Since 2020, Apple Music’s artiste development programme, ‘Africa Rising’, has showcased the best and brightest emerging artistes from the continent. With the eyes and ears of the world firmly fixed on Africa and its vibrant music scene, Africa Rising has seen many of the continent’s biggest new stars get their first international look including Omah Lay, Rema, Tems, Ayra Starr and Amaarae to name a few.
Always ahead of the curve when it comes to trend spotting, Apple Music’s ‘Africa Rising’ campaign kicked off the new year by announcing the Class of ‘24, a list of the next generation of African superstars whose careers are poised to skyrocket.
This year’s class of ’24 recipients include South African pop phenomenon Tyla, Nigerian teenage Afropop singer-songwriter, QingMadi, Nigerian Afrobeats singer-songwriter and producer, Bloody Civilian, Nigerian rapper and singer, ODUMODUBLVCK, Ghanaian R&B songstress, Mellissa and South African street rapper, Maglera Doe Boy.
“I’m just trying to live in the moment and thank God and everyone who supported me. I’m excited for my project to be released and for people to be exposed to more Tyla music, for people to come into my world and see a glimpse of South Africa because we’re dominating at the moment!” – Tyla
“I believe that this generation of African superstars are being heard to an extent that the past wasn’t. I feel excited to be a part of a new regime of African artists that are being accepted globally, that are being welcomed. And the fact that we are loved for who we are and we’re not trying to be someone that we are not. I’m also excited because my music will reach other parts of the world and I don’t have to water-down my music for the fear of who is accepting, I just have to sing and hope that my fans can relate to them.” – Qing Madi
“I think Afrobeats and the sounds of Africa will continue to resonate around the world because it’s such a diverse genre. African music is the source of other genres, and if you listen to music from Africa you can hear how many ways it’s interpolated, how many ways its been created is very diverse, so that’s why it’s resonating around the world because there are so many parts of it that different people can connect with.” – Bloody Civilian
“Nigerian hip-hop will definitely keep on growing because we’ve found a way to involve men and women – girls are now rapping to the bars and it’s so cool! We keep things fresh, we keep things interesting.” – ODUMODUBLVCK
“There are so many elements of sounds from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America that speak to my soul and inspire me. I’m a Ghanaian woman so I love guitars, and the overall feeling that I get when I take in the music as a consumer is phenomenal. But as a creator I’m really big on drums, and that’s one thing that all these sounds have in common is their percussions and their grooves, the drums have a life of their own and it’s a perfect tapestry for the music I like to make, the kind of music that makes you start swinging your hips before you even know it.” – Mellissa
“This is such a beautiful era for identification, people really sound like where they came from. There are even looks, depending on if they’re taking from South African culture and paying homage, but also taking what’s current in the culture and mixing it with South Africa flavours. So I’m very excited about the cultural aspect of it. I feel like it’s about to get bigger, which is great for getting the sound to the rest of the world.” – Maglera Doe Boy.
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