Category: Emerging Artists
Showcase rising stars and emerging talents within the African music scene.
Xenia Manasseh, Ukweli and Ywaya Tajiri Ask “AJE?” as Nairobi’s R&B Ecosystem Keeps Building Outward
The new collaboration AJE? arrives as one of the early releases emerging from Cinq Music and Nairobi-based Soul HQ’s developing relationship – bringing three distinct creative voices into a record whose significance extends beyond the song itself. There is something increasingly interesting happening around Nairobi’s contemporary music ecosystem. Not simply more releases. Not simply more…
Blaqbonez Leads a Borderless New Music Friday on Afrobeats Heat Different
From Blaqbonez and Seyi Vibez to KiDi, Sarkodie, Sofiya Nzau, Phyno and King Paluta, Music Custodian’s latest playlist update captures African music moving confidently across scenes, borders and generations. The final New Music Friday of August does not arrive with one dominant story. That might be its most interesting quality. This week’s Afrobeats Heat Different…
The 18th Headies Nominations Are Here: FOLA, Asake, Davido, Ayra Starr and a New Generation Define the 2026 Race
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…
Victony Is 2FRESH as STARLIFE Leads This Week’s Afrobeats Heat Different
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
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,…
Bakisimbatronics: How Traditional Buganda Rhythms Became Uganda’s New Electronic Sound
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…
Davido, Mayorkun & FOLA Lead Music Custodian’s Latest Afrobeats Heat Different as African Music Continues Its Creative Expansion
African music enters August with remarkable confidence. This week’s edition of Afrobeats Heat Different captures a continent moving with intention, where established stars, emerging voices and unexpected collaborations collectively demonstrate the depth and diversity of today’s African sound. More than a collection of new releases, the playlist reflects an ecosystem in constant conversation with itself…
Davido & NO11 Lead This Week’s Afrobeats Heat Different as Nigerian Music Embraces a New Generation of Collaboration
Every generation of African music eventually reaches a moment where established stars begin creating not simply for their audiences, but alongside the artists who will inherit the future. This week’s edition of Afrobeats Heat Different captures that transition beautifully. Leading the playlist is Davido, whose latest single “Gimme Dat Ting” featuring rising Nigerian artist NO11…
Afrobeats Heat Different: African Music’s Global Moment Is No Longer Coming. It’s Here.
There was a time when African artists were fighting for space in global conversations. Today, many of those conversations begin with them. This week’s edition of Afrobeats Heat Different arrives as another reminder of just how far African music has travelled and how much further it continues to go. Leading this week’s selection is Victony,…
CHIKKA: Searching For The Rhythm That Connects East Africa
What if East Africa has been singing the same song all along? Not the same lyrics. Not the same instruments. Not even the same languages. But the same pulse. That question sits at the heart of CHIKKA, an ambitious musical and cultural project conceived by Ethiopian producer, researcher and creative director Guta Wakuma Chimsa. What…