African music has come to stay on the global stage—a fact we cannot deny. African music has spread everywhere around the world. They are topping global charts, winning international awards, and are on the playlist of literally every famous and powerful person like Obama. Here are some of the biggest African artistes that have graced the world with their musical talents.
Tems – Nigeria
Temilade Openiyi better known as Tems is a singer, songwriter and producer who has taken the global scene by storm with her unique and captivating voice as well as her pen prowess. She has collaborated with industry greats like Drake, Future, Beyonce and Rihanna. The 27-year-old Nigerian was nominated for an Oscar in 2023 for her contributions to the ‘Wakanda Forever’ soundtrack, ‘Lift me up’. She has gone on to win numerous local and international awards including the prestigious Grammies, NAACP, Hollywood Music in Media, BET and so on.
Wizkid – Nigeria
Known to his close circle as Ayo Balogun, Wizkid has continued to churn hits ever since he came onto the scene over a decade ago. The internationally acclaimed singer has worked with Drake, Normani, Calvin Harris, Tinie Tempah, Tems, Justin Bieber, Beyonce and counting. The Afrobeat singer had King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti and Bob Marley as his influence while growing up. His collaboration with Beyonce, ‘Brown Skin Girl’ on the ‘Lion King: The Gift’ project won him a Grammy for Best Music Video. Wizkid has won numerous awards home and abroad and his songs have topped global charts.
Davido – Nigeria
Another Nigerian making waves internationally is David Adeleke, known professionally as Davido. Davido has so many international collaborations under his belt and has gone on to perform on some of the biggest world stages. He performed at the Made in America Festival in 2018 alongside Fat Joe, Post Malone and Meek Mill. His 2019 collaboration with Chris Brown, ‘Blow My Mind’ peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard charts. The same year he sold out the O2 Arena in London making him the first solo African musician to achieve this after Wizkid in the previous year. He performed at the closing ceremony of the 2022 World Cup final held in Qatar.
Angelique Kidjo – Benin Republic
This veteran has been nominated a whopping 12 times for the Grammies out of which she has won 5. Two of her albums have won the Global Music Album award category at the Grammies twice making her the only African singer to have achieved this. Kidjo has performed on the global stages of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan and the Grammy Awards to millions of audiences around the world. She was listed among Time’s 100 most influential people in 2021. The multi-lingual Beninese-French musician is a 2023 Polar Music Prize laureate.
Tiwa Savage – Nigeria
Self-acclaimed queen of Afrobeat, Tiwa Savage has been a delight ever since she stepped onto the music scene in 2012. She has co-written songs for Mya, Babyface, Kat Deluna, Monica and Fantasia. She has also provided backup vocals for Mary J. Blige and Beyonce and George Michael. The super-talented songstress has won multiple awards locally and internationally among which are; MTV Europe Music Awards, MTV Africa Music Awards, Headies, Mobo and Afrima. She performed at the coronation concert of King Charles III at Windsor Castle on May 7, 2023.
In all honesty, the list is inexhaustible. There abounds an ocean of African artistes, young or old, dead or alive who have shown and continue to show the world the stuff African music is made of. They have continued to promote the culture and uniqueness of the motherland and her people through the different genres of music that come out from there. Africa’s music exportation is a train that has picked up speed and it’s here for good!
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