2026 - Music Custodian

The 18th Headies Nominations Are Here: FOLA, Asake, Davido, Ayra Starr and a New Generation Define the 2026 Race

AdminAugust 25, 2026August 25, 2026012 mins

The Headies has officially unveiled the nominations for its 18th edition, setting the stage for another expansive assessment of Nigerian music’s changing centre of gravity – and this year’s list finds established heavyweights increasingly sharing space with a generation whose ascent has unfolded at remarkable speed. Covering eligible music released and distributed on digital streaming…

AFROBEATS HEAT DIFFERENT STARLIFE VICTONY

Victony Is 2FRESH as STARLIFE Leads This Week’s Afrobeats Heat Different

AdminAugust 24, 2026August 24, 2026016 mins

Afrobeats Heat Different returns with Victony at the centre of a 15-track New Music Friday edition that moves through Lagos street rap, contemporary Afropop, Afro-house, alternative experimentation and Francophone Africa. There is something particularly satisfying about watching an artist reach the point where experimentation no longer feels like risk. For Victony, STARLIFE appears to be…

From Lagos to Nairobi: Cinq Music’s Soul HQ Partnership Signals a Deeper Bet on African Music Infrastructure

AdminAugust 20, 2026August 20, 2026015 mins

Cinq Music Group is expanding its footprint in African music through a new distribution and artist-services partnership with Nairobi-based Soul HQ, bringing Xenia Manasseh, AYLØ and Altair Saïd into a global infrastructure designed to connect locally developed African talent with international audiences. Barely a month after announcing a partnership with D’Banj’s C.R.E.A.M platform in Nigeria,…

Angélique Kidjo ’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Marks A New Milestone for African Music

Damilare FarotimiAugust 20, 2026August 20, 2026018 mins

Beninese music icon Angélique Kidjo has become the first Black African artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, adding one of the entertainment industry’s most recognisable honours to a career spanning more than four decades.The five-time Grammy winner’s Hollywood recognition marks a landmark moment for African music while reflecting more than…

Sebuleni Returns to Shelter on August 30 for a Special Edition Celebrating Community, Deep House, and the Culture of Listening

AdminAugust 20, 2026August 20, 202604 mins

Nairobi, Kenya – August 2026 — Sebuleni, Nairobi’s independent listening house dedicated to Deep House culture and intentional community gathering, returns to Shelter KE on Sunday, 30 August 2026, for a special edition that brings together music lovers, selectors, and cultural enthusiasts for twelve hours of carefully curated sound. Rooted in Deep House as its…

What Livespot360 Reveals About Africa’s Creative Economy

Damilare FarotimiAugust 12, 2026August 12, 2026010 mins

Over the past few years, Nigeria’s creative economy has entered a new phase of maturity. Large-scale festivals, international partnerships, creative technology initiatives, and cross-sector collaborations have become increasingly visible, suggesting that the conversation is gradually shifting beyond cultural output towards the infrastructure that supports it. Yet visibility alone does not equal institutional progress. As the…

Bakisimbatronics: How Traditional Buganda Rhythms Became Uganda’s New Electronic Sound

AdminAugust 12, 2026August 12, 2026014 mins

Across Africa, artists are increasingly turning to indigenous musical traditions to create entirely new contemporary sounds. In Uganda, that journey has given rise to Bakisimbatronics – a genre pioneered by Maganda Shakul that fuses the rhythmic foundations of Bakisimba with electronic music. In this feature, Furaha Ruguru explores the origins of the movement, the community…

Somi on African Women in Jazz, Grammy Nomination and Spotify’s EQUAL August Cover

Keya FranklineAugust 11, 2026August 12, 202607 mins

Somi became the first African woman nominated in a Grammy jazz category when her live album Holy Room – Live at Alte Oper received a Best Jazz Vocal Album nomination in 2021. She also became the first Rwandan /Ugandan to receive a Grammy nomination. Now, Spotify has named Somi its EQUAL Africa Artist for August…

The Princes of Afrobeats Are Back

AdminAugust 11, 2026August 11, 2026020 mins

Every generation of Afrobeats eventually reaches a moment when its defining voices remind the world why they earned their place. This week’s edition of Afrobeats Heat Different captures exactly that moment. Every Friday, African music writes another chapter of its own story. Sometimes that chapter belongs to an emerging artist taking their first confident steps…

Finale: Inside East Africa’s Most-Viewed Song of 2026

Keya FranklineAugust 7, 2026August 7, 2026012 mins

Few songs have united East African audiences in 2026 quite like Finale. The collaboration between Kenya’s Bien and Tanzania’s Alikiba has become more than a commercial success – it has emerged as the region’s most-watched music video released this year, underlining the growing appeal of cross-border collaborations within East Africa’s music industry. Bien and Alikiba…

Year: 2026

The 18th Headies Nominations Are Here: FOLA, Asake, Davido, Ayra Starr and a New Generation Define the 2026 Race

Victony Is 2FRESH as STARLIFE Leads This Week’s Afrobeats Heat Different

From Lagos to Nairobi: Cinq Music’s Soul HQ Partnership Signals a Deeper Bet on African Music Infrastructure

Angélique Kidjo ’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Marks A New Milestone for African Music

Sebuleni Returns to Shelter on August 30 for a Special Edition Celebrating Community, Deep House, and the Culture of Listening

What Livespot360 Reveals About Africa’s Creative Economy

Bakisimbatronics: How Traditional Buganda Rhythms Became Uganda’s New Electronic Sound

Somi on African Women in Jazz, Grammy Nomination and Spotify’s EQUAL August Cover

The Princes of Afrobeats Are Back

Finale: Inside East Africa’s Most-Viewed Song of 2026

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