — in his Instagram caption. Manchester City defender Rúben Dias posted the song on his Instagram post when his team qualified for their third FA Cup final (even though they eventually lost against Crystal Palace).
“Laho” has peaked at No. 5 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs and has registered 11.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. While major leaguers quickly gravitated to it, the African Giant Burna Boy added his international star power to the song’s second version that Shallipopi doesn’t refer to as the “Laho” remix – because that’s still on the way.
Billboard spoke with May’s African Rookie of the Month about “Laho” becoming an international sports anthem, performing it on massive world stages alongside Burna Boy and Central Cee, and setting his sights on even bigger collaborations.
When did you know music was your calling?
Pretty young, like my early teenage years. We always played music at home growing up, a lot of reggae and Afrobeats, old Afrobeats. My parents played a lot of Fela [Kuti], Lucky Dube, Bob Marley.
Your younger brothers Zerry DL and Famous Pluto also make music. How did you guys come to share that interest and pursue your own paths in this business?
We all grew up in the same house by the same parents who listen to the same music. I feel like they’re following in my footsteps because they feel like they can do it too. And they’re doing it already.
Who are your favorite artists whom you’re currently listening to?
I listen to a lot of Billie Eilish and Ken Carson.
How did you actually start making music?
I went to the studio [when I was 15] and said, “Let me try something. Let me sing on this beat. Let me test this thing finally and see if it goes.” But before that, I had voice memos on my phone, playing free beats off websites and vibing off it. I was just freestyling, not really recording original, mastered songs.
What kind of sounds and styles does your music encompass? How would you describe your music in your own words?
I would say groovy, energetic, fun. Club bangers. It’s for having a good time and raising your mood from being unhappy to being happy.
You earned a computer science degree from Auchi Polytechnic in 2023. How did you balance your schoolwork and your passion for music?
That was not really difficult. I just take music as a hobby and I focused on my education until I was done. When I decided to study computer science, I didn’t think music was really a way to sustain an income. You have to go study a real course to survive. You can’t be studying music, we’re in Africa. I decided to go with science because you have to chase the bag. [Laughs]
It’s dope to see you turn music from a hobby into a career. Is that something you expected?
Honestly, I didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect it to come this soon. But it’s God’s blessing. I was thinking, “Oh, it’s going to take time.” Or the way everybody prays, “Let my time come.” It’s like, “Oh, my time is here.”
A common thread in your music is the local slang you use, from “Evian” in “Elon Musk” to “Oscroh” in “Oscroh (Pepperline).” Which are your favorite terms that you’ve used in your music?
“Evian,” just because it got so popular. It’s my family name.
Travis Scott is a huge fan of “Cast.” What was it like to link up with him, especially when he started singing the song to you?
He was feeling the energy of the song, I think he likes Pluto’s songs. [The video was taken] backstage at his concert in London.
“Cast” recently won best rap single at The Headies this year, while Zerry DL took home the rookie of the year award. That must’ve been a proud family moment!
It was lit. We celebrated together, I’m happy for him. We partied all night and chilled together as family.
You announced in a letter last December that you ended your agreement with Dapper Music and Dvpper Digital because they mishandled your finances. Three months later, you released your biggest record to date with “Laho.” What was going through your head during that in-between period? How were you feeling about the trajectory of your career?
The career of a man is not really in the hands of anybody except him. Your career is in your hands at the end of the day. Your fans are waiting for you to do something, so it’s really the only thing at the end of the day that matters. Nobody’s going to really stop you.
“Laho” has been heavily embraced by the sports world. Did you expect it to become an anthem for athletes all around the world? Why do you think this demographic has gravitated to “Laho” so much?
No, I didn’t expect that one. I’m still in shock. I watch and enjoy, it because they’re not from the same sports. Some play football, some play basketball. I just really f—k with that s–t.
When did Burna Boy get involved with the “Laho” record? He wrote on his Instagram Story that he was on the original version but he couldn’t clear it at the time because it “clashed with other releases that had to do with me.” So should “Laho II” not be considered the remix?
“Laho II” is “Laho II.” We were just in the studio [in Lagos], I was playing the album and he was like, “Yeah, I f—k with that. Let’s do this.” And he dropped a verse on it. Wait for the remix.
Can we expect other big guests on the remix?
Just wait and see. But expect fire.
You two performed the song together at Manchester’s Co-op Live and at Paris’ State de France. What was it like to bring your song to life in front of tens of thousands of people?
It was lit. I was feeling the energy of everyone singing it back to me. It was amazing.
Central Cee also brought you out during his show at London’s O2 Arena to perform “Laho.” How did the opportunity come about?
He just told me to pull up and come perform “Laho.” I told him, “Cool, bro — I gotchu.”
You started your own record label, Plutomania Records, in 2023. Why were Zerry DL and Tega Boi the best fit as the label’s first signees?
They’re my family, I had to support them first before I bring in all the others.
What is your hope for the future of Plutomania Records in the next five to 10 years?
I want us to expand, to grow more business-wise.
What’s been the biggest “pinch me” moment of your career so far?
Performing at the stadiums. I was like, “Oh my God! Ah!”
Were you extra nervous?
I’m never nervous, I’m just happy to be there.
Who would you love to collaborate with this year?
Maybe from the Latin side, like Bad Bunny. It has to be a very big artist or have a big fan base, like Drake.
What’s next for Shallipopi in 2025? What can fans expect?
Concerts, so they can come see live, and more good music.
05/22/2025
Billboard has rounded up 16 songs by R&B and rap artists that sample old African songs.
05/22/2025
Nigerian street star Seyi Vibez has partnered with EMPIRE on new music, and released a new single called “Pressure” as part of the new deal.
The song, more low-key than the gritty street vibe on which the artist has built his career thus far, “is a complete shift from my usual sound,” Seyi Vibez said in a statement announcing the release. “It leans into melody, intimacy and raw emotion. It’s smoother, softer and more intentional. I wanted to show my range, to prove that I can give you fire and tenderness in the same breath. This track is about the quiet power of love and attention. Sometimes the loudest statement is how you move when no one’s watching. That’s real pressure.”
Still just 24, Seyi Vibez burst onto the Nigerian music scene in 2022 with debut album Billion Dollar Baby, mixing a variety of genres and styles into his own sound that captured the rhythms of his neighborhood in Lagos. Since then, he has proved prolific, dropping a series of singles, albums and EPs, most recently February’s Children of Africa, which saw all four of its songs reach the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, and his catalog has racked up north of 400 million on-demand streams in the U.S. alone, according to Luminate. Along the way, he’s collaborated with the likes of Burna Boy, Olamide, Young Jonn, Kizz Daniel, BNXN, Russ and NLE Choppa, among others.
“We are happy to partner with Seyi Vibez, an artist whose vocal dexterity and versatility truly stand out,” said Mobolaji Kareem, EMPIRE’s regional head of West Africa, in a statement. “He is a great fit and we look forward to helping his continued growth as a global artist.”
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“I’m stepping into this new chapter with the spirit of my ancestors,” added Seyi. “I carry the energy of Orisa: the guardian, the protector, the voice of the city.”
Check out the new song below.
The Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart welcomes a new No. 1 – and first new leader of 2025 – as MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea’s “Shake It to the Max (FLY)” remix rises from the runner-up spot to rule the list dated May 17. With its ascent, “Shake It to the Max” unseats Tyla’s […]
On a Friday night in late February, Tems was having dinner with the owners of San Diego FC, celebrating her new position as a partner in the MLS club. The next day, a video went viral of the 29-year-old Nigerian musician, known for her enviable levels of cool, briefly losing it while watching the club’s first-ever home game, bitterly throwing her arms down when her team missed a free kick and repeatedly yelling, “What the f–k was that?” while clapping her hands to punctuate her every word. Then, on Sunday, she headed to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards, strutting the red carpet in a feathered gown at the Vanity Fair after-party and striking poses with the likes of H.E.R., Victoria Monét and Normani at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s annual Gold Party. By Tuesday, Tems was overseas at Paris Fashion Week, serving classic elegance while sitting front row at the Courrèges and Dior shows.
Those prime seats offered her a rare opportunity: to be off her feet and catch her breath before hopping on a jet to her next high-profile affair. Because while Tems’ music has become known as the ideal soundtrack for unwinding and vibing out, she never really has time to do either.
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“Every day is something different, which is actually very exciting for me,” Tems insists during an early April afternoon in her home base of London, looking laid-back in a chic “groutfit” (monochromatic gray): oversize zip-up hoodie, tank maxi dress and black leather peep toe heels, her hair slicked back in a bun with laid edges. “I’m always like, ‘Hmm, I wonder how today is going to go. I wonder what’s going to happen.’ ” But even amid her whirlwind schedule, she manages to maintain some grounding daily rituals: “In the mornings, I always do my self-care. I pray and declare that everything is going to be good and whatever comes my way, I’ll be fine.”
Tems will headline THE STAGE at SXSW London on June 5 in an exclusive concert presented by Billboard at London’s iconic music venue Troxy.
That affirmative mindset has served her well. In 2020, Wizkid featured Tems on his summer anthem “Essence,” which hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (partly due to a Justin Bieber remix); earned Tems her first Grammy Award nomination, for best global music performance; and played a pivotal role in ushering in the rise of Afrobeats in the United States. Five years later, the singer-songwriter-producer has become a global sensation in her own right, as well as a secret weapon for Western superstars. She collaborated with Drake on “Fountains” from his 2021 album, Certified Lover Boy, and the two appeared together the following year on Future’s Hot 100 No. 1 “Wait for U,” which samples Tems’ 2020 track “Higher,” from her debut EP, For Broken Ears, and earned Tems her first Grammy, for best melodic rap performance. That same year, she scored a feature on Beyoncé’s Renaissance and co-wrote Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack; the song earned Golden Globe, Oscar and Grammy nods.
And since “Essence,” Tems’ distinguished solo releases have helped her remain at the forefront of African music. As “Wait for U” propelled “Higher,” For Broken Ears yielded another sleeper hit in 2022, “Free Mind,” which became her first solo Hot 100 entry (peaking at No. 46) and a radio fixture, spending 22 weeks at No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and nine weeks atop Adult R&B Airplay. For Broken Ears has earned 853.7 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate — and “Free Mind” accounts for 434 million of them.
Her A-list assists and limited but impactful solo output built expectations for Tems’ first full-length, Born in the Wild, an 18-track opus that secured three Grammy nominations, including for best global music album, and peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard 200 following its release in June 2024 through RCA Records and Sony U.K. imprint Since ’93.
“Tems is such an important voice for our times, bringing the experience of her life and music to a global audience,” RCA chairman/CEO Peter Edge says. “It is so special that RCA has been able to partner with her on her journey.”
Ferragamo dress, Justine Clenquet earrings, Mi Manera ring.
Zoe McConnell
Tems didn’t have much faith in her chances at the Grammys, and she’d thus planned a swift exit. “I was convincing myself it’s probably not me anyway. I was like, ‘Let me just sit at the back. If they don’t call me, I’ll just quickly leave,’ ” she says. So when the album’s jovial hit single “Love Me JeJe” won best African music performance during the awards show’s premiere ceremony, she “had to run to the stage,” she recalls. But she says her real “prize” that evening was witnessing the joy of her plus-one, her mother, who later spotted a certain celebrity. “She saw Will Smith and she was like, ‘Will Smith, wow!’ ” Tems says, bursting into laughter. “He was sitting at a table and was like, ‘Hey, nice to meet you!’ He was talking to her. Just giving her that experience was amazing.”
She has given her mom plenty more reasons to be proud this year, with an awe-inspiring series of firsts: Not only is Tems the first Nigerian artist to win two Grammys, but she’s also the first African-born woman to be involved in MLS ownership and the first African female artist to hit 1 billion Spotify streams for a song, with “Wait for U.” Tems can hardly keep up with them all. When I ask her where she was when she found out about her recent Spotify accomplishment, she pauses before hesitantly admitting with a laugh, “It’s very possible that I’m just learning of this.” But she’s not taking any of her historic feats for granted: “It feels good to be able to do this on this scale. My life is a dream.”
She uses the same word in “Burning,” Born in the Wild’s other Grammy-nominated track, when describing the surreal trajectory of achieving and acclimating to her newfound fame. The extra eyeballs scrutinizing her made her feel especially “uncomfortable” in the beginning, she says, but they also proved how the tides have turned for African artists. Nigerian singer-songwriter Seyi Sodimu — who sings the 1997 Afro-soul classic “Love Me JeJe,” featuring Shaffy Bello, that Tems interpolated in her Grammy-winning song of the same name — said in a 2004 interview that he pitched the original record to multiple U.S. labels, only to be told it “was hard to market me because I look ‘American’ but I sound ‘African.’ ” Wale Davies, one of Tems’ managers who is also one-half of the Nigerian rap duo Show Dem Camp, says “it wasn’t cool to be African” back then.
But now, artists like Tems are rewriting that narrative while still honoring those who preceded them. Tems thanked Sodimu on X for clearing her song’s sample: “I’m glad that it’s getting its flowers today”; she also posted photos of them on the set of her self-directed “Love Me JeJe” music video, which features the two singing the bridge together.
“The responsibility an artist like Tems has is that you’re going to be the portal through which people see Africa,” Davies says. “We have to show them that you can operate at a global level.” As she declared when accepting the Breakthrough award at Billboard Women in Music in 2024: “I’m standing with a continent behind me.”
Despite growing up in the “hustle and bustle” of Lagos, the artist born Témìládè Openiyi prefers peace and quiet. Today, she calls her sacred silent time her “energy-saving mode.”
Tems didn’t speak until she was 3 years old and found music to be a more effective means of expression. As a kid, she fell in love with the sentimental balladry and powerhouse pipes of Céline Dion, Mariah Carey and the members of Destiny’s Child and says she aspired to create music with that same level of “soul and realness.” But she felt insecure about her deep natural voice and opted for a more delicate falsetto. The music teacher at her secondary school, Mr. Sosan, encouraged her raw, unfiltered talent and offered his music room as a safe space. But as she honed her craft, her mother had other plans: She wanted Tems to attend college.
“I tried to miss all the deadlines, [but] she enrolled me to school in South Africa last minute,” she recalls. While studying economics at IIE MSA in Johannesburg, Tems taught herself to produce and engineer her own music through YouTube tutorials. When she returned home upon graduation, she started a digital marketing job — but her real postgrad goals didn’t involve sitting behind a desk.
“It just got to a point where I couldn’t take it anymore… Spiritually, I was aware that this is not my path. It felt like life or death, like this can make or break your destiny and you need to make a decision right now,” Tems says. “And I chose to take that leap.”
Alexandre Vauthier coat.
Zoe McConnell
Tems figured once she was able to hand her mother her degree, “everyone should just leave me to be and let me do my music.” And her mom, whom Tems was caring for after she had broken her leg, gave her an extra push to pursue her true passion. “We were going through a lot at the time, and we needed that job. And she said, ‘I think you should go and chase your dreams and try this music thing. You can do it and I believe in you. Don’t worry about me. I’m here for you,’ ” she remembers with tears in her eyes. Tems quit in January 2018, and that July, she independently released her debut single, “Mr Rebel,” a buoyant, reflective track about standing firmly in her purpose.
“Immediately, I felt like, ‘I don’t know who this person is, but this person is singing for their life,’ ” Davies recalls of the first time he heard “Mr Rebel” soon after its release. It became an underground hit despite deviating from the feel-good, dance-driven Afrobeats popular at the time, which producers in Nigeria had always told Tems she needed to make if she ever hoped to succeed. But in the mid-2010s, the alternative alté movement was gaining popularity in the country, empowering a new generation of creatives to express themselves freely in their sound and style. “No one sounded like her. No one thought emotional, truthful, honest, no-filter music would work in Nigeria,” Davies says. And when Tems released “Try Me” in 2019, he continues, “everything changed. That song went crazy because so many people were like, ‘Ah, finally, a woman who can share our frustrations and say how we really feel.’ ”
“Try Me” and its gripping music video caught the attention of label executives from around the world, including Sarah Lorentzen, then an executive assistant at RCA (where she’s now an A&R executive) who was dedicated to “[supporting] music from back home” in Nigeria. She flew to London in October 2019 to meet Tems, who was slated to perform at Show Dem Camp’s Palmwine Festival (visa issues ultimately prevented Tems from appearing). Two months later, Lorentzen flew to Lagos for Tems’ In the Garden concert. “I just jumped in and started helping her build the stage, breaking palm leaves and sticking them in the stage,” she recalls. “We bonded throughout the night, and that was the start of a yearlong journey before she actually signed with RCA.”
Tems’ managers, Davies and Muyiwa Awoniyi, cite Lorentzen’s Nigerian heritage as a key factor in their decision to sign with RCA, as well as fellow Nigerian executive Tunji Balogun, then-executive vp of A&R at RCA (now Def Jam chairman/CEO), and his crucial work with the label’s Afrobeats and R&B acts. Before Lorentzen and Balogun signed Tems in 2021, they got her to hop on the Afrobeats remix of Khalid and Disclosure’s dance-pop track “Know Your Worth” alongside Davido, who had signed to RCA in 2016. Wizkid, who joined the label in 2017, invited Tems through Awoniyi to a recording session for his 2020 album, Made in Lagos. “[Awoniyi] called me and was like, ‘We’re at Wiz’s place, we just recorded two bangers.’ And one of them ended up being ‘Essence,’ ” Davies says.
The same weekend Tems and Wiz shot the “Essence” music video, she recorded “Me & U” with GuiltyBeatz during their first session together, in Ghana. Within a few weeks, they’d also made “Crazy Tings” and three other tracks that would appear on her first major-label EP, If Orange Was a Place. Music frequently flows out of Tems, who has recorded 7,000 voice memos worth of freestyled song ideas on her iPhone. (“I’ve saved every voice note I’ve ever had since 2016,” she adds.) But even as “Essence” blew up globally, Tems was already focused on what was ahead. “I’m so obsessed with the songs that I’ve not shared that I’m not even thinking about the outside world,” she says. “I’m more concerned with the creation of the art than the acknowledgment.”
Ferragamo dress, Christian Louboutin shoes, Justine Clenquet earrings, Mi Manera ring.
Zoe McConnell
Lorentzen believes Tems’ humble approach helps her make quality music that naturally resonates with fans. “When it comes from a pure place like that, a place without any specific intention to blow [Nigerian slang meaning “to be successful”] or for it to be a hit, it allows you to enter a different kind of flow state as an artist and really deliver what’s genuine and authentic and unique to you,” she says.
It helps that lightning also tends to strike right before she hits the booth. After a “lit night out” in London with her friends Dunsin Wright and Yvonne Onyanta, Tems took them back to the studio, where her producers Spax and GuiltyBeatz were making the beat for “Love Me JeJe.” Guilty says he and Spax initially didn’t have Sodimu’s hit in mind. “She walks in the studio and literally started singing, ‘Love me jeje, love me tender.’ We were like, ‘Yep, get on the mic and record this now,’ ” he recalls, adding that “Love Me JeJe” was the “easiest song” to make on Born in the Wild, taking under an hour to finish.
Kayla Jackson, then Tems’ project manager at RCA (and now marketing consultant), proposed debuting it during her set at the 2024 Coachella festival, where fans at the Mojave Tent instantly picked up on the nostalgic call-and-response track. For Guilty, the crowd’s reaction “reconfirmed what I believe — and that is whatever feeling you have while making music in the studio is going to translate to people.”
“Do you know this song?”
Tems is surveying the front row of New York’s Radio City Music Hall, searching for a lucky someone to serenade with a freestyle based off their name, as she did during every stop of the 2024 Born in the Wild world tour. Her security guard lifts a 9-year-old girl, coincidentally named Africa, onto the stage as “Found,” the Brent Faiyaz-featuring track from If Orange Was a Place, starts playing. Tems asks her a couple of times if she knows this song before she shyly nods her head and proceeds to surprise the singer — and 6,000 concertgoers — by not missing a single lyric.
“Everybody erupted,” Joe Harris, her agent at CAA, remembers from that night. “In that moment, I realized this woman has not only been able to touch people her age and older, but the youth of the world has fallen in love with her voice and her tone.”
And her team has made sure her voice can travel to as many corners of the planet as possible, especially on her native continent. When Tems originally announced her 31-date international tour last May, she had two unspecified African stops scheduled. Awoniyi says it’s difficult to find the right venues that will “match the standard” of the kind of show she wants to deliver, and Harris adds, “It takes a bit of groundwork to try to pull those shows together because of the infrastructure and politically whatever’s going on in each one of those different countries.” In January, after receiving backlash online for promoting her show in Kigali, Rwanda, that was scheduled for March, Tems canceled it due to the country’s ongoing conflict with the Democratic Republic of Congo. “I never ever intend to be insensitive to real-world issues, and I sincerely apologize if this came across that way,” she wrote on X.
But aside from occasional roadblocks, she has also secured major opportunities in Africa. In March, Tems became the first artist to perform at The Dome, the new, 10,500-capacity venue in Johannesburg that Live Nation launched with Stadium Management South Africa and Gearhouse South Africa earlier this year. “We’re always looking to create epic moments,” Awoniyi says. “Live Nation let us know about the venue that they were building. Our agents spoke to them, and because we are very moments-focused, for her to be the first artist to perform there is cool.” Her team is carefully planning on rescheduling her show in Rwanda while adding new stops in Kenya, Ghana and, of course, Nigeria.
Bringing the fruits of her success back home remains fundamental to Tems’ mission. Pave Investments — an African private investment firm that backs platforms creating opportunities to develop and support African talent globally, such as Tems’ company, The Leading Vibe — reached out to her camp with the opportunity to join the San Diego FC ownership group. “I grew up around my uncles and brother watching matches, and because they’re so loud, I’m forced to pay attention. I always wondered about being able to be in the business of it because it’s a man’s world,” Tems says. In her role, she’ll work closely with the Right To Dream Academy, a youth association football academy that started in Ghana and has since expanded with branches in Egypt, Denmark and the United States. “That’s something that piqued my interest, being able to build other Africans up, build other children up and give them more opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise seen,” Tems says.
Marc Jacobs jacket and shoes, Calzedonia tights, Jacquemus earrings.
Zoe McConnell
Her historic entrance into the sports realm aligns with the ethos of The Leading Vibe, which she established in 2020 and where she serves as a director. Named for a lyric from “Mr Rebel” — “I’m the crown, I’m the vibe, I’m the leading vibe” — it allows her to “[lead] by example” and make a “difference in the world” by holding and managing her assets (she fully owns her masters for For Broken Ears and co-owns the masters for If Orange Was a Place and Born in the Wild) while serving as an incubator for investment, philanthropy and new business ventures. Through The Leading Vibe, she’s working on an initiative to support young African female artists, songwriters and producers.
“The way her brand is constructed is not limiting. You can see her at a football match today, you can see her at Formula 1 tomorrow,” Awoniyi says. In February, Aston Martin reported that 15,000 people watched her perform “Higher” at the unveiling of its new car design for the 2025 F1 season at London’s O2 Arena. She’s yet to headline her own show at the famed venue, but Awoniyi says they “haven’t been trying to rush” her growth as an artist to ensure the longevity of her career.
Tems says she’s currently making music “that I’m really excited about that sounds nothing like Born in the Wild,” and that after contributing to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, she wants to hear more of her music in film — maybe even in the form of an original score — and possibly get in front of the camera. But while her universe may be continually expanding, Tems still wants her impact on the world to be fulfilling.
“My 20s, they’ve been eventful. I’ve gotten used to the uncertainty,” says Tems, who turns 30 in June. “I hope it stays that way. I hope it doesn’t slow down.”
This story appears in the May 17, 2025, issue of Billboard.
