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As we get closer and closer to warmer weather, the song of the summer debate heats up. One of Billboard‘s front runners is Rema‘s “Calm Down” remix with Selena Gomez, but it’s not the only Afrobeats track that’s bound to bring people to the dancefloor all summer long.
The winner of our Song of the Summer Face-Off bracket game last year — Harry Styles‘ “Watermelon Sugar” — has found its African counterpart: Suté Iwar’s “SHUGA PEACH.” Listeners can sink their teeth into this juicy song, or sip on “Casamigos (Pour It In My Cup),” courtesy of Afro B and Sukihana. There’s also the breezy “Trumpet” from Olamide and Ckay, as well as Asake‘s amapiano dance floor banger “2:30” and the effortlessly gorgeous debut single from Inkabe Zezwe. But Davido‘s latest album, Timeless, ensures endless vibes that he explores through various triumphant sounds — and we clearly couldn’t get enough of it, considering we shouted out multiple tracks. Just try getting through the summer without dropping “In the Garden,” “Na Money” or “U (JUJU),” just to name a few.
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 us by listening to our Spotify playlist below.
Davido feat. Skepta, “U (JUJU)”
Davido and Skepta got their girls covered in the utterly enchanting “U (JUJU)” collaboration, from the former’s latest album, Timeless. The Afrobeats superstar worries if he’s stuck under a woman’s spell when he sings in the mesmerizing chorus, “You dey do me like juju, dey worry me” (a nice nod to Ice Prince’s 2011 track “Juju”), and promises her anything she so desires. Meanwhile, the British-Nigerian grime MC commends his partner for sticking by his side and reassures her he won’t leave hers.
Sukihana & Afro B, “Casamigos (Pour It in My Cup)”
British-Ivorian DJ/singer/songwriter Afro B and American rapper Sukihana craft a refreshing summer vibe with “Casamigos (Pour It in My Cup).” While blending his instantly party-starting vocals with her seductive, smooth melodies that slip right off her tongue, “Casamigos” isn’t just an ode to George Clooney’s ultra-premium tequila brand, but just a little taste of warmer weather and the frivolousness that it brings. Once the song’s amapiano production (courtesy of Team Solut and co-producer Oghenekevwe Bojeghre) takes hold of the song toward the end, it’ll have everyone in a chokehold.
L.A.X, “Zaza”
Afrobeats star L.A.X only provides the best vibes, as confirmed by his new album No Bad Vibes. On its highlight track “Zaza,” he expresses his feelings for a woman while gassing her up (“On the dance floor you fire them/ On the finish line you finish them,” he boasts in the pre-chorus) – all while staying true to his characteristically laidback demeanor. “Zaza” will have any listener whining their hips to its mesmerizing, chugging beat pattern (courtesy of Clemzy).
Suté Iwar, “SHUGA PEACH”
For those craving another “Watermelon Sugar”-like summer anthem, look no further than Suté Iwar’s “SHUGA PEACH” highlight track from his new album, ULTRALIGHT. The Nigerian singer’s mouth waters at the sight of a “golden lady,” whom he later describes as his “favorite late-night craving” because… well, you get the picture. Iwar wrote on his Bandcamp page that ULTRALIGHT is a “journey that takes you through a range of emotions, from the high energy and excitement of life to the introspection and self-reflection that comes with it.” Listeners experience that entire range in the 3:51 runtime of “SHUGA PEACH,” as its tender keys and sultry saxophone runs accentuate Iwar’s carnal desires, while a wavy guitar and meditative beats introduce his self-aware rap about commitment in the track’s latter half.
Uncle Waffles, Tony Duardo, Jelly Babie & Chley, “Babiee”
Ahead of her historic Coachella performance this month, rising amapiano star Uncle Waffles set a moody, yet mesmerizing tone on her new Asylum project. On the highlight track “Babiee” – alongside Tony Duardo, Jelly Babie and Chley – listeners tiptoe into Waffles’ world with the guidance of a pitter-pattering synth loop that’s supplemented by steadily building percussion. Babie seizes the song’s peak by praising two of South Africa’s house genres, bacardi and amapiano, before chanting hers and Waffles’ stage names until “Babiee” fizzles out in a hypnotic rhythm.
Davido feat. Morravey, “In the Garden”
A simple major-key guitar line, a stripped down drum pattern with a supplementary amapiano log drum and a positive vibe underlines this breezy, beautiful track from Timeless — but it is the power of Morravey’s voice that elevates this track into something special, and possibly the best song on the entire album. It’s at heart a wistful love song, but the driving hook — “I’ll change your status, yeah” — adds a coy determination to take the initiative, while Davido’s verse adds another layer of catchiness to a song that has the capacity to dig into your head and never leave.
Davido feat. The Cavemen. & Angélique Kidjo, “Na Money”
One of the best things about Davido’s Timeless album is how seamlessly he weaves together different styles, and “Na Money” is among the best examples, blending highlife with amapiano through this collaboration with Nigerian highlife duo The Cavemen. and iconic Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo. The result is a driving, upbeat song about the intersection of love and money, with a joyful hook and highlife horns underscoring the production. A standout for its departure from the rest of the record.
Asake, “2:30”
Asake has leaned deeply into amapiano in many of his biggest songs, and this latest single, which should be on his forthcoming next album, really drives home the point in an ode to the party life. Log drums propel the verses, while a typically-choral hook gives it some of the space and majesty that has come to define Asake’s biggest records. The only complaint — voiced with some humor by his fans online — is that the actual audio of the track isn’t even 2:30 long. And yet!
Inkabi Zezwe (Big Zulu & Sjava), “Umbayimbayi”
South African rappers and singers Big Zulu and Sjava have linked up for a joint album under the duo moniker Inkabi Zezwe, with “Umbayimbayi” as the first single off that project — and from the opening notes the song unfurls as a gorgeous piano-based ballad that sonically cuts to the soul. The song has already been certified platinum in their home country, which is hardly surprising given its vibe — the Hammond organ flourishes as the song floats to its finish, emphasizing the emotion just as much as the duo’s voices. A special record.
Olamide feat. Ckay, “Trumpet”
A Nigerian hip-hop legend teaming up with one of the most successful young Nigerian singers of the past few years, this track was always going to catch the ear — and its plaintive piano base over some Afrobeats drums gives it an instantly catchy vibe. That it’s essentially a barely-disguised ode to beautiful women and the things they do makes the title amusing, but it’s a great, understated record (sonically, at least) and an absolute earworm.
Producer LONDON is keeping busy. At just 23, the Nigerian-British music maker, born Michael Hunter, is scoring hits with artists like Rema, Wizkid, Ayra Starr, Black Sherif and Tiwa Savage — including the global smash “Calm Down,” which he co-produced with Andre Vibez.
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“We have the same frequency, the same taste in music,” he says of collaborator Rema. “That’s why whenever we work with each other, it’s always straight bangers.”
“Calm Down,” which added Selena Gomez to its breakout remix, has taken the world by storm, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Global 200. It’s also soundtracked millions of videos on TikTok, including a viral clip of a group of Iranian teenage girls performing the song’s dance challenge without hajibs in protest — for which they were later found and reportedly detained by authorities. (“To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you, and I dream with you,” Rema tweeted in response to the video).
Rema and LONDON’s first viral TikTok moment was by way of the 2021 single, “Soundgasm,” which was co-produced by LONDON, Dro and Shanti. The sensual and danceable cut peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and racked up over a hundred thousand videos on TikTok, including many for its popular sped-up version.
LONDON says that the ever-growing attraction to Afrobeats on a global level has given way to a number of opportunities for African artists and producers. In 2018, he signed a publishing deal with Sony, which gave him access to “sessions and rooms normally I wouldn’t be able to get into.”
While LONDON has made a name for himself within the world of Afrobeats, he got his start making R&B and trap beats while working for a graphic design company. At the time, his aspirations were set on becoming a lawyer. “I wasn’t really thinking of taking like the whole music thing seriously,” he explains, “Not until I got that first track.”
The first track in question was DJ Tunez’s “Turn Up,” a shuffling 2018 cut featuring Reekado Banks and Wizkid. From there, LONDON continued his working relationship with Wizkid, landing a spot on his critically acclaimed 2020 album Made in Lagos with “Gyrate.”
LONDON is currently working on more music with Rema, a joint EP with Ayra Starr and his own album set to come out next year. “We [Africans] are so hungry for that spotlight to be on us,” he says. “And now that we have it, there’s no way we’re going to [lose it].”
Tell me about how you got your start in music.
I was born in Kaduna, a small state in [northern] Nigeria. I used to play drums in church, so that’s kind of where I started off musically. After high school, I was trying to get into college — but the system in Nigeria is really weird. You have to know someone that knows someone to get into college. So I had to stay back home for two years or so. Instead of just staying at home doing nothing, I decided to learn something.
[When I was 18], I used to work as a graphic designer and I got introduced to Fruity Loops by a friend of mine at the same firm. Everything kind of kicked off from there. I started playing around with the software and learned how to make beats pretty. And now I’m here talking to you.
What kind of music like were you hearing growing up?
My mom was a big music lover. I never really had a taste of my own because I was forced to always listen to what she was listening to. Every morning it was her tunes waking me up. A lot of Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson.
How did “Calm Down” come together?
“Calm Down” is actually a crazy record, because I wasn’t part of the beginning process. Andre Vibez, the other producer on the record, started the song with Rema. Rema played me “Calm Down” because I was executive producing his album — and he liked the song, but he felt like there were certain things missing. So we basically had to take everything apart [to make] everything work. We rearranged it, adding layers, adding some sounds, adding some effects, just to make everything blend together.
What were some of the changes you made to the song?
The arrangement of the song and the strings. He said he needed more emotion on the song, so I helped him putting more strings on the songs, he needed the drums to knock harder. So I just helped beef it up a bit. I helped him take the record to the next level. That’s pretty much what I did for his album in general. I produced 14 out of the 16 songs, and out of that 14, a few songs I co-produced with other people. When it comes to music [and] sound, we understand each other properly.
How were you discovered?
In Nigeria, it’s not really a thing to have a management body behind you. You basically just have to hustle, build your connects, always put your stuff out there for people to see. I used to like post little clips of me making beats on Instagram. That’s how I got discovered by [producer] Baby Fresh, who also played a big role in mentoring me.
Another person was Ozedikus, who produced Rema’s first hit, “Dumebi.” He used to put me through beatmaking and take me around for sessions. When I’d go for the sessions, I always happened to connect with everyone and exchange numbers. It was basically all through connections. I had no manager at that time. It was all just solo efforts just trying make it through the industry. But as you grow, you [need] a proper team to take you to the next level.
What was it like signing a publishing deal with Sony?
The deal came when I was fresh in the whole music thing. It was great news for me that Sony was interested to sign a young producer from Nigeria. I was really happy. I saw it as an opportunity to extend my reach globally.
Who is an artist you dream to work with?
I always say this man — I want to work with Drake.
Drake does love dipping into other cultural sounds.
Yeah, I want to do a full Afrobeats EP with him. He’s one of those artists I look up to and just want to make music with, because I really enjoy listening to them as well.
When you look at the landscape of Afrobeats, what do you think has to happen for the genre to continue growing in the mainstream market?
It just needs to keep evolving. If you listen to Afrobeats from way back, it was really dope, but it’s not what you’re hearing right now. The sound has evolved. Everyone is learning, picking up new things, trying different sounds. I feel like Afrobeats is going to stay [popular] and get bigger, because we Africans love to explore. We love to create something different, so we’re going to keep evolving and taking the sound to the next level.
Amapiano, too. It’s vibey, it’s dancey, everyone is having fun. It’s kind of taking over the “oontz” music in the club. No one’s listening to that stuff anymore, everybody’s on Amapiano right now.
The Afrobeats label is applied to a lot of different African artists. How do you define “Afrobeats?”
When you listen to Afrobeats, it makes you dance. It’s a big genre with multiple possibilities. You can have Afropop, Afro-R&B. It’s like pizza and you put whatever you want on it — like pepperoni, or like Domino’s putting pineapple on it. [Laughs.] It’s literally a blank sheet of paper and you can do whatever you want to do. We already have the base, which is the groove.
When it comes to your sessions, how do you create a comfortable space for artists?
I think my personality speaks for itself — I’m a really calm and happy person. You can’t be in the room with me and be serious. If I’m in a session and I feel like everyone is getting too tense, I pretty much just make jokes. I’ve never really been in a session where anyone is feeling awkward or everything is too serious. I’d rather not go for the session if I feel it’s going to be like that.
Libianca will always remember last year’s Friendsgiving — after all, she ran to the bathroom sobbing in the middle of it.
The former contestant on The Voice had recently quit her job as an independent living skills worker, and had been questioning her future as a professional singer. She was no longer interested in covering already established hits; she wanted to create a life-changing one of her own.
“I was talking to God, [thinking], ‘This life is so hard.’ I don’t know what the next step is, but I was working, working, and working, and not seeing anything in return,” she recalls over Zoom.
But the Friendsgiving breakdown left her inspired, and later in November, the embattled singer — who has been diagnosed with cyclothymia, a rare mood disorder that can cause extreme emotional highs and lows — chose to detail her pain through songwriting. She went on YouTube and found a beat that captured her discomfort, then recorded on Apple’s Logic Pro. Within a day, what began as a therapy session formed the foundation for “People,” the 22-year-old R&B-Afrobeats artist’s breakout hit and long-awaited ticket to stardom.
Born in Minnesota, Libianca Kenzonkinboum Fonji moved to Cameroon with her family when she was 4. There, she drew inspiration from her first babysitter, who enjoyed singing while cleaning around the house. Their relationship sparked Libianca’s initial love for singing, and by the age of 10, she began writing her own songs.
At 13, she moved back to Minnesota and joined a local choir, learning how to engineer, record and mix her vocals soon after. By her late teens, she was covering songs like SZA’s “Good Days” and Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted,” the latter of which she also performed on The Voice in 2021.
Though she was ultimately eliminated after making the show’s top 20, her departure was soon followed by a string of independent one-off releases, including her cover of “Everything I Wanted” at the end of 2021 and a spin on Doja Cat’s “Woman” the following spring.
Libianca photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Liam Woods
Yet the original single “People” is the one that cut through — and is a shining example of how sourcing your pain can have impactful results. While the track bursts with Afrobeats flavor, poignant lyrics like the opening line “I’ve been drinking more alcohol for the past five days/Did you check on me? Now, did you look for me?” ground the song while addressing the impact of substance abuse on mental health.
Libianca played the song for her manager M3tro, whom she met five years ago during her time as a student at the University of Minnesota (the two creatives became fast friends, and eventually roommates). And while he raved about the record, he instantly became concerned while listening to the lyrics. “Once she played the song, I asked her, ‘I know something’s going on, but what’s up?’ ” M3tro remembers. “That’s when I was like, ‘I really have to pay more attention.’ ”
Several days after writing and recording the breakthrough hit, Libianca posted a teaser clip on TikTok in which she was holding a bottle of wine as a snippet of the song played in the background. According to M3tro, within 30 minutes of uploading the clip, likes and comments started flooding her notifications. “Waking up the next morning to so many people feeling so connected to the song [was special],” Libianca says. “I saw families sending me videos of their babies singing the song, and [had] women messaging me about the sh-t that they go through in their homes and how this song needs to drop ASAP because it’s calling to their hearts.”
To date, the viral clip has compiled more than 4.8 million views on TikTok. Less than a week after the initial post, she upped the ante with a live rendition of the track in front of a simple color backdrop. The DIY clip has since earned 1.3 million views on Instagram and 2.5 million on TikTok.
The buzz surrounding the unreleased track soon caught the attention of acclaimed U.K. producer Jae5, who quickly reached out in hopes of signing Libianca to his 5K Records label, and did so last December — just one month after her memorable Friendsgiving. Once the deal was done, Jae quickly mixed the record and helped with the song’s final arrangement before its official release on Dec. 6.
“When it comes to music, that man is my big brother for life,” says M3tro of Jae5. “Not only is he that, but he’s also humble and genuine. He comes in like, ‘How can the music be the best way it needs to be?’ And we applaud him for that.”
Libianca (left) and M3tro photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Liam Woods
“People” debuted on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in mid-December — where it has held at a No. 2 high since January — and has 288.7 million official on-demand global streams through March 30, according to Luminate. The song also became Libianca’s first entry on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl U.S. charts. And in March, she dropped multiple remixes to maximize the crossover momentum, including one with fellow Afrobeats stars Omah Lay and Ayra Starr and another with Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot.
“We were very particular about who else was gonna hop on this song, because the message is very crystal-clear,” says Libianca. “[‘People’] is very vulnerable, and anyone that comes on there has to be vulnerable as well in their own way.”
Libianca says that her next single, due later this month, will be about “a bunch of real sh-t we don’t like to talk about.” An EP will soon follow. “It doesn’t have to be sad, per se, but if it’s not something I can feel, I’m not gon’ release it,” she explains. “I want every single one of my songs to be an experience rather than just doing what I need to do to get the next check.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the April 1, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Burna Boy will make history come July when he becomes the first Nigerian artist to headline a U.S. stadium, Billboard can exclusively announce Monday (April 3).
His July 8-dated show at NYC’s Citi Field marks another major stadium date in the Afro-fusion superstar’s Love, Damini world tour, which includes future stops at Paris La Defense, London Stadium and Gelre Dome in Amsterdam. The Citi Field stop, which is produced by Live Nation, falls on the first anniversary of Burna’s most recent album, Love, Damini, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard‘s World Albums chart and received a 2023 Grammy nomination for best global music album.
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Just last April, the “Last Last” singer became the first Nigerian act to headline Madison Square Garden for his concert that was billed “Burna Boy Presents One Night in Space.”
Burna Boy’s Global Vision: Taking Afro-Fusion to the Next Level
04/03/2023
Citi cardmembers will have special access to pre-sale tickets starting Tuesday, April 4 at 10 a.m. local time through Thursday, April 6 at 10 p.m. local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For pre-sale details, go to www.citientertainment.com. General on-sale will start on Friday, April 7 at 10 a.m. local time on wwww.onaspaceship.com.
Burna has a busy couple of months ahead of him. Over the weekend, he performed at Dreamville Music Festival in Raleigh, N.C. He’ll also return to Indio Valley, Calif., for Coachella in April, then headline Afro Nation Miami in May. He’s also slated to co-headline the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi in June at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium.
“It has always been my vision to build a bridge between all Black people in all parts of the world through the music and performance,” he told Billboard in his previous cover story. “Music is the No. 1 messenger.”
The Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart hits a major milestone this week with its first anniversary on the list dated April 1, 2023. The chart’s 53rd weekly edition brings it to the one-year mark, dating to its launch with the chart dated April 2, 2022. Since its debut, the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, a partnership chart between Billboard and the music festival and global Afrobeats brand Afro Nation, has tracked the genre’s 50 most popular tracks stateside each week through a weighted formula incorporating U.S. official streams and sales, according to Luminate. In the past year, the Afrobeats genre has continued to expand its global footprint and reach, exposing millions of fans to new sounds and songs, making international stars out of its biggest acts, and inspiring new creative directions and collaborations for artists in every part of the globe.
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As Billboard celebrates the U.S. Afrobeats Songs’ charts first birthday, let’s recap some of the highlights from the past 12 months.
Six of One: In the first 53 weeks of the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, only six songs have managed to lay claim to the No. 1 spot. Nigerian singer-songwriter Ckay owns a piece of chart history with the inaugural No. 1, “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah),” which eventually ruled for six non-consecutive weeks. Of the half-dozen champs, however, one overshadows them all: Rema and Selena Gomez’s smash collaboration “Calm Down,” which has dominated for 30 of the chart’s first 53 weeks, or nearly 57% of that first year.
Here’s a full rundown of the six lucky No. 1s:
“Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah),” CKay, six weeks at No. 1, beginning April 2, 2022“Peru,” Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran, six, April 9, 2022“Free Mind,” Tems, one, June 25, 2022“Essence,” WizKid featuring Justin Bieber & Tems, two, July 2, 2022“Last Last,” Burna Boy, eight, July 16, 2022“Calm Down,” Rema & Selena Gomez, 30, Sept. 10, 2022
Tems, notably, is the only repeat champion that we’ve seen thus far, thanks to “Free Mind” and her featured appearance on “Essence.” Burna Boy almost became the first act to capture two lead-role No. 1s. In addition to “Last Last,” he ranked at No. 2 for two weeks with “Hold My Hand,” featuring Ed Sheeran in July 2022 and returned to the runner-up spot in November 2022 with “Alone.”
Perfect Attendance: Of the 217 songs to have appeared on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart since its inception, just 13 have been on the chart for all 53 weeks the chart has existed. Tems claims the most of the crew, with five tracks. Let’s revisit those 13 continual hits, based on their position rank on the most recently published list:
Song Title, Artist, Rank on chart dated April 2, 2023“Calm Down,” Rema & Selena Gomez, No. 1“Free Mind,” Tems, No. 3“Essence,” Wizkid featuring Justin Bieber & Tems, No. 6“Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah),” CKay, No. 7“Peru,” Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran, No. 8“Found,” Tems featuring Brent Faiyaz, No. 14“Ye,” Burna Boy, No. 19“Finesse,” Pheelz x BNXN, No. 26“Damages,” Tems, No. 32“On the Low,” Burna Boy, No. 36“Replay,” Tems, No. 38
Burna Boy’s Hot Streak: His song may be “Last Last,” but Burna Boy is … first first (had to) in the count for the artists with the most charted songs in the first year of the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. The global hitmaker posted 28 titles on the list in its initial 12 months, with Wizkid (22) winning the silver medal and Nigerian singer Asake (16) claiming bronze. In total, six acts crossed the double-digit mark in the inaugural year:
Burna Boy, 28Wizkid, 22Asake, 16Rema, 14Zinoleesky, 13BNXN, 12Tems, 12
Burna Boy also heads the leaderboard for most top 10 hits on U.S. Afrobeats Songs, with eight different cuts that have reached the region: “Last Last,” (No. 1 for eight weeks), “For My Hand,” featuring Ed Sheeran (No. 2), “Solid,” featuring Kehlani and Blxst (No. 8), “It’s Plenty” (No. 8), “Cloak and Dagger,” featuring J Hus (No. 10) and “Alone” (No. 2). The remaining pair are through guest spots, on Asake’s “Sunbga” (No. 7), and Master KG’s “Jerusalema” (No. 10).
Thanks in part to that Burna Boy teamup, Asake owns six top 10s, putting him next in line behind his former collaborator. Tems’ five top 10s puts her in third place, while Fireboy DML and Wizkid round out the top five, with four top 10s each.
March is coming to an end, and with it comes another installment of our Afrobeats Fresh Picks column, an endeavor that is heating up along with the weather.
At this point in the year, a quarter of the way through, there are already a handful of contenders for songs that will define the summer and carry us through all of 2023. But there’s also still plenty of room to pad out those playlists and a lot more music coming down the pipeline — including full albums from many of the artists who have been steadily building through singles in the first few months of this year.
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The stars have been shining brighter together lately, from Major Lazer and Major League Djz‘s international alliance to the electric duo of Adekunle Gold and Zinoleesky to the triple team up of Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr and Young Jonn — in fact, this month’s edition features half collaborations and half solo tracks. Even songs we’ve previously featured, Libianca‘s “People” and Victony and Tempoe‘s “Soweto,” have added illustrious guests to new versions of their original tracks: Ayra Starr and Omah Lay on the former as well as Don Toliver and Rema on the latter. But there are plenty of solo gems from the likes of Amaarae, Bella Shmurda and Lil Kesh on the playlist, too, with plenty more deserving tracks just missing the cut.
Here, 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 cue up our Spotify playlist below as you’re reading along.
Adekunle Gold feat. Zinoleesky, “Party No Dey Stop”
Adekunle Gold makes sure the “Party No Dey Stop” in his new up-tempo, Afropop single, which also marks his debut under Def Jam Recordings. Apart from his new major label deal, AG Baby flexes his co-sign from Oluwa (which means God in Yoruba) and his riches on the vivacious beat, co-produced by Kel-P and Monro, which ensures the vibes are not just immaculate but also eternal. He reflects on relying on God’s grace and having a good time alongside his fellow Agege native Zinoleesky, who’s featured on the track. “The world should be expecting madness from that guy – he’s so good,” Gold recently told Billboard. “I reached out to him, and then we got in the studio. In a matter of hours, we wrote his verse together and it was a banger.”
JayO, “22”
Rising North London-born, Nigerian singer JayO is the ultimate charmer in his sensual single “22,” which has an all-too-fitting Feb. 22 official release date. While scintillating snippets had been swarming TikTok before then – with “22” garnering almost 300,000 user-generated videos to date on the platform – the full 2-minute, 22-second single captures JayO’s explicit desires with a girl who’s (you guessed it) 22 years old and “too hot to handle,” as he croons over the lush R&B piano loop and sizzling percussion. While JayO can’t keep his hands off this girl, our ears can’t get enough of this song.
Amaarae, “Reckless & Sweet”
Amaarae delivers a “Reckless and Sweet” yet slightly savage offering from her forthcoming sophomore album Fountain Baby. The Ghanaian Afropop singer draws in (and calls out) her money-hungry admirer with the siren-like hook “Call me when the money come, come, come, come, come/ To the money I’ma run, run, run, run, run,” which sounds just as mesmerizing and attractive as Amaarae’s spending habits. Nothing less is expected from the “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY” hitmaker, whose irresistible swagger can be found in the latest Mugler x H&M campaign or front row during Milan Fashion Week as she also builds up her name in the neighboring fashion world, where she can further relish in opulence.
Tay Iwar, “Healing”
Nigerian alté singer Tay Iwar provides himself with a musical antidote from a previous, harmful relationship on “Healing,” his first single of 2023. His hypnotizing, digitized “healing from your stress” hook floats above a bubbling percussive pattern that can wash anyone’s worries away with the simple press of the play button. But for Iwar himself, his healing journey doesn’t just involve uncomfortable revelations as to what went wrong, but also “[killing] all of my worries with champagne.” After being featured on “True Love” from Wizkid’s critically acclaimed Made in Lagos and co-writing/co-producing Burna Boy’s standout “Alone” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, Iwar continues to show his fans that he can lend his talents to the biggest stars while also being a star in his own right.
Major Lazer & Major League Djz feat. Brenda Fassie, “Mamgobhozi”
American EDM DJ trio Major Lazer and African DJ/producer duo Major League Djz join forces on their new amapiano album, Piano Republik. On the single “Mamgobhozi,” the late Queen of African Pop Brenda Fassie’s vocals come to life, via a sample of her 1997 hit “Vuli Ndlela,” adding an honorable touch to a project dedicated to celebrating the amapiano sound traveling across the globe from its native South African townships. “Brenda Fassie was not only an icon, but she inspired many Black South Africans to be their authentic selves,” Major League Djz say in a press statement. “’Vuli Ndlela’ is undoubtedly one of Brenda Fassie’s best bodies of work, holding the title of ‘Song of the Decade,’ and a song we heard playing at every South African wedding and home then and now … Her music catalog speaks for her long after she has left us, a true force.”
Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr & Young Jonn, “Stamina”
Young Jonn has been on a hell of a run with his singles of late — see “Mood” and “Currency” previously — and this track sees him sandwiched in between two fantastic singers from two different generations in Tiwa Savage and Ayra Starr. Those two have been on hot streaks of their own lately — witness Tiwa on the “Who Is Your Guy?” remix with Spyro and duetting with Asake on “Loaded” earlier this year, while Starr has one of the biggest songs out in “Rush” and another one growing in prominence with “Sability.” Is that enough reason to listen to this? If not, take our word for it: It’s great. Treat yourself.
Bella Shmurda, “Ara (Gen Gen Tin)”
Almost ominous in its opening notes, the latest single from Bella Shmurda quickly opens up (through the production of Larry Lanes) into one of the most infectious hooks of the year so far, propelled by its call and response. And, yes, there’s a dance challenge, so go check that out too. And while we’re here, check out that new track he dropped with Nasty C, the “Philo” remix — but good luck getting “Ara” out of your head first.
Khaid & Boy Spyce, “Carry Me Go”
Last month we included Khaid’s sweet ode “Jolie” on our playlist, and this month we’ve got another one from the young Nigerian singer with an innate knack for melody and inviting hooks. Here, the collaboration with Boy Spyce somehow turns those melodies up a notch, with the track steadily building and layering into a full-on choir production, taking the song into the stratosphere.
Jaido P & Fireboy DML, “One of a Kind”
Fireboy dropped a pair of red-hot features this month, between this one and Peruzzi’s “Pressure,” but there’s something about the melding of his voice with the more streetwise rapping of Jaido P, each of them switching back and forth between Yoruba and English, that sets this one apart from the rest of what’s coming out right now. You could easily see this one going off in the U.K. at the drop of a hat.
Lil Kesh, “Good Bad Boy”
As mentioned in a previous column, Lil Kesh had one of the hands-down best songs of 2022 with “Don’t Call Me,” alongside Zinoleesky. “Good Bad Boy” has a completely different feel, incorporating horns and a back-and-forth bridge supported by rapped verses that pile on top of one another, creating an energy that propels the track forward. Kesh is one of the more elastic vocalists around right now, mixing in all kinds of styles, melodies and flows — sometimes even into the same line of a verse — and that’s all on display here.
Nigerian Afropop singer Adekunle Gold has officially signed with Def Jam Recordings, the company tells Billboard.
“I’ve been following Adekunle Gold since I first heard his record ‘Sade’ in 2016. Over the years, everything in AG’s world has elevated — his songwriting has refined, the scope of his artistry has widened, his vocals have strengthened, his approach to fashion is more distinct, and his showmanship and performance ability have grown exponentially,” says Def Jam CEO/chairman Tunji Balogun in a statement to Billboard. “He’s stepped into stardom on his own terms and is completely comfortable being his true self.”
Balogun added, “When I started at Def Jam, I knew I wanted to bring the label into the Afrobeats space tastefully, with the right artists and partnership. Adekunle felt like the perfect fit – he’d already done so much work on his own to build a base, but I knew that we could scale his audience to an even bigger level if we combined our energies and worked together.”
Gold (real name Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko) describes his signing as a “full circle moment” after Balogun tried signing him years ago, prior to the executive’s 2022 arrival at Def Jam. The “5 Star” singer said that because he and Balogun share Nigerian roots, “he understands it, so signing to Tunji makes sense. He’s like my studio buddy that just comes everywhere I go. The day he doesn’t have time to be there, I know he must’ve been like stupidly busy. He’s great.”
When it comes to signing with Def Jam, Gold continued, “The track record is there. The history is there. They break artists, and they have niche, unique artists like me, so I think it’s the right move for me. All of the things that I’ve done for myself already, they know already and that’s why they’re on board.”
Balogun was in Lagos, Nigeria, says Gold, when he and fellow Nigerian singer Zinoleesky were writing and recording “Party Dey no Stop,” Gold’s new single featuring Zinoleesky that marks his Def Jam debut. “When we started to make the music, it was so easy for me to go in and just attack the song. I wrote my verse, I wrote the chorus, and it was a rap. I knew from then that this song was a jam,” Gold says of the track.
“Party Dey no Stop” arrives ahead of Gold’s fifth studio album due in June. In support of the project, he’ll embark on a four-month world tour that’s set to kick off in North America in September and run through the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and the Caribbean through next year.
Gold first rose to fame in 2015 with the single “Sade,” a highlife love song that samples instrumentals from One Direction‘s 2013 hit “Story of My Life.” “Sade” went on to win best alternative song at the 2015 edition of The Headies, a Nigerian music awards show. Gold eventually signed his first record label deal with Olamide‘s YBNL Nation and released his debut studio album, Gold, in 2017. It peaked at No. 7 on Billboard‘s World Albums chart.
After Gold’s YBNL Nation contract expired, “I didn’t quite know what to do,” he says. “I was signed for two years, fresh off the industry. I was just thinking, ‘What am I going to do from here?’ [And] I’m like, ‘You know what? I got this. Let me just start my own thing.’”
The Afrobeats star then started his own label, Afro Urban Records — “one of the best decisions I’ve made,” he says — and put out two albums: 2018’s About 30 and 2022’s Catch Me If You Can. He released his 2020 album, Afro Pop, Vol. 1, under EMI.
In a previous Billboard interview, Gold explained why he switched labels and the benefits of working with distributor Platoon, which helped with the rollout for his last album, Catch Me If You Can, featuring Davido, Lucky Daye, Fatoumata Diawara, Fousheé, Ty Dolla $ign and Stefflon Don. “When I was fully Afro Urban Records and no distribution label, me and my manager [Elizabeth Sobowale] had to do a lot of work. Platoon has the best hands in everything from PR to marketing,” he said at the time. “All I had to do was work on the music and they’re ready to take the rest upon themselves.”
After his groundbreaking success with Wizkid and Tems during his tenure as executive vp of A&R at RCA, Balogun has been playing a monumental role in bolstering Def Jam’s roster with more talent from the African diaspora. In September 2022, the label signed an exclusive worldwide joint venture with Native Records to develop African artists.
“I think AG is a truly global artist, and a rightful ambassador for Nigerian music and the emerging Afrobeats scene,” Balogun says. “He has the talent, virtuosity, focus, work ethic and temperament required to be a worldwide superstar. I’m excited to work with him and the Def Jam team to bring more fans into his world.”
“Hear it from me,” Gold says. “Afrobeats is taking over the world.”
It’s shortly after 5:00 p.m., and nearly two dozen recording engineers, producers and A&Rs are crowded into Studio A at EMPIRE’s recording studios in San Francisco, where Grammy-winning mix engineer Jaycen Joshua is in command of the center console. Joshua — who has been in the studio with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Future, Ariana Grande to Luis Fonsi, Justin Bieber to BTS, and won Grammys for his work with Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige, among others — is holding a masterclass for EMPIRE’s studio staff. Currently, he’s walking them through the ProTools plugin he’s created, called the God Particle, that will allow them to tap into some of the secrets he’s developed over the past 20 years honing his craft.
“People fail to realize that we’re artists,” he says, to fervent nods around the room, while explaining why the nuance of being an engineer is so important. “We paint like a producer paints. You want to make the colors of a painting as vibrant as possible.”
His audience is rapt, peppering him with questions and interruptions — none more eager than EMPIRE’s founder/CEO Ghazi, himself a longtime former recording engineer, who made sure to rearrange the day’s schedule so he could sit in with his staff. Ghazi flew Joshua up specially for this African writing camp EMPIRE is hosting for its top Nigerian talents Fireboy DML, Asake and Olamide, and had Joshua himself tune Studio A to his specifications, resulting in what Joshua calls “the second greatest sounding room in the world — next to mine.” (“I’ll take that,” Ghazi laughs. “It’s like being Kobe to Jordan.”)
The masterclass, frankly, seems like it’s being conducted in a different language, given the shorthand in which engineers communicate about compressors, limiters, microphones, ambient noise and the shape and quality of a particular snare drum sound wave compared to another. It’s like a PhD-level class, and each of the engineers will get access to the God Particle plugin in order to enhance their own mixes, as well — a plugin that is so successful (Joshua refers to it as his “cheat code”) that he’s sold over 100,000 copies of it in less than a year, with another coming out soon that caters specifically to drums. And it lines up with a mantra that Ghazi uses often: one about finding the sweet spot “where science meets creativity” — essentially, finding the place where technology can meet up with the inherent creativity of an artist and enhance the work of everyone.
Daniel Aziz and Matthew Fong
The masterclass wraps after about an hour, and it’s time for individual sessions to get back on track. When we got to the studio at 4:00 p.m., Olamide was eating in the dining room, though he soon would go back to his hotel, and the energy of the place is much brighter than the subdued day before — with a big crew of songwriters, engineers and EMPIRE staffers in and out of the rooms. Terrace Martin is in Studio A, adding keys to an Olamide record; Fireboy is in vocal training for an upcoming tour, a process that involves trampolines and yoga; and the kitchen, after a day of Tupac, is back to blasting Kevin Gates again. Just before the masterclass, Kenny Hamilton, who manages EMPIRE artist Rotimi, is playing new music for EMPIRE vp of A&R Tina Davis and regional head of West Africa Mobolaji Kareem, discussing plans for possible features for a forthcoming album.
Later, around 6:45, Asake comes through the studio with Olamide’s brother and DJ Enimoney, headphones around his neck, talking about plans for the next few days. His engineer and producer Magicsticks is coming in from Nigeria tomorrow — “he really gets me,” Asake explains — and the plan is to finish a bunch of records that are in various stages of mixing before he starts to work on anything new. He wants to bring in a chorus, between four and six singers, to help get an anthemic feel, and EMPIRE artist and songwriter Rexx Life Raj is employed to reach out to his network of contacts to help get the right people in the building. Then Asake heads outside — after living all his life in Nigeria, he says, he enjoys the cold of San Francisco in the late winter.
Daniel Aziz and Matthew Fong
It’s outside, sitting around the electric fire pit, that I find Asake again about an hour later, in a meeting with Bolaji, Ghazi, EMPIRE COO Nima Etminan and a slew of others about a music video he plans to shoot. (Dinner was again a mix of Nigerian food, and while it was delicious, I finally came face to face with the rumored pepper sauce from the night before — just as spicy as dreaded.) There are several video shoots planned for the coming days, and the conversation around the dinner table ranges from studio etiquette — specifically, what to do about the “couch producers,” a term for the random person laying down on the couch in the studio while a record is made who nonetheless demands five percent of the record — to the brilliance of a melody like “Baby Shark.”
But in each studio there’s more work underway — Joshua mixing in Studio A, Fireboy locked away in a closed session in Studio B, interviews happening in Studio C and more plotting out in the back yard around the fire pit. By 10:45, Asake had left, Olamide had long been back at his hotel and much of the EMPIRE staff had filtered out towards home. But Fireboy remained, locked in the studio, cooking up his next big record. The crew has less than a week now in the States, and there’s still plenty to do — and a lot for which to prepare.
This is the third installment of Billboard‘s series on EMPIRE’s Africa writing camp. Find the first installment here and the second here.
The conference room on the 22nd floor of EMPIRE’s San Francisco office is brightly lit, with plaques covering the walls: a gold single for King Von’s “Crazy Story,” a gold album for Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80, a seven-times platinum certification for D.R.A.M. and Lil Yachty’s “Broccoli.” Every chair around the big central table is full of EMPIRE staff members, each charged with different aspects of bringing to life the next project from Dinner Party, the collective comprised of Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington and 9th Wonder, among others; their first EP was released by EMPIRE in 2020 and subsequently nominated for a Grammy for best progressive R&B album.
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Standing by the table near the door is Martin — the multi-talented producer, saxophonist and vocalist — who introduces the project to the staff and lays out his vision for how he wants to see it rolled out.
“I look at Dinner Party as like the hip-hop version of Steely Dan,” Martin says, referencing the classic rock group’s famous aversion to touring. “Let’s keep this one thing as like an expensive art piece.”
It’s late afternoon, and the EMPIRE crew is hosting another day of its Africa writing camp at its San Francisco studio for Nigerian stars Fireboy DML, Asake and Olamide. But first, there’s other business to attend to, and the Dinner Party project is high on the agenda. Martin holds court for nearly two hours, discussing plans for the physical release, for spot-date performances and for possible brand tie-ins and content plans when the project is rolled out. But he’s also playing near-final mixes of the album, which he hopes to complete within the week, and telling stories about how it came together (“We’re all in our 40s now,” he jokes about he and his Dinner Party cohorts. “You get us all together and it’s just story time, story after story.”)
One song, for instance, originally sampled Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit,” more famous these days as the basis for The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy.” When Martin heard it, he called Mtume’s son to ask about clearing the sample, who replied not with permission but with the stems to his father’s original track; that allowed Martin to bypass clearing the master recording and left him needing only to clear the publishing side. For another song, Martin eschewed drums altogether — something he picked up from his 19-year-old daughter, who is now a producer herself. “I come from the era where a beat with no drums was an interlude,” he says. “I’m following her now.”
YBNL & EMPIRE teams meet in Studio A to listen over Olamide, Asake and Fireboy DML’s newly recorded records
Daniel Aziz
The meeting wraps before 6 p.m., and now it’s time to head over to the studio. The vibe is a little different tonight. Asake and Olamide have stayed at their hotel — where Olamide has been recording vocals in his room — the kitchen is playing Tupac instead of Kevin Gates, and Nigerian vegetable soup, fried catfish, smothered turkey wings and mac and cheese are the main events at dinner. (Though all anyone is talking about is how hot the pepper sauce is.)
Fireboy and Asake stayed in the studio until after midnight the night before cooking up another collaboration, and while Asake isn’t there now, Fireboy is, meeting Martin and adding in vocals and guitar to another song he’s working on. (The guitarist, Tone, sports a black triple-humbucker Fender Telecaster Deluxe, for those curious.) The vocals constitute an anthemic plea that Fireboy pores over with his engineer in Studio C, looping the vocals on the hook again and again to get them right then hopping back into the vocal booth to add harmonies and ad-libs while reading lyrics off his phone. Steadily, over the course of 45 minutes, the two add layer after layer to the track, reinforcing melodies and bringing forth different textures until Fireboy sits back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling and taking it all in.
It’s been more than a week since the camp began, and the conversations around the studio are diverse. Topics include the benefits of vocal coaching for an artist going on tour; the Nigerian presidential election; who is leaving from and coming to camp (songwriter Ivory Scott left this morning, Rexx Life Raj is set to arrive tomorrow, and Nigerian producer Magicsticks is on the way); and the studio’s many renovations. EMPIRE is planning to open a space in Los Angeles, too, and recently did the same in New York, though San Francisco will always be home.
Daniel Aziz
Shortly after 8 p.m., EMPIRE regional head of West Africa, Mobolaji Kareem, pulls us into Studio A to listen to a final mix of a new Kizz Daniel track that engineer Jaycen Joshua completed that morning. Right on cue, Daniel calls on FaceTime, dictating the custom lighting to tell us which color the room needs to be to listen to the track and promising to get out to the new studio when he can. But it’s an early night for just about everyone involved. The exception is Fireboy, who stays in the studio after many have left even though his voice is tired from the constant grind of recording. Tomorrow is another day, and more work is expected before things wrap in another week.
It was just over 18 months ago that Fireboy DML released the record that would change his life.
But the song — “Peru,” which, aided by a remix with Ed Sheeran, would ultimately reach No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the UK Official Singles Chart and No. 1 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs — was almost never released at all. Standing in the lounge of EMPIRE’s studio space in San Francisco, where he originally cut the record in 2021 (memorialized by the line “I’m in San Francisco jamming”), he’s explaining how, if it wasn’t for the enthusiasm of EMPIRE founder/CEO Ghazi pushing him to release the record, he might never have put it out due to his own perfectionism. (Which, as an EMPIRE staffer standing nearby points out, is due to him being an Aquarius.)
But four hours later, that alternate timeline where Fireboy’s single didn’t break through into the U.S. and help Afrobeats’ global takeover seems implausible, even absurd. Shortly after 10:00 p.m., Ghazi leads Fireboy into the studio’s white marble lobby, where two dozen EMPIRE employees, songwriters, producers and managers, as well as fellow Nigerian Afrobeats artists Asake and Olamide, the latter of whom also runs their YBNL record label, are waiting to surprise Fireboy with an RIAA plaque of platinum certification for “Peru.” After a short bow and a swig from a bottle of champagne, Fireboy gives in to the calls for a speech, thanking everyone in the room and calling the plaque the “perfect definition of success,” to a round of applause.
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The impromptu ceremony is the highlight of another day at EMPIRE’s afrobeats writing camp, which the Bay Area-based independent music company initiated last month to bring together some of its leading African artists to record together at the ever-evolving studio space near San Francisco’s Mission District. It’s a space that currently boasts three studios and a live room, but one that is still being developed. When it’s finished, some time this summer, it will include two more recording studios, a pair of podcast studios, a gaming room with a massive, 30-foot LED screen along one wall and a swimming pool in the back yard, in addition to the lounge (which will eventually become a theater space with Dolby Atmos sound), kitchen and dining room, all of which is outfitted with EMPIRE logos, custom lighting and specially designed sound systems, which Ghazi has overseen.
“We’ll literally be able to create pieces of content around all these verticals, and then this becomes a hub of where you gotta visit,” he says, giving a tour of the space earlier in the afternoon. “There’s gonna be no way around it. It’s going to create too much energy, it’s going to be impossible to overlook.”
The studio serves as the center of the writing camp, with Fireboy, Asake and Olamide the resident stars of the show. It hasn’t all been work since the three Nigerian artists got to the Bay — over the previous few days, they sat courtside at a Golden State Warriors game, went to wine country in the Napa Valley and took in the sights on a tour around the city. But each day, starting around 3:00 p.m., it’s back to the studio to get back to business, building on the momentum of recordings from previous days and channeling the creativity that comes from working in an environment designed to let them simply exist as artists, with few distractions.
For us, however, this particular Tuesday started out with oysters and clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Bar on the water (Shrimpy is the hookup; if you know you know) before braving the spitting rain to head to a photo shoot for Fireboy and the shoe company Clarks, where he’ll be part of a campaign that will result in a concert in the metaverse down the line. (In addition to the regular photo shoot, Fireboy was tasked with filming things like catching a rolled up magazine, which will be transformed into a microphone in the digital realm.) The shoot had been in progress since 10am, but the afternoon started to wear on, so soon it was into a sprinter van and off to the studio, where Asake and Olamide are holed up in Studio B, looping a section of a track that Asake is workshopping, with Olamide over Asake’s shoulder reading lyrics off his phone.
Forty-five minutes later, Olamide was holding court outside around an electric fire pit, while two engineers — one of them multi-Grammy winning mix engineer Jaycen Joshua, who EMPIRE flew up from L.A. for the occasion — worked on the mix to Olamide’s next single in Studio A, tweaking drums to get the punch just right. The room was still under construction just days before, and was finished just as the artists started to arrive in the city, having been rebuilt in just three weeks. In the lounge, Fireboy was talking about his new grill and his plans to dye his hair blue — while in the kitchen, a local chef, brought in to make okra soup, smoked mackerel, shrimp and garlic crabs and cornbread for the Nigerian contingent each night, was mid-cook, blasting Kevin Gates in the newly-remodeled space. But then it was back to work, with Asake and Fireboy disappearing into different studios, then swapping spaces a half hour later.
Shortly after 7:00, it was time to eat, with staff and crew at the long banquet tables and the artists sitting in the backyard, before EMPIRE’s regional head of West Africa, Mobolaji Kareem, brought a half-dozen of us into the live room to hear new Asake and Olamide records that the two have been working on over the past week. The songs are unmixed and only half done, he said, and I was the first non-EMPIRE person to hear them, and he danced through them and broke them down after each. We moved to Studio A — for the bigger speakers — to hear them again, as well as forthcoming records from Kizz Daniel, who is also working on his next release, albeit not in San Francisco at the moment. Eventually, EMPIRE’s senior vp of A&R Tina Davis kicked us out of Studio A — there was mixing to do, after all, and while listening to the records is exhilarating, there’s still work ahead.
Indeed, even as everyone gathers in the lobby for Fireboy’s plaque presentation, the celebration is short-lived; before long, Fireboy is back in Studio B, listening back to a song he had initially cut last night. It was after 10:00, but time hardly matters; the night before, they were in the studio until around 3 a.m., and the likelihood is that the evening will be trending in that direction again. But what comes of those late night hours will be the subject of another day, and another round of listening, tinkering and building, creating the next generation of records that will continue spreading the Afrobeats movement across the globe.
