Music

Angélique Kidjo wins world’s ‘most prestigious music prize’

Multiple award-winner Angélique Kidjo has added another title to her laurels. The African singer won the 2023 Polar Music Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of Music, on Tuesday. She was honoured with the award alongside Britain’s Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, and Estonian composer Arvo Part. The Polar Music Prize is an annual Swedish international award founded in …

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BANTU warns Nigerians over elections in new album

The accompanying single cover, by award-winning Ghanaian satirical artist Bright Tetteh Ackwerh–depicting the main presidential candidates (of the recently concluded presidential elections) wining and dining together, while the struggling masses gather around them begging for alms BANTU, a band based in Lagos, Nigeria, has dropped a new music “Wayo And Division” to warn citizens of Africa’s most populous country against …

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Remembering Stephen Osita Osadebe, 15 years on

Our contributing editor, Frank Stenner, pays tribute to one of Nigeria’s musical giants, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, fifteen years after his demise —–      “In my life and my creations,       I have tried to follow my destiny       which is my music.       That is my journey.       I live with the gift of God.”       [from Osita Osadebe: “Ana Masi Ife Uwa” (“Sound Time” 2001)] Chief …

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Experiencing Angélique Kidjo live in Dortmund

Our contributing editor, Tina Adomako, narrates her impressions of a prestigious concert featuring multiple award-winner Angélique Kidjo when she performed, accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, to a sold-out house in the western German city of Dortmund on Wednesday — I rush through the busy Brückstraße, where Dortmund shows itself in all its diversity, and arrive just in time at …

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Virgin Music launches African label

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today (7 June) announced the launch of Virgin Music Label & Artist Services in Africa, a new dedicated distribution service for independent African artists and labels across the continent. The label services division launches with more than 15000 titles, 50 label partners and 100+ artists from more than 25 African …

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Stonebwoy, Nkulee Dube, others to rock German town of Emmendingen

The German town of Emmendingen will host the 20th anniversary of the African Music Festival from 4 to 7 August. And the organisers are leaving no stone unturned to make the anniversary a special, memorable one. Among the many artists billed to perform in Emmendingen is Livingstone Etse Satekla, better known by his stage name Stonebwoy. The multiple-awarded Ghanaian Afropop, …

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Ukraine: African groups hold peace concert in Munich

As the war in Ukraine rages on, many Africans and People of Colour fleeing the country are still stuck at its borders with its neighbours while those lucky to make it to Western Europe are facing different kinds of challenges. To draw attention to the travails of the non-Ukrainian victims of the war in Ukraine, a coalition of African groups …

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Ghanaian superstar Highlife band tours Germany

The young Highlife supergroup Santrofi from Accra will kick off its European tour in Munich on 25 May. The ‘Deep into Highlife’ tour 2022, which will take band throughout Europe with over 30 dates, builds on its celebrated first Europe tour in 2019. “After months of performing and collaborating with Highlife legends such as AB Crentsil or AK Yeboah, jamming …

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Rotimi comes to Germany for exclusive show!

With co-signings from T-Pain, 50 Cent, JAY-Z, Jamie Foxx and TI, singer-songwriter Rotimi ushers in a new era of game changers. The American actor, singer and model will perform in Berlin on 20 May, part of his ongoing world tour to promote his debut album “All or Nothing”. While he has so far been best known for his acting roles, …

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New international label for African Jazz launches

The legendary Jazz label Blue Note Records and Universal Music Group Africa have announced the creation of Blue Note Africa (www.BlueNote.com), an exciting new imprint dedicated to signing Jazz artists from across the African continent, bringing them to a global audience, and promoting a cultural exchange of ideas that transcends borders. Blue Note Africa will launch this Spring with the …

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Video: Asamor collaborates with Stanley Enow on “Magic”

Asamor is an incredibly versatile Cameroonian artist based in Germany. He hails from Lebialem, South West region of Cameroon. With a well-lettered background at the University of Bonn where he spent time at the department of music, he has proven his ingenuity by infusing Makossa and Bangwa rhythms to produce a unique genre and eargasmic “Abanda Kossa”. Asamor’s music career …

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Record entries for All Africa Music Awards 2021

The African Union Commission and The International Committee of All Africa Music Awards, (Afrima), have received a staggering number of 8,880 entries for the Afrima 2021 Awards. Now in its eighth year, Afrima, the ultimate recognition of African music globally honours African artists, music producers, songwriters, video directors, DJs, choreographers/dancers, and movie/film producers living on the continent or in diaspora …

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Nigerian singing legend dies

Nigerian singing legend Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi, more famously known as Sound Sultan, has died. The rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and recording artist, who is regarded as one of the pacesetters of modern hip hop music in Nigeria, died on Sunday, 11 July in the US of throat cancer. He was 44. Tributes continue to be paid to the artist. …

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Entries open for All African Music Awards 2021

The international committee of the All African Music Awards (Afrima) has announced the 2021 event calendar at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marking the opening of Afrima 2021. This year’s calendar features a lineup of undertakings and events that would take place between 20 June and 21 November 2021. Speaking on behalf of the African Union, the …

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Davido hits 20 million followers on Instagram, becomes most followed African artiste

Nigerian Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has hit 20 million followers on Instagram. The multiple-award wining musician is now the most followed African artiste on the Facebook-owned photo and video sharing social networking service. As of January 2021, the most followed person on Instagram is Portuguese professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo with over 275 million followers. Davido also recently …

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Remembering Papa Wemba, 5 years on

Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (14 June 1949 – 24 April 2016) It was a terrible shock for the African and international music world when news about Papa Wemba’s passing away circulated around the globe on 24 April 2016. More so as it happened when he was in full swing during a performance at a festival in Abidjan on the night …

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Grammys for Burna Boy, Wizkid a global endorsement of Afrobeat – Nigerian minister

A Nigerian minister has described the Grammy Awards of music stars Burna Boy and Wizkid’s as endorsement of Afrobeat genre of music Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, on Monday, while congratulating the music stars for their feats, said that Afrobeat genre of music had propelled Nigeria’s increasing prominence of the music world. In a statement issued by …

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