State Champ Radio Music
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Billboard is expanding its Rookie of the Month interview series by highlighting rising stars from more genres like dance and rock. But the new crop of artists emerging out of the African continent have continued making it clearer that their music can exist beyond the borders of “Afrobeats” and should not be broadly and lackadaisically labeled as such. “It has African intonations in it,” Tems said of her genre-bending music during her Women in Music interview last year.
Like Tems, many African artists have discovered one-of-a-kind ways to express themselves that cannot fit into one box while staying true to their roots. And Billboard is dedicating a spotlight to them through our new African Rookie of the Month series, which we’re kicking off with Odeal for January 2025.
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Odeal hasn’t stuck to one lane during his entire artistic journey. The 25-year-old artist was born in Germany and raised in Spain, the U.K. and Nigeria before settling down in the U.K. when he was 17, shortly before he embarked on his solo career. His familiarity with global genres eventually paved the way for his boundary-pushing music – even though he didn’t have the smoothest start.
Some of his older friends in the U.K. realized his propensity for music and encouraged a young Odeal (real name Hillary Dennis Udanoh) to make an original song at a studio in one of the youth clubs. He spent one evening after school there recording his first song and returned for a few days before the youth club shut down weeks later. When he moved to Awka, the capital of the Anambra State, Nigeria, at 14, Odeal’s father connected him to his cousin who always hung out at a studio. “I’d literally sit and watch everyone come in and record because I wasn’t making their type of music. I was more into R&B. And they were like, ‘R&B doesn’t work over here,’” he tells Billboard. “I was watching different artists to see how they record, the way they pronounce things, the beats, their choice of melodies. By the end of the summer, I learned what moves people and what doesn’t.”
While attending boarding school, he downloaded FruityLoops onto one of the laptops in the IT suite and snuck the laptop back to his dorm room so he could make beats while everyone was asleep. After a student snitched and the laptop was confiscated, Odeal’s “production journey kind of ended there,” he says. His cousin later advised him to spend time in Lagos so he could connect with producers and record music, where Odeal thought he’d have yet another shot at making it.
“I didn’t break in Lagos,” he recalls with a chuckle. “That was just like a dream.” At 17, he returned to London and witnessed the rise of Afroswing, an amalgamation of Afrobeats, dancehall and hip-hop created by the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in the U.K. Odeal immersed himself in the scene by joining a group called TMG, featuring other members Curtis J and Zilla, before they disbanded soon after.
Odeal embarked on his solo career in 2017 with the release of his debut EP New Time, but just a few months later, he became severely ill and spent the majority of November in the hospital. “If I get out of here, I need to make sure that I make an impact as much as I can and give back to my fans so that I can leave a legacy,” he remembers telling himself. Every November since then, Odeal has intentionally increased his musical output, from new singles to even OVMBR-branded EPs (2020’s Roses, 2021’s Hits No Mrs and 2022’s Maybe I’m Best Alone). In a similar vein to Drake’s OVO (October’s Very Own), Odeal’s OVMBR – which stands for “Our Variances Make Us Bold and Relentless” – doesn’t just represent the artist’s brand but has evolved into a movement that honors the individuality of his fanbase and even includes live events in Lagos, London, Berlin and Paris.
He heated things up last summer with Sunday at Zuri’s, a sultry, smooth four-song EP that represents a Sunday well spent at a woman named Zuri Awela’s beach house in Lagos. The scintillating highlight “Soh-Soh” became the project’s breakout hit, scoring A-list co-signs from SZA, Ciara and Victoria Monét, earning a song of the year nomination at the 2025 MOBO Awards and reaching No. 12 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs and No. 33 on Rhythmic Airplay. Last November, Odeal continued his OVMBR tradition by releasing the critically acclaimed EP Lustropolis, a heart-wrenching expedition about strained love affairs that features the Aaliyah-interpolating single “Temptress” and “You’re Stuck” collaboration with Summer Walker.
Billboard spoke with January’s African Rookie of the Month about making certain types of music for specific seasons, going viral with “Soh-Soh,” signing with LVRN and linking up with his labelmate Summer Walker on “You’re Stuck.”
How did your international upbringing impact the music you listen to and the music you make?
It made me understand different cultures and languages that people speak all over the world. It made me understand why other cultures like one style of music over another. So when making my music, I know exactly what to do and how to execute in a way that will resonate with certain people and the elements needed for it.
How many languages do you speak? And how many languages do you typically sing in?
To be fair, I’ve sang in French before, but I don’t speak French like that. I’ve sang in Spanish before, but I don’t speak Spanish as well as I used to. I used to speak it fluently, and then as I grew up, it fizzled away. I’m still trying to get [German and Spanish] back because I really want to connect with my fans in their own language. Stuff just hits different when you speak a certain language — the banter is different, the whole feeling is different.
Who were some of your favorite artists whom you grew up listening to?
Outside of Africa: Michael Jackson, Céline Dion, Brandy, 2Pac, Biggie. Inside of Africa, Wizkid, Davido, 2Face, Olamide, P-Square, Mi Casa. When I was growing up around the ages of 14-15, we used to listen to [urban music channels] Trace Urban and Soundcity when I was in Nigeria, and we listened to a lot of South African music like Uhuru.
And what kind of music do you listen to now?
I listen to anything that feeds my soul. At the moment, I’ve been listening to a lot of Afro-house, amapiano, R&B.
What kind of sounds and styles does your music encompass?
Afro-fusion, alté and R&B.
A few days after you released Lustropolis, you tweeted “the duality of man” and described Sunday at Zuri’s as “Afrofusion/Alte” and Lustropolis as “R&B/Soul.” Were you consciously thinking about genre when you were making both projects?
It’s definitely intentional. I normally make music seasonally. You need a theme song for your winter, and that’s what I feel like soul and R&B is for, when you’re inside and you’re in your feels. It’s more introspective. And for the summer, I’ll do Afro-fusion or Afrobeats or whatever experimental project for that season.
As someone who is as multidisciplinary as you in their approach to music, has it been difficult to find producers to help bring your unique sound to life? When I first interviewed Tems last year, she told me a major reason why she produces a lot of her own music is because she had a hard time being in studio sessions with other producers who just kept making Afrobeats. I’m curious if you had a similar experience.
Yeah 100%. The main reason why I started making music was because I wanted to hear something out there that was catered to me. Not being able to find something out there that fully embodied what I wanted, I had to start producing. But from making the music I have made, I’ve been able to meet a lot of incredible producers who are on the same page and want to experiment and explore and are ready for me to take the lead on where the sound should go.
Do you feel like it’s becoming more acceptable/more the norm for artists with Nigerian backgrounds to make music outside of Afrobeats?
Yes, 100%. Shoutout to everyone who’s been able to break out of that stigma that Nigerian artists should only make Afrobeats, or African artists should only make Afrobeats. We’re definitely capable of so much more and shouldn’t be boxed in.
Take me back through the making of both projects, starting with Sunday at Zuri’s.
I needed a summer tape. I was working on a project prior to when I went over to Nigeria. A week before I left Nigeria, I scrapped the summer project, everything I encountered while being in Lagos around April, May last year led to the creation of Sunday at Zuri’s.
On X, you wrote that Sunday at Zuri’s was influenced by Zuri Awela. Who is she, and how do you know her?
We’re calling her Zuri Awela, but she is someone that I spent time with in Lagos. I got to understand her background more of being South African and going to the beach houses in Lagos and having a good time. Having to leave Lagos and come back to the U.K., there was a certain feeling I had of having to detach from that situation. I made a story about that.
Was there one specific beach house you were spending time at, or were there multiple?
There were different beach houses. One’s called Ilashe Beach House, there’s another one called Koko Beach.
Out of the four songs on Sunday at Zuri’s, why do you think “Soh-Soh” resonated the most?
The chorus is provocative, it gets you moving, singing. It’s a catchy chorus, but then the second verse is very R&B-esque. There’s something about it, from the melodies and everything, that really resonated with people.
Prior to the success of “Soh-Soh,” when was the first time you remember a song going viral?
“Vicious Cycle (Policeman)” in 2019. I was in uni at the time. I’d wake up in the morning and record at the same time when people would be going to lectures. I started making the beat to “Vicious Cycle,” and then my boy came up and was like, “Yo, this is sounding crazy.” I laid the verse, it must’ve been before 12pm. I was done by 1, and then immediately, I posted a video of it on social media and it went off. Loads of people posting like, “Yo, when’s this dropping?” That was a moment.
Now take me back through the making of Lustropolis. How long did it take you to make it?
One or two of the songs were started earlier on in the year, and then the rest of them were made within a week or two.
You tweeted “Zuri’s absence paved the way to Lustropolis.” Can you expand on that? How are your two latest projects connected?
There are two different feelings: When you’re happy in summer, you’re a completely different person than who you are in the winter and not in the best place. Being with Zuri in Lagos, I felt like it was paradise. And then leaving that situation and coming back to the U.K., and it being winter and I’m about to head on tour and go to all these places, it was kind of dark. Maneuvering through that dark space and uncertainty and living on the edge was Lustropolis. I personified that mind frame. It led me to a place where I was acting off impulse, off something not going right in the previous situation and being in this place of self-destruct mode.
How did you and Summer Walker come together on “You’re Stuck”?
Her A&R and my A&R were in talks of having her on the record. They played it for her, and she loved it, she really wanted to be part of it. She brought her own perspective to it. I don’t really have many female features on my records, so it was really dope.
And then to link up with her in L.A. to do the video was another thing. She was really cool, down to earth. We went to the studio while I was out there, just working on a couple of things.
You’ve independently released your music through OVMBR, but you signed your first label deal with Warner Records UK in 2020. What was that adjustment like, from working on music on your own terms to working with a team?
It was more approvals. When you’re working independently, you can literally wake up in the morning, make a song and drop it tomorrow, which built most of the beginning of my career. But getting with a label, it was more like, “OK, you can’t just do that.” You’re working with a whole business now, and there’s an investment. You can’t be as spontaneous. That was the only difficulty. But apart from that, it was good because I understand now the importance of planning and preparation. If you want to operate on a global level and really scale, there’s certain things that you need to do.
How did you get acquainted with LVRN, and why was signing with them the right decision?
They reached out over a period of time. I really love their whole team structure. Just like OVMBR, it’s a bunch of friends who’ve become family and they really care about quality, have their own story. It was deeper than one company over another company. We share similar values, and they were really huge fans of the music, which is what I always want people to lead with outside of everything else.
I saw you were in the studio with Kaytranada recently.
That was crazy. In terms of production, he’s a huge inspiration. Getting in a session with him and really connecting over the music and sharing our taste, that was another thing.
Can we expect new music from you two anytime soon?
I’m not saying anything as of now, but hopefully. [Laughs.]
JayO posted some pictures of you two in Cape Town, and people in the comments were saying they need the joint project. Is that something you two have seriously discussed?
We actually do speak about it. We’re like, “OK, if we were to put out a project, that would be dope.” We don’t schedule sessions together. We’re really good friends. We’ll be chilling and music is made, or we’re on holiday and we end up making something together. We like to live life and then see how it pours into the music.
Who would you love to collaborate with this year?
I’d say Tems, Billie Eilish, Rema, Wiz.
What’s been the biggest “pinch me” moment of your career so far?
There were two moments, and they both happened the same day. I was at the British Fashion Awards, and Issa Rae was like, “There he is.” I was literally watching Insecure the day before. And she was like, “I absolutely love your music.” She really loves how I’ve been blending genres, which told me she was really listening. It wasn’t just one song. I told her I’m a huge fan of her. And then literally moments later, Wiz was like, “Yo, I love your music.” I was like, “Bro, this is actually insane.” Those were two moments that were like, “There’s no way this is happening right now.”
01/30/2025
She played God on a British sitcom and remains a god for many singer-songwriters.
01/30/2025
Marianne Faithfull, British singer, songwriter, actress and iconic figure of the 1960s, has died. She was 78 years old.“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull,” a statement shared to BBC reads. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed.”
A cause of death has yet to be revealed.
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Faithfull was born in the Hampstead area of North London, the daughter of an Austrian aristocrat and a British intelligence officer. Starting a career as a folk singer in the early ’60s, she made the acquaintance of Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, who introduced her to the band’s circle, and offered her “As Tears Go By,” a composition co-penned by the band’s Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The sparse, acoustic ballad hit the top 10 in the U.K. in 1964, and also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 22.
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“As Tears Go By” made Faithfull a star, and further hits followed the next year: “Come and Stay With Me,” “This Little Bird” and “Summer Nights,” all of which hit the U.K. top 10 and the Hot 100 top 40. Faithfull also became a British tabloid fixture, particularly after she began an affair with Jagger in 1966, ultimately leaving her first husband John Dunbar to live wth him. Early the next year, she made headlines for being at the scene of a drug bust at Richards’ house, dressed only in a fur rug at the time of the arrest.
The hits dried up for Faithfull in the late ’60s, but she continued to be a pop/rock presence, singing backing vocals on The Beatles’ No. 2 hit “Yellow Submarine” and co-writing the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers classic drug ballad “Sister Morphine.” However, her drug addiction ended up consuming much of what should have been her prime years, particularly after she split with Jagger and lost custody of her son Nicholas (with first husband Dunbar) in 1970. After 1967’s Love in a Mist album — her last on Decca Records — she would not release another album until 1976.
Faithfull would make her first and most resounding comeback in 1979, with the new wave and disco-influenced Broken English set. The singer/songwriter’s voice had transformed into something lower and more weathered with her drug usage, and the set drew rave reviews for its modern sounds and brittle energy. Substance abuse sapped the momentum the Grammy-nominated set earned Faithfull’s career, until a 1987 reinvention as a jazz and blues singer on her Strange Weather set.
She was a sporadic presence in the mainstream for the rest of the 20th century, with high-profile guest roles on Roger Waters of Pink Floyd’s 1990 live tour of his band’s best-selling The Wall set, and as a featured vocalist on Metallica’s 1997 single “The Memory Remains.” She experienced another critical resurgence in the early 21st century with 2002’s Kissin Time set — including songs written by popular alt-rock figures Beck, Blur and Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins — and released further albums of originals and covers for the next two decades, most recently with 2018’s Negative Capability, her highest-charting set on the U.K. albums chart since 1965, and 2021’s She Walks in Beauty alongside Australian composer Warren Ellis.
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Outside of her recording career, Faithfull also had a successful run as an actress, appearing in theatrical roles on the stage, in television and in film. She holds the distinction of being the first person to ever say the word “f–k” in a mainstream movie, doing so in the 1967 Michael Winner film I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname, and had small 21st century rules in the hit British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (as God), and in the Sofia Coppola-directed biopic Marie Antoinette (as Empress Maria Theresa). For her starring role in 2007’s Irina Palm, as a 60-year-old widow who becomes a sex worker out of necessity, she was nominated for a European Film Award for best actress.
Faithfull also endures as one of the defining popular figures of ’60s Swinging London, iconic for her voice and her fashion, and for being a muse to many of the musicians in her orbit, primarily of course The Rolling Stones. She was ranked 25th in VH1’s 1999 list of the Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and in 2009, she was named icon of the year at the U.K.-based Q Awards. “‘I’m glad you can hear the experience in my voice,” she told Time Out New York in 2016. “I should think so, after 50 years.”
Nobody could’ve predicted that Gelo was going to be rap’s breakout star of 2025. Following a deal with Def Jam, Gelo adds to the momentum of his hit “Tweaker” with the release of the official music on Thursday (Jan. 30). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Gelo […]
The video for System of a Down‘s 2002 heavy metal math rock anthem “Toxicity” has hit one billion views on YouTube. The second single from SOAD’s second album finds the band best known for their embrace of urgent, tricky-time signatures raging against the machine; it is their second visual to reach the billie mark, following […]
With the Kansas City Chiefs returning to the Super Bowl for the third straight season, all signs point to Taylor Swift once again attending the big game to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, as his team squares off with the Philadelphia Eagles. And since you can bet on all minutiae related to Super Bowl LIX, which will take place next Sunday (Feb. 9) at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, you can also wager on Swift’s involvement in the game as its most famous spectator.
On Thursday (Jan. 30), BetOnline released its first series of Swift-related prop bets, which range from her number of appearances on the Super Bowl telecast to a surprise appearance alongside Kendrick Lamar during the Halftime Show.
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Eligible customers can gamble on what will happen first, either team scoring a touchdown or a live shot of Swift on TV; any mention of Swift during the halftime performance, by Lamar or another guest; the number of times Swift and Kelce kiss on the field following the game; and, of course, the possibility of a post-Super Bowl proposal, among other things. While BetOnline has released 13 Swift-related prop bets, more are expected to be posted before the Super Bowl.
Check out 10 of the early Super Bowl prop bets related to Swift below. (Here’s how the odds work: If the number is -150, that means it’s the “favorite,” and you’d need to risk 15 to win 10. If the number is +110, that means it’s the “underdog,” and you’d need to risk 10 to win 11.)
Will Taylor Swift be seen during the national anthem? Yes +350No -600
How many times will Taylor Swift be shown live?Over/Under 6.5
What will happen first?Either team scores touchdown -150Taylor Swift live shot +110
Who will be shown more times? Jason Kelce +425Taylor Swift -800
Will a picture of Taylor Swift in Eagles gear be shown?Yes +600No -1500
Will Taylor Swift appear on stage with Kendrick Lamar during Halftime Show?Yes +1000No -5000
Will Kendrick Lamar or onstage guest mention Taylor Swift?Yes +550No -1000
Will Kendrick Lamar perform Bad Blood cover song?Yes +900No -3000
How many times will Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce kiss on field after the game?Over/Under 2.5 kisses
Will Travis Kelce propose to Taylor Swift after the game?Yes +550No -1000
Check out BetOnline to see all of the early Swift-themed prop bets.
After praising Taylor Swift earlier this week, Azealia Banks is now sharing which other superstar the “Fortnight” singer reminds her of: Cher. On X Thursday (Jan. 30), the “212” rapper retweeted a post about Swift welcoming Mary J. Blige on the 1989 World Tour and remarked, “Taylor reminds me a lot of Cher.” Blige recently […]
GloRilla is hitting the road. Coming off a banner 2024 campaign full of wins, Big Glo announced plans for The Glorious Tour on Wednesday night (Jan. 29). The North American trek will see support from Real Boston Richey and Queen Key as opening acts. The tour will kick off in Oklahoma City on March 5 […]
Jordan Davis and his wife Kristen are expecting their fourth child in June.
The five-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper revealed that his family is growing by posting a humorous video that opens with Davis standing by a pool and sipping on a beer, as the theme song to the TV series Full House plays in the background.
“Well, this is a dude, well a dad. Three beautiful children,” he says in a voiceover. “What’s better than three? What’s better than three is four.” Meanwhile, the video shows footage of some of his older children crying, and one of them rolling a toy truck into a balcony wall.
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“That’s where we’re gonna be at come June. Baby Davis No. 4,” he adds. “Look out! Now you may be thinking, ‘How’s this dude gonna do it?’ … But, the dude abides. 2025’s gonna be a big one. Namely because, we’re gonna be welcoming a brand new baby. Love to meet you, baby Davis — I’m gonna need a few more of these things.” Davis then takes a long swig of his drink.
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“Let’s keep the party going,” he says as the clip concludes.
Davis captioned the video with a humorous note, writing, “To contribute to the Baby Davis #4 diaper fund, please stream my music and buy tickets.”
The couple wed in 2017, and are parents to Eloise (5), Locklan (3) and Elijah (19 months).
Davis’s upcoming shows for 2025 include stops at iconic Texas venue Billy Bob’s, as well as a performance at Tortuga Music Festival. Meanwhile, his current single “I Ain’t Sayin’” is in the top five on the Country Airplay chart. Last year, Davis’s song “Next Thing You Know” won song of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. He wrote the track with Chase McGill, Greylan James and Josh Osborne.
See Davis’ reveal video below:
Becky G embarks on an aquatic safari in the teaser for Mountain Dew’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial — but she isn’t quite impressed yet with what she sees. While sipping on a Baja Blast as the soda company’s Mountain Dude leads her group on a rafting expedition, the “Shower” singer watches as four seals sitting […]
