Sizzling beats and breaking records: The rise of female African artistspublished at 18:57 Greenwich Mean Time
Lola Schroer
Reporting from the Mobos
Image source, PA Media
Tyla’s 2024 hit ‘Water’ became the most-streamed Afrobeats song on Spotify
This year, the Mobo Awards spotlight the unstoppable rise of female African artists, with Nigeria’s Ayra Starr and Tems and South Africa’s Tyla featuring in the Best African Music Act and Best International Act categories.
Ayra Starr’s sound is rooted in Lagos, but her second album The Year I Turned 21 shows her global vision. The album sizzles with sun-kissed Afrobeats, capturing the musings of a 22-year-old travelling the world. She’s headlined a world tour, earned a Grammy nomination and became the first Afrobeats artist to perform on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage last year.
Songs to listen to: Rush, Commas, Jazzy’s Song
Grammy Award-winning Nigerian singer Tems became the first female African artist to hit one billion Spotify streams. Her song Love Me Jeje, which samples a line from Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 classic, was a smash hit of 2024.
Songs to listen to: Love Me Jeje, Essence, Me & U, MOVE
Tyla is a global pop sensation. The South African singer skyrocketed to fame with her viral hit Water, which dominated charts, sparked a viral TikTok dance and bagged a Grammy. A year on and I’m still singing it.
She has been vocal about the need to recognise diversity within African music: “African music is so diverse. It’s more than just Afrobeats.” At just 23, she has brought Amapiano—an evolving South African genre that fuses house, jazz, and kwaito—into the spotlight.
Songs to listen to: Water, Push 2 Start, Getting Late
