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The Latest Breaking News from Afrobeats

Jam-packed venues for Fireboy, Burna Boy show rising star power for Afrobeats

A few years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to hear Afrobeats acts like Tiwa Savage, Davido, Wizkid or Burna Boy on mainstream radio stations in the U.S. Now, those artists are scoring songs on soundtracks for blockbuster films and nabbing Grammy Awards.

Tribune News Service

Asake, the breakout pop star from Nigeria who owned 2022

Asake’s first commercial releases, beginning with the song Lady in 2020, didn’t really portend a seismic shift in Nigeria’s teeming Afrobeats scene. The 27-year-old genre-blending Nigerian singer and rapper has a tongue-in-cheek delivery and jocular persona. He writes nonsensical, self-deprecating rhymes with hip-hop influenced consumerist themes and could easily be…

The Conversation

Ifeanyi Adeleke death: Davido’s three-year-old son drowns, household staff questioned by police

Three-year-old son of afrobeats superstar celebrated his birthday last month

The Independent UK

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Davido: ‘Africa is beautiful, but we don’t have the best leaders handling the economy’ 

The Afrobeats superstar talks to Kevin E G Perry about launching his own festival in Atlanta, soundtracking the World Cup in Qatar, and how he ended up donating £450,000 to Nigerian orphanages over a Rolls Royce mishap

The Independent UK

Simi and Bella Shmurda: two Afrobeats stars reveal a growing tendency to abuse Fela Kuti

There can no longer be any doubt that Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician, activist and father of Afrobeat music, has become an easy career booster for today’s Afrobeats artists who are undergoing creative droughts.

The Conversation

The week in audio: 5 Live Breakfast; LBC; Sounds of Black Britain; Empire; Love and Radio – review

When radio coverage of the Queen’s death ended up like a long Test match commentary, it was good to turn to some alternative views of Britishness

The Guardian - UK

How Burna Boy set the world alight with his mixed brew of influences

Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy burst onto the global stage in 2018 with a slew of irresistible hits on his third album, Outside, accompanied by mandatory fiendish good looks and charm. Grammy and BET awards helped firm up his status within a highly competitive global music industry.

The Conversation

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Setting the record straight: Burna Boy didn't create a music genre called Afrofusion

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu was born in 1991 in Port Harcourt, the largest city in Rivers State in Nigeria. He would become known as Burna Boy, a singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing Like to Party, the lead single from L.I.F.E., his debut studio…

The Conversation

Tems review – Afrobeats darling has riveting star quality

With fiery jamming and belted notes, the Nigerian singer is so vigorous she has a wardrobe malfunction – but is even more powerful in pared-back moments

The Guardian - UK

100 years of pop music in Nigeria: what shaped four eras

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early months of 2020 shut down nearly all physical and social human activities. For musical practice this meant near death. Performing music is, after all, one of the oldest forms of social human engagement.

The Conversation

The reclusive TikTok star powering Nigeria’s street Afrobeats scene

When the trendy Afrobeats genre is scrubbed of its Western-approved sheen, DJ YK is one of its powerful engines.

Al Jazeera

The legacy of Nigerian music star Orlando Julius must not be overlooked

If there is one musician as commonly associated as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti with the West African musical movements Afrobeat and Afrobeats (never mind Afro-Blues and Afro-Soul), this is the preserve of Orlando Julius Ekemode. Given Fela’s immense stature it would seem impossible to speak of another musician from whom he gained…

The Conversation

Boj: Gbagada Express review – a sensual Afrobeats celebration

The impressive debut from the founder of Nigeria’s alté scene is a mellow celebration that does away with posturing

The Guardian - UK

Field of dreams: the best music festivals still available to book

Big hitters such as Glastonbury may be sold out but – from an Afrobeats party in Portugal to Lil Wayne in a Cambridge orchard – there’s a huge variety of outdoor events out there to brighten your summer

The Guardian - UK

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The Conversation

Who is Nigerian music star Wizkid -- and why is he taking over the world?

The global appreciation of West Africa’s Afrobeats music has grown significantly in the last decade. Afrobeats stars are touring the world, racking up record sales, winning awards and collaborating with big-name international artists.

The Conversation

2022 Grammys: what Fela Kuti has to do with West Africa's growing pop fame

There are a record number of African nominees for the 2022 Grammy Awards and they are almost all from West Africa – Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Rocky Duwani (Ghana), Femi Kuti, Made Kuti, Wizkid, Burna Boy and Tems (Nigeria).

The Conversation

From Nigeria to the world: Afrobeats is having a global moment

Another Grammy Awards season and there is a growing list of African nominees. For African music enthusiasts, it is heartwarming that recognition is being accorded to practitioners in the Afrobeats space.

Al Jazeera

The reinvention of Aṣa, Nigeria’s premier soul music diva

On her fifth studio record, the French-Nigerian soul singer lets her hair down and embraces crossover pop rhythms.

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The Guardian - UK

‘The world is now coming to Africa’: why Madonna and Ed Sheeran want a piece of Afrobeats

West African artists such as Davido, Fireboy DML and Amaarae are ruling pop on their own terms, reflecting a new cultural pride – and western pop stars want in

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