Category: Regional Soundscapes
Explore the diverse musical traditions and contemporary sounds from different regions across Africa
Beyond the Anglophone Lens: MAMA AFRICA 26 Builds a Meeting Point for Lusophone African Culture in Lisbon
Across cinema, music, literature, fashion, food and art, the second edition of MAMA AFRICA offered something more consequential than another European celebration of “African culture”: a meeting point shaped around Africa’s Portuguese-speaking cultural worlds and the diasporic city they have helped build. African culture has never spoken in one language. Yet as African music and…
When Ayra Starr Met Zohran Mamdani, Two African Journeys Converged in New York
Nigerian pop star Ayra Starr linked up with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, bringing together two young public figures whose careers occupy entirely different worlds but whose trajectories contain an intriguing point of convergence. One became a global Nigerian pop star. The other became New York City’s first African-born, Muslim and South Asian mayor….
From the Townships to FNB Stadium: Amapiano Builds Its Own Stadium Economy
It would be easy to describe the moment simply as another milestone in Amapiano’s extraordinary rise, but filling FNB Stadium tells us that Amapiano is popular. As Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa prepare to bring Scorpion Kings Live to more than 70,000 people at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, Amapiano’s journey is becoming about more than…
Yamê: Building a New Language Between African Heritage and Global Music
There are artists who cross genres because the industry demands versatility, and there are artists whose music naturally refuses the borders placed around it. Yamê belongs to the second category. The French-Cameroonian artist has built his musical identity somewhere between rap, jazz, soul, R&B, French chanson, and African musical traditions. His voice can move from…
Custodian Gems: KAESTYLE Leads 12 Records Worth Hearing Before Consensus Arrives
With KAESTYLE on the cover, this week’s Custodian Gems moves through 6uff, Kayode, Taene, Pabrymo, OluwaMillar, Ef Moon, Abefe, Sigag Lauren, Lil Frosh, Lasmid and Hunnyboy – a selection interested less in who already commands the conversation than in where attention might be moving next. Discovery becomes less useful when everybody has already agreed on…
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…
Dolly Parton Knew a Song Could Travel Further Than Its Owner
From Whitney Houston’s transformation of “I Will Always Love You” to Beyoncé’s reimagining of “Jolene,” Dolly Parton ’s relationship with Black artistry offers another way to remember a songwriter who understood ownership without confusing it with possession. Dolly Parton belonged unmistakably to country music. Born in rural East Tennessee, raised in Appalachia and eventually transformed…
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…
Angélique Kidjo ’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Marks A New Milestone for African Music
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…