afrobeats
Capping a banner breakthrough year, Tyla roars to No. 1 on the year-end Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs Artists recap for 2024. The South African singer, who finished at No. 14 last year, leaps into first place thanks to a flurry of hits from her self-titled debut album, released in March, and its runaway hit “Water,” which wraps the year as the No. 1 title on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs year-end chart.
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Tyla, who records for Fax Records/Epic Records, became widely known through “Water,” which reached No. 1 on the weekly U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in October 2023, just in time for the 2024 chart year, which ran from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023, to Oct. 19, 2024. The single drowned the competition and charged to a 51-week domination on the list during the chart year, stepping aside for only one week during that time, for Asake and Travis Scott’s one-week champ, “Active.”
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts dated Oct. 28, 2023, through Oct. 19, 2024. The rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology details, and the October-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
After “Water” opened the gates, Tyla’s self-titled debut album reinforced her standing on U.S. Afrobeats Songs, where 10 of the album’s standard edition’s 14 tracks reached the chart. In addition to “Water,” three more tracks land in the top 10 on the year-end recap: “Truth or Dare” (No. 4), “Jump,” with Gunna and Skillibeng (No. 5) and “Art” (No. 9).
Tems, the top U.S. Afrobeats Artist two years ago, comes in at No. 2 on the 2024 edition thanks to the impact of her anticipated full-length debut, Born in the Wild. The set, released on Since ‘93/RCA Records in June, produced 15 charting titles on the weekly U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, including three different tunes that each peaked at No. 3: “Me & U,” “Love Me JeJe” and “Not An Angel.” The foremost pair’s extended trajectories help them finish at No. 3 and No. 7, respectively, on the year-end rankings.
Notably, with “Water,” “Me & U,” “Truth or Dare” and “Jump” accounting for four of the top five year-end slots on U.S. Afrobeats Songs, the only non-Tyla or Tems song in the region is the 2024 runner-up, Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down.” The track, which reigned atop the 2023 standings, nabs the silver medal due to its steady streaming levels. Though the collaboration has waned from its highest point, when it set a record 59-week run atop the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, a consistent level of streams has allowed the single to remain within the chart’s top three positions for the entirety of the charting year.
With help from “Calm Down,” Rema captures the No. 3 spot on the year-end artist rank for U.S. Afrobeats Songs, though it’s not the sole reason for his success. The Nigerian performer debuted 16 additional songs on the list in the 2024 chart year, from both his November 2023 EP, Ravage, and 2024 full-length album, HEIS. Chief among them was “Yayo,” which reached No. 9 in July and became his third top 10 hit on the chart.
Last year’s champ, Burna Boy, picks up the No. 4 position on the 2024 year-end artist recap, largely through cuts from his August 2023 release, I Told Them…, continuing their chart runs into the year. Notably, the international superstar achieved a new top 10 – his 14th total – with “Higher,” which managed a No. 6 high in July.
Asake, meanwhile, rounds out the top five on the 2024 class for the U.S. Afrobeats Songs Artists chart. While a run of 14 top 10s had already established the 29-year-old’s chops, he finally unlocked the penthouse in August with his first No. 1, the Travis Scott collaboration “Active.” A-list pairings proved a winning formula for Asake, with further hits coming via team-ups with Wizkid on the No. 7-peaking “MMS” and Gunna (“Happiness,” also with Sarz) and Central Cee (“Wave”), which both reached No. 8.
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.”
Davido announced on Thursday (Dec. 5) that he’ll release his fifth studio album, aptly titled 5ive, in 2025. “This one is straight from the heart – my story, my truth, my growth,” he wrote on Instagram. And the Nigerian-American superstar’s album rollout is well underway since he will be releasing the first single, “Funds” with […]
Tyla is set to perform on the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
Hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, the 2024 BBMAs presented by Marriott Bonvoy is set to air Thursday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and Fire TV Channels, and on-demand on Paramount+, with performances also rolling out across Billboard.com and via @BBMAs and @Billboard social channels.
Tyla joins SEVENTEEN and Teddy Swims, who Monday became the first performers to be announced for the show.
Tyla’s global hit “Water” hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January. The following month, it was the inaugural Grammy winner for best African music performance. Her debut album Tyla reached No. 24 on the Billboard 200 in April.
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Tyla is a finalist for eight Billboard Music Awards: top R&B artist, top R&B female artist, top Afrobeats artist, top R&B album (Tyla), top R&B song and top Afrobeats song, where three of her songs are finalists – “Truth or Dare,” “Water” and “Jump,” the last-named title a collab with Gunna and Skillibeng.
As previously announced, Zach Bryan, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Sabrina Carpenter are the leading finalists for the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
This marks the show’s return to FOX, which carried the show from its 1990 inaugural broadcast through 2006. In addition, Paramount+ will provide on-demand streaming of the show, while the free Fire TV Channels app will provide one-click access to fans using Amazon devices (Fire TV smart TVs and streaming media players and Fire Tablets).
The BBMAs will celebrate music’s greatest achievements with exclusive original performances, artist interviews, and award celebrations taking place from global locations and in the midst of sold-out tours. Shaboozey will deliver a special performance from W Hollywood, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additional performers and special guests will be announced soon.
The BBMAs honors the year’s biggest artists, albums, songs, producers and songwriters across multiple genres, as determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s Year-End Charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023 through Oct. 19, 2024.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
The show is presented by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s travel program and portfolio of more than 30 hotel brands. For more information, visit MarriottBonvoy.com
Seven months after Tyla released her self-titled debut album, which spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard‘s World Albums chart, the popiano princess returned with the deluxe edition TYLA +. And after gaining co-signs from SZA, Ciara and more from his “Soh-Soh” cut from his Sunday’s At Zuri’s EP this summer, Afro-R&B artist Odeal is feeding his growing fanbase with more new songs.
And those are just two of the best tracks of the month in African music, which in this edition of the column spans from Nigeria to Ghana to Zimbabwe to South Africa and back again. There’s the deep baritone of the rapper Holy Ten, the distinctive crooning of Ckay and BNXN, the aggressive stylings of Black Sherif and Stonebwoy and a high-profile guest spot from Afro Raver Rema, among several others.
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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 catch a vibe with our latest Spotify playlist below.
Phyno, “It’s Nothing”
Nigerian rapper Phyno doesn’t come to play on “It’s Nothing,” the opening track of his fifth studio album Full Time Job. He proclaims how his money and legacy are untouchable in his infectious Igbo flow. And Major Bangz’s ’90s hip-hop-inspired production, interspersed with a triumphant horn section, gives Phyno extra pep in his step.
Tyla feat. Tony Duardo, Optimist & Maestro, “SHAKE AH”
Tyla already had our booties shaking to her breakthrough smash “Water” last summer, and she’s bringing us back to the dancefloor with “Shake Ah,” the first of three new songs featured on the deluxe edition of her eponymous debut album. With producer Tony Duardo (who frequently works with fellow amapiano star Uncle Waffles) and vocalists Optimist and Maestro in tow, the Grammy-winning artist stays true to her amapiano roots with the track’s bustling log drums and folk-tinged melody. “Too serious, too serious/ Hands on my hips, he don’t wanna let go,” she breathily coos. Only a handful of the lyrics are sung in English, proving that Tyla can continue breaking through the mainstream without breaking away from the sounds of her native South Africa.
Odeal, “Temptress”
Following the success of his viral “Soh Soh” single, Odeal keeps his momentum going while sonically slowing things down on his latest enchanting offering “Temptress.” He croons about being in love with a woman whose lifestyle (“purple lights,” “cash on the bedroom floor,” you get the picture) clearly indicates the feelings aren’t mutual, while cleverly interpolating Aaliyah’s “Boy, I gotta watch my back, ‘cause I’m not just anybody” line from the chorus of “Are You That Somebody.” (“Friends told me to watch my back, ‘cause I’m one of many bodies,” he sings.) And Harry Westlake’s ‘90s R&B-inspired production has listeners as deep in their feelings as Odeal is in his.
Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz, “Piece of My Heart”
Wizkid and Brent Faiyaz are a pair of amorous, yet slightly misleading heartthrobs on the sexy “Piece of My Heart” single, which arrives ahead of Wiz’s sixth studio album Morayo that’s due Nov. 22. Both artists remind their lovers how inseparable they are (“Nothing can tear us apart,” Faiyaz reassures before delivering the track’s titular line) over a sultry guitar hook and bubbling percussion. The Afrobeats superstar playfully nods to his and Drake’s Hot 100 No. 1 smash “One Dance” before the track slows down in its second half. Here, Wiz and Faiyaz croon about how hard it is for their women to catch feelings for them when they’re always catching flights. “Stressful, I know/ Every other day, another timezone,” Wiz expresses. Maybe having only a piece of their hearts isn’t enough.
Nasty C, Lekaa Beats, ODUMODUBLVCK & Chip, “Trouble”
South African rapper Nasty C and Nigerian producer Lekaa Beats blend hip-hop, trap, Afrobeats and amapiano on their joint EP Confuse the Enemy. On the highlight track “Trouble,” Nasty C emphasizes the “pressure” he’s facing from all corners of his life, while featured guests Nigerian MC ODUMODUBLVCK and UK rapper Chip spit verses about their own hardships and how their hustle helped them persevere (“That’s why I let my heart pour every time I rhyme/ ‘Cause I never know who’s listening to me on the other side,” Chips raps). And Lekaa’s affecting Afrofusion production makes those listening to “Trouble” feel at ease.
Holy Ten feat. MrCandy, “Kilimanjaro”
Zimbabwean rapper Holy Ten’s deep baritone anchors this track off his new album Proud Father, with a plaintive acoustic guitar over a driving low-end beat providing a bouyant backbone for the song to soar. Alongside frequent collaborator MrCandy, who delivers a soaring guest verse, “Kilimanjaro” is a standout on the new album, which only suffers from being just 24 minutes long. The entire project is worth a listen.
Black Sherif, “Rebel Music”
Sherif’s aggressive vocal style is on full display on this latest single, with production that feels as big as his ambition and defies any easy categorization. There is something magnetic about Sherif’s confidence on the microphone, not the least because his lyrics center on defiance in the face of adversity and his own sheer force of will — not something to be taken lightly. If his last few singles are any indication, this next album will be an achievement.
BNXN & Rema, “Fi Kan We Kan”
Two of the most distinctive young voices in Nigeria teamed up for this new one, which features BNXN’s signature falsetto floating over the first verse and hook before Rema comes through and delivers a verse so slick that it’s hard to tell if he’s even taking a breath with a confidence that is infectious. The track grows in momentum throughout, with amapiano log drums becoming more pronounced as it goes along — with a cinematic music video that ties it all together.
Stonebwoy feat. Ir Sais, “Memories”
With an old school R&B feel, Ghana’s Stonebwoy delivers an infectious track that both shows off his vocal prowess and distinctive style, while Ir Sais croons over the hook. It’s a song that feels out of another place and time, but works because there’s nothing out like it right now — and is a great primer for his just-released album UP & RUNNIN6 which he dropped last week.
Ckay feat. The Cavemen., “Addicted”
Ckay’s emotional vocal stylings take a detour out of his usual minor-keyed environment into the much brighter highlife world of The Cavemen., resulting in a track that feels like watching an intimate performance at a late-night jazz club, something that’s completely different from what the young singer has done in the past. The band’s percussion gives the song a different vibe, while Ckay’s voice fits in effortlessly, for one of the strongest collaborations this year.
Libianca has been on the move. One day the Cameroonian American singer-songwriter is flying out to Paris, the next she’s in New York City. One month before attending New York Fashion Week in September this year, the Afro-soul singer-songwriter performed at Montreal’s Osheaga Music & Arts Festival, which was on her bucket list of music festivals to perform at. She joined the likes of SZA, Tyla, Raye and Chappell Roan on the lineup of one of Canada’s biggest music festivals, where 147,000 festivalgoers flocked to Parc Jean-Drapeau over three days.
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While traveling around the world, Libianca (real name Libianca Kenzonkinboum Fonji) has been mapping out time to lock in at the studio and finish the follow-up project to her debut EP, Walk Away, that she released in December 2023 via 5K Records Limited and Sony Music Entertainment UK. “‘Libianca is in her ‘I don’t give a f–k’ era,’” the 24-year-old artist tells Billboard over Zoom. “That is the best way to put it – because these past few months, I’ve gotten out of my head completely. I stopped running on the wheel and [quit] desperately trying to find more admiration and quickly follow my most recent accolades with more accolades and more glory. Just giving all that up and just going back to where it all started. Just doing this s— ‘cause I love it.”
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But from the outside looking in, you wouldn’t see any trace of the nightmare the “People” hitmaker faced just five months before. In April, Libianca announced she was postponing the North American leg of her Walk Away EP World Tour three days before it was set to start in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her manager M3tro raised the Cameroonian flag on stage at the Souled Out Festival in Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne in March, while the Australian flag was also waved during her performances. Uniting the flags was a moment to not only show respect to the Australian festival attendees, but to clarify Libianca’s nationality as “there was a time when people mistakenly believed she was Nigerian,” M3tro explains. But Libianca’s gesture of showing pride for her Cameroonian heritage, which she has previously displayed by posting emojis of her country’s flag numerous times on social media, sparked disapproval from armed separatists in Cameroon known as The Amba Boys, who sent Libianca death threats.
The separatists misinterpreted Libianca — who moved to Bamenda, the largest English-speaking city in Cameroon, when she was four — waving the Cameroonian flag as showing support for the country’s long-serving president Paul Biya and his Francophone-dominated government. In 2016, Anglophones protested against the government for the French language being imposed in the courts and schools, fighting to preserve their cultural heritage and end decades-long marginalization. The resulting 6,000 casualties, according to the Human Rights Watch’s World Report last year, and more than 1,000 arrests between 2016 and 2021, according to Amnesty International, have heightened Anglophone secessionists’ desire to have their own independent state, named Ambazonia, in the ongoing Anglophone crisis.
“My holding of the Cameroonian flag was not to state in any way what side I’m on but a symbol of faith that someday, we THE PEOPLE will reunite and lead with love because we are better together when we help each other instead of hating each other,” Libianca wrote in a handwritten letter posted on her socials on April 12. “The flag is not Paul Biya. IT’S US, THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON, our vibrance and our culture together.”
Libianca told BBC in May that the death threats – which started coming in on March 23, the morning after her first Australia show in Sydney – included vile messages saying that she should “never step foot in Cameroon – or they would kill me on-site.” M3tro confirms to Billboard the numerous “alarming” threats went to the team’s business email, as well as his personal email.
“At first when [the emails] came, it was just one, two – like, ‘OK, this is something where here and there you get a fan that would just be talking reckless, but it’s nothing,’” he recalls. But along with the death threats, he said separatists were sending money requests to management’s email, and there was a flood of nefarious comments on Libianca’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. “At this point, this is not a joke no more,” says M3tro. “So I really had to call the team. We had to talk and know how we’re gonna deliver it to her, so she can understand and be able to finish with the job she’s doing in Australia – rather than just cancel that [part of the tour] as well.”
Libianca says she took a day off of work after learning about the severity of the threats — which went on until her show in Perth on March 31 — “to sort through my emotions.” She and her team, including her North American reps at APA, proceeded to postpone the 14-date North American tour – not only for her safety, but also to protect her U.S.-based family members from Cameroonian separatists living here.
“For me, it wasn’t an easy thing,” M3tro adds. “As a manager, I see everything. [She’s] worked hard [rehearsing] and you’re trying to do [the tour], but now you have to put that on hold. And as a friend, I also see her heart, sweat and tears. It’s not an easy thing what she does, because the type of music she does, she has to express on a deep level. And it was like, ‘I’m supporting my country. I wanna bring my country to a brighter side and I’m facing backlash for certain things.’ And as a friend, to me, I could see the pain in her and that’s what hurt me.”
In Libianca’s aforementioned letter, she expressed how the threats “overshadowed” living out her dreams and making her country proud. After competing on NBC’s The Voice in 2021 – where she finished in the top 20 before being eliminated – Libianca’s dreams of having a music career turned into reality when she released her global breakout hit “People” the following year. The Afro-soul track – which spurred multiple remixes with Nigerian sensations Ayra Starr and Omah Lay, Mexican American pop star Becky G and Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot – earned Libianca her career-first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 80, and it reached No. 2 on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. In 2023, she won the viewer’s choice: best new international act award at the BET Awards and opened for Alicia Keys’ Keys to the Summer Tour. Libianca was on cloud nine. But during this recent dark period, Libianca says that God and her support system – including her family, close friends and team – kept her afloat.
“After that, I just saw [the situation] in a very positive light. I had a chance to speak up, not just for myself, but for others. That’s how I handled the situation really,” she explains. On April 24, she released the single “Gods People,” an anthem that calls for casualties to cease in Cameroon and for harmony to be restored. On X, Libianca wrote that profits made from the song’s streams went toward supporting victims of the Anglophone crisis, which literally hits close to home for her. What was once her “very vibrant” home of Bamenda, she describes, became deserted due to locals, including her family, having to seek refuge in the French-speaking regions of Cameroon. In 2023, the Norwegian Refugee Council reported that Cameroon has the second-most-neglected displacement crisis in the world.
After the Cameroonian flag controversy, Libianca and her team made the call to follow through with her European tour in May and June. “[Her] family’s not [in Europe]. And we didn’t really feel like safety is something that has to be taken care of there. The rules are much different there than the U.S.,” says M3tro, adding that the majority of European countries have stricter guidelines on bearing arms.
Libianca’s team still added extra security measures at her shows, such as security guards patting down attendees. For her set at Osheaga Festival, which came two months after her European tour, M3tro said the team took even more precautions, like not booking any of their lodging arrangements under her name, and having a security guard with her whether she’s in transit or walking on public grounds.
With these safety measures, Libianca made it clear she’s not letting anyone or anything cause her to live in fear. Performing her healing music to the masses is part of her mission, and she plans on continuing to do so when she returns to U.S. stages after her upcoming EP drops. “When I get to go out on tour again, and I get to do it fully, it’s gonna be so good – because there’s gonna be a whole new project out, on top of other things that have already been out,” Libianca explains. “There’s going to be so much more diversity to my set of the things I can talk about with my fans. And the experience is going to be much greater than it was before.”
Following Walk Away, Libianca has released a handful of collaborations, including “Darling” with British singer Lewis Fitzgerald and “Side” with Ghanaian musician KJ Spio and Tanzanian artist Harmonize. She says her upcoming EP, which she reveals is “almost done” and slated to be released early next year, is influenced by her diverse music taste from her upbringing, from being in choirs at church and boarding school to listening to ABBA. She also teases that there are songs on the project that will “surprise people.”
“The project itself has all the things that I’ve experienced since ‘People’ happened,” Libianca says. “I don’t think I’ve been open with my fans since then about how I’m genuinely doing, the things I’m going through. So I’m doing it through this project.”
It’s officially fall, and these African artists have plenty of new music to usher in the new season with.
Oxlade transcends the continent’s borders with a vibrant combination of old-school African music and modern-day Afrobeats — and an international array of guest artists, from Jamaican dancehall star Popcaan to U.K. rapper Dave to legendary Nigerian singer-songwriter Wande Coal and Congolese icon Fally Ipupa — on his long-awaited debut album OFA (Oxlade From Africa). And Fireboy DML puts his heart on his sleeve and stays true to the sounds he grew up listening to on his self-titled fourth studio album Adedamola.
We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new Afrobeats (and related) songs that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and catch a vibe with our latest Spotify playlist below.
Mofe., “Good Day”
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Mofe. fuses Afrobeats and disco for his self-branded Afrodisco jam “Good Day.” The Nigerian American artist behind the viral track “Prince of Egypt” – which Destroy Lonely sampled on “Cadillac,” from his latest Love Lasts Forever album – adds a funkier groove, assisted by shimmering synths, to Afrobeats’ syncopated percussion and overall feel-good vibe. It’s kind of impossible to not have a good day while listening to this song.
Fireboy DML feat. Seun Kuti, “ecstasy”
Fireboy DML craves a woman’s body like “ecstasy” on this erotic number from his eponymous fourth album Adedamola. Producer Bassiqally’s ebullient percussion occasionally dotted with log drums and chanting ad-libs, paired with featured artist Seun Kuti’s sexy and soulful saxophone melodies, make “ecstasy” sound as addicting as the real deal. “It’s a song that sounds like sex – I always have a record like that on every album, because it’s somewhat a part of my personality,” he told Apple Music, adding that he “had an image of [Kuti] on the sax for the record…. He’s an amazing person with a very crazy and colorful personality that resonates with me.”
Odunsi (The Engine), “BACK IN OFFICE”
Odunsi (The Engine) makes being “BACK IN OFFICE” much more amusing in the opening track of his latest EP Nigerian Boyfriend. The alté artist assumes the position of a boss who entices women with his “tune and bounce,” this time with a swelling orchestral intro and outro that bookend the song’s polyrhythmic production (courtesy of OTE, who’s also the sole songwriter). And with its corporate-themed visualizer, “BACK IN OFFICE” would’ve been the perfect campaign song for I AM GIA’s new Gia Office.03 collection.
Minz, “mo de ma [by any minz]”
Minz becomes a soothing voice of reason on his “mo de ma [by any minz]” single that dropped ahead of his debut album By Any Minz, due Oct. 4. He reflects on his journey to the spotlight, including the “dark days when man never glow,” over Puffy Beatz’s relaxed production. Grammy-winning singer Angélique Kidjo is heard in the outro, calling out his album title within seconds of meeting Minz. “This felt like a revelation…. Sometimes, the signs show up exactly when you need them, and they make everything make sense,” he wrote on Instagram underneath a clip that captured the kismet moment.
Oxlade, “RMF”
Oxlade is “all about that life” on “RMF” from his debut studio album OFA (Oxlade From Africa). “RMF,” which stands for “Rich Motherf—er,” finds the Nigerian hitmaker relishing in his new luxe lifestyle while going back to his rapping roots. “When I was in secondary school, I stopped singing because of peer pressure. I had to learn how to rap to fit in. I’m grateful now cos [sic] it’s affected my pen!” he told Wonderland. And its Fela Kuti-inspired Afrobeat production, from the grandiose horn melody to the dizzying saxophone outro, pays homage to the vintage African sound.
Fireboy DML, “Change Your Life”
The YBNL crooner gets into the groove on “Change Your Life,” off his latest album adedamola. Propelled by an insistent backbeat, an adventurous bassline and a track-opening trumpet solo — that’s right — producer Bassiqally quickly sets a tone that makes “Change Your Life” stand out from the rest of the project musically, even if it remains firmly within the romantic love-life stories that populate the album. But “Change Your Life” continues to surprise throughout, with Fireboy bringing melody on top of melody and proving adept at riding the rhythm.
Oxlade feat. Sarkodie, “OLOLUFE”
There are plenty of standouts on the latest Oxlade album OFA, which essentially serves as a clearinghouse for his best singles of the past 18 months. Oxlade himself is adept at setting the vibe, with his vocals soaring over the production, a mix of doubled-melody and falsetto that reaches into the stratosphere. This track really shines, however, with the forehand punch that is Sarkodie’s verse, which punctuates the ambiance and brings a renewed energy and a swagger to the track that sets it apart.
Morravey, “Ifineme”
One of the breakout stars of Davido’s phenomenal Timeless album from 2023 on the track “The Garden,” Morravey — also signed to David’s Davido Music Worldwide label — is a dynamic singer with a gorgeous voice, and this new cut “Ifineme” is another from a similar mold. The song came hand in hand with another single, “Upstandin,” that also showcases her vocal prowess, but it’s “Ifineme” that truly feels transcendent: a track that builds organically with its feeling of the early days of love, until reaching a soaring hook complete with a full choir that fills to the rafters. It’s a great song, and her winking metaphors demand repeat listens.
LADIPOE & taves, “Compose”
A low key intro and a reverb-soaked background quickly give way to a tight groove on this latest collab, with LADIPOE flowing effortlessly over the beat, bouncing in time, as he raps about his latest romantic interest. Featured guest taves makes little more than a cameo, but it’s really the hook that makes the song such an earworm — “You wan make my head explode” — with a catchy melody that burrows into the brain. There’s a joy to this one that bubbles under the surface but comes through nevertheless, and which stamps itself on the listener.
Khaid feat. Olamide, “Way Back”
Few young singers have made as much of an impact in the past two years as Khaid, who despite his string of infectious singles is still just a teenager. But this track sees him linking up with one of Nigeria’s OGs, as Olamide comes through with a verse in his classic style — cocky, on and off the beat, always dripping with swagger and effortless cool — before ceding the floor back to Khaid and his penchant for crafting melodies that seem timeless, despite his years. It helps that the music video is pure fun, too, with the duo clearly enjoying themselves in the studios. Khaid hasn’t missed yet.
Afrobeats producer Thisizlondon has signed with Love Renaissance (LVRN), Billboard can exclusively announce on Tuesday (Sept. 17). Thisizlondon, formerly known as LONDON (real name Michael Hunter), has produced some of the biggest Afrobeats records in recent history, from Ayra Starr‘s “Bloody Samaritan” to Rema‘s Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 smash “Calm Down.” He’s also contributed […]
Afro Nation Detroit 2024 was a two-day music festival that brought together top Afro artists across Afrobeats, hip-hop, R&B, dancehall, gqom, amapiano and more. Held in the birthplace of Motown and techno, Detroit proved to be the perfect location for this vibrant celebration.
The world’s largest Afrobeats festival took place Saturday to Sunday, Aug. 17-18, at Bedrock’s Douglass Site. This historic venue, formerly the Brewster-Douglass Projects, was the nation’s first federally funded housing project for African-Americans and the former home of legends like Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson.
Afro Nation Detroit showcased a wealth of performances from the Black diaspora, including Rema, Omah Lay, Ayra Starr, Kizz Daniel and Michigan native Kash Doll on the main stage. Meanwhile, artists like Uncle Waffles, Musa Keys, Scorpion Kings, DBN Gogo and others kept the party alive all weekend at the Piano People stage. To be honest, there were moments when the Piano stage was even more lit than the main Lit Everywhere stage.
The festival’s opening day faced a rocky start due to weather delays, but once the festivities began, the party didn’t stop until around midnight. DJ Marine kicked things off with an electrifying set, setting the tone for Charity, who brought main-stage energy. King Promise followed, illustrating why he’s the king, delivering a performance that turned the audience into a choir. Rema shut down the day with an unforgettable, fiery performance.
Day 2 saw a significant increase in turnout — if day 1 was full, day 2 was packed. Juls and DJ Marine amped up the crowd upon entry, setting the stage for Ruger, who worked the audience with ease.
When Shenseea took the stage a few minutes later, the crowd erupted, as if they had been waiting their whole lives for this moment. She performed fresh tracks from her new album Never Gets Late Here, followed by Asake, who delivered an animated performance, quite literally bouncing off the walls.
Although Lil Wayne had to cancel due to bad weather in NYC, the festival was still an incredible experience.
Check out the four best main-stage moments.
R&B Meets Afrobeats with PARTYNEXTDOOR
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
In a year brimming with highly acclaimed releases from women in Nigerian music, Qing Madi’s voice is hard to ignore, set apart by its youthful resonance.
Before her emergence on the Afrobeats scene, Qing Madi (real name Chimamanda Pearl Chukwuma) had regular life plans like most young people: get a degree, then get a job. She had just moved from her birthplace of Benin City to Lagos with her family. This move brought on more opportunities in the form of songwriting gigs for artists such as Skales, Iyanya and Larry Gaaga.
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“One day, I was asked to do backup for Blaqbonez and showed up for the vocals. I met his producer Ramoni, and he played me this beat that I thought was so beautiful,” she tells Billboard via Zoom. “I asked to do a freestyle to the beat and titled it ‘See Finish.’”
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She uploaded it onto TikTok in 2022. “I used to post cover videos on TikTok and some of them would blow up,” Madi says, citing her renditions of “Overloading (OVERDOSE)” by Crayon, Ayra Starr, LADIPOE, Magixx and Boy Spyce and Burna Boy and Ed Sheeran’s “For My Hand” as examples. “I never put out anything original because I wasn’t bold enough and didn’t think people would like it.”
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But as “See Finish” went viral, Madi says she was swarmed by DMs from different local and international record labels. “My mom was so overwhelmed by what was happening from just this one freestyle, but we eventually decided that I would get signed to Jton Music and Columbia/Bu Vision,” she says. “The next step was to release an EP with songs I’d worked on.”
Released last November, her seven-track self-titled EP carries relatable reflections on great first loves, independence and a wide range of emotions one experiences on the journey to a fully-formed identity. On “Madi’s Medley,” she asserts strength in difficult situations. “Why” explores what it’s like to be your own person amid pressure to conform. Eight months later, Madi released its deluxe version featuring three new songs: the “Vision” remix with Chloe Bailey, the Kizz Daniel-assisted “YBIL (You Believe in Love)” and “Sins For U”.
Since then, Madi has performed in the U.S. for the first time as part of BNXN’s tour, gained co-signs from Afrobeats superstars Wizkid and Ayra Starr (with the former tapping her for background vocals on his “Diamonds” track last year) and earned a spot on Billboard’s 2024 21 Under 21 List. Still, the 18-year-old singer-songwriter admits she has moments where she can’t believe it’s all real. “Seeing the crowd screaming my songs back to me affects me in a big way,” she says. “I’m really writing songs for the whole world to listen to.”
Qing Madi spoke with Billboard about her mainstream success, the upsides of delusion and why she never feels the pressure to fit in.
In some interviews you refer to your music as “Afro-delulu.” How does this describe your sound?
Most of the stuff that I sang about on the EP was not part of my reality at the time. In “American Love,” I sang about traveling around the world, when I’d never even crossed the border. I was looking to the future and then it just started manifesting with all my current travels. I can be delusional, but I like to talk a lot about the things that I want, and somehow they always come to be. And “Afro-delulu” wasn’t even a term I came up with, my fans created that for me and I liked it and went with it.
Your music touches on themes like love and heartbreak in a relatable way. How do you bring these ideas to life?
Besides being delusional, I also write about things that happen to me or my friends. “See Finish” came from a friendship breakup that hurt me, and no one really talks about those, because they’re not supposed to hurt as much as heartbreak from romantic relationships. I’m not a confrontational person – so if I have an issue with someone, I’ll probably make a song about it, because it’s the easiest mode of expression for me.
This year, Afrobeats has been largely defined by women, each with their own distinct sound. What’s it like to be part of a rising crop of artists who decide to prioritize their own vision and go outside of the norm?
It’s beautiful. I’m more proud of the audience than I am of the industry because the crowd is opening their ears to us. There have always been women with different sounds, but some never got the opportunity to be heard because the audience would be like, “This music is too slow, this isn’t what we want.” We’re all growing to the point where everyone has a genre that they truly enjoy, and since they’re more accepting of other kinds of music, we don’t have to subject ourselves to a particular pattern. It also helps that Nigerian music is more global than ever before, so I’m proud to be part of it, being on the inside and getting to watch the growth up close.
There’s some pressure on artists to have the perfect brand or to present themselves in the most appealing way to the public. How do you put your own perspective first?
When people think of a female artist, they usually picture someone whose style and appearance is very “feminine.” I’m not really trying to fit into that ideology, because that’s not who I am. Sometimes people say things like, “You’re a pretty girl! Why not dress more like this?” Or “If you change your style, you’re going to get a lot more [public approval].” But I try to stay true to myself and not become somebody else. There are people who are more accepting of a different kind of look and girls who just want to be comfortable. I’m trying to use my image to speak for them.
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Young artists today are also burdened with the focus on numbers, branding and engagement around their music. How do you handle these expectations?
I don’t focus on what people expect of me, because there’s always going to be criticism. My music is always from my heart, so if it doesn’t feel genuine to me, it won’t be released. When I put out “See Finish,” people were like, “She’s a one-hit wonder, she’s not going to do it again.” And when “Ole” [featuring BNXN] came out, they said, “You just got lucky with a major feature.”
If I listen to the negatives, it would mess with my mind, and if I rely on the positives, it would make me too comfortable and I would only stick to a particular sound and style. So I block everything out and I never read comments on anything. My focus remains only on creating.
As your music continues to attract audiences worldwide, what is your outlook for the future?
There has been a lot of growth, and I don’t think about limitations because of the fast pace at which we’re growing. Everything is falling in place and I’m just really hopeful. I only care about how my music is being received, how it resonates among the audience and how it contributes to the growth of Nigerian music and women in general. I feel like my album will be in the works soon, and it’ll represent how I feel and what I speak for.