Few things are quite as exciting as discovering new talent to listen to on repeat, add to your favourite playlists and lean on for emotional support over the course of the year.

For fans of African music on Spotify, 2023 promises another roll-call of amazing artists, ready to break through to fame and mainstream streaming success.

If anything, African music has consistently unfurled waves of new, fresh talent every year who have propelled the global interest in Afrobeats, Amapiano and its many other sub-genres. 2022 was a breakout year for artists like Buju, Costa Titch and Asake, whose success propelled them into Wrapped top lists at the end of 2022.

And while those talents took their voices to the main stage, a slew of rising stars was also laying the groundwork for their own breakout year. Some of these musicians are primed to release their best music in the coming months. Others have enjoyed early success on Spotify, and show many indications of even greater success on the horizon. Others are relatively new elements, developing new takes on familiar sounds that harken towards major shifts in popular music.

Hailing from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda with a wide array of styles, cultures and perspectives, these artists are, according to Spotify data, the ones to watch in 2023.

REGGIE

As Asakaa drill music picked up in Ghana, Reggie’s banging anthem Geng Geng was leading the charge as a favourite among music lovers. Built on shared experiences and a collective sense of solidarity, Reggie’s music is usually built around brotherhood and growing in the second largest city in Ghana – Kumasi

MELLISSA

With a handful of guest verses and a 2021 release titled Limelight, Melissa is one of the most interesting newcomers in music. This Ghanian’s verses portray a gifted pen at work, and her silky voice has been employed navigating a range of sounds from jazz, reggaeton, R&B to Afropop influences. 2023 should give us more Mellissa music.

SAMSNEY

This multi talented musician is one who has proven indeed audience sharing and collaboration is one of the best ways to break through in the music scene. He registered his first song Goldigga  by collaborating with Black Sherif. SAMSNEY used this song to showcase his musical prowess as an artist to look out for in 2023.

SNYPA

Snypa has a knack for identifying, and stringing together artists for the best collaborations. For instance, he assembled Kwesi Arthur, Ms Banks for the highly infectious Gbedu which became an instant hit when it was released.

BEEZTRAP KOTM

Ghanian drill  rapper Beeztrap KOTM is fairly new on the scene but he proved his mettle with his hit track Radio, featuring Reggie which took 2022 by storm. The success of that track, and others like Cinderella and Distance Relationship will see him become a firm favourite on 2023 playlists.

Below is the list of other emerging artists on the continent.

Rising Nigerian Emo-Afrobeats star OGC is thrilled to share latest single, “Blessed Boy,” following the enormous success of his debut EP, “Epiphany,” which debuted on Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums Worldwide. The song is the lead single off his next album, “The Maraji Experience.”

Download and Stream “Blessed Boy” https://song.link/blessed-boy

As they take us on a journey of their ascent to the top of the industry against all obstacles, the Grey Beatz-produced song stars NATIVE Records frontline sensation Odumodublvck. Odudomoblvck provides a glimpse of what his victorious return to the oil city of Port Harcourt might entail. Both musicians use their past to demonstrate to the audience that it hasn’t been a smooth ride. The track’s flawless soundscape, which is created by the alluring drum and bass beats, gives it even more vitality.

Speaking about the single, OGC said: “After the success of my debut EP ‘Epiphany’ I knew God has a purpose for me and felt like pouring out my emotions in ‘Blessed Boy’. Also I needed someone who has a similar story to me and who better else than my brother Odumodublvck. He understood the assignment and killed it.”

OGC is getting set to release his forthcoming debut album titled “The Maraji Experience” later this year and it promises to be an exciting project.

CONNECT WITH OGC:

 Instagram – Twitter – Apple Music – Spotify

D Jay gets the year off to a tender start with his new song ‘Morning Stress.’ Stream or download ‘Morning Stress’ across all major digital platforms here: https://empawaafrica.lnk.to/DJayMorningStress

After months of lodging on some of the continent’s hottest playlists, thanks to his unforgettable 2022 hit ‘Balance It’ – which raked in over 20M streams on Boomplay alone – and later its Mr Eazi-assisted remix, D Jay is ready to deliver his next chart-topping delight: ‘Morning Stress.’

Another love song to put the singer’s feelings into perspective, ‘Morning Stress’ is an instant Afrobeat charmer, driven by a steady flow of drum loops that pave the way for D Jay’s supple intonations – one that he seeks to woo his love interest with, singing: “Baby girl, come caress me oh, caress me/Free up my mind, oh”.

Announcing ‘Morning Stress’ as his next release on Twitter two days before Christmas Day, D Jay’s new song could be well underway to become another infectious hit, following in the footsteps of his previous release, ‘Balance It’, seizing the airwaves in the process.

Last year, D Jay was one of Ghana’s breakout stars, dominating social media and the airwaves with his irresistible song ‘Balance It’ – a smooth cut that has to date accumulated over 40M streams on all digital streaming platforms.

CONNECT WITH D JAY

Instagram: onlydjayy
Twitter: @onlydjay

Today, GRAMMY® Award-winning, global superstar Meghan Trainor recharges, re-energizes, and revamps her global smash “Made You Look” with a brand new Official Remix featuring Kim Petras. Listen to “Made You Look (Feat. Kim Petras)” HERE. The original highlighted her acclaimed new album, Takin’ It Back, out now. Listen to Takin’ It Back HERE.

About the track, Petras commented, “I had ‘Made You Look’ stuck in my head for months. It’s just so catchy and I felt like the song was like a warm hug. So I loved it right away, and then when I got asked to jump on it, I was really, really excited. I think Meghan is such a great pop songwriter, so it was an incredible experience. I’ve never worked with an artist who wanted to track me and comp my vocals and do it all together. She really is like a little angel and such a treasure and deserves everything that’s coming her way with the song and I just feel so excited and honored to be a part of it. We collaborated in a really special way that I won’t forget.”

This notably marks the first collaboration between Trainor and rising pop powerhouse Petras. Together, they lock into a bouncy call-and-response as Petras urges “Don’t be shy, just put your hands on me,” as Trainor’s towering runs ring out. It adds a whole new dimension to the fan favorite.

On the collaboration, Trainor gushes, “Kim is an icon. I have been a fan for a very long time and I am so excited to have her on ‘Made You Look.’ We had such a fun time in the studio together and she added the perfect energy to the song. She is a queen and I cannot wait for everyone to hear her voice on this song! She really brought it to a whole new level.”

“Made You Look” has exploded as a runaway hit and a major moment for Trainor. It has tallied over 353 million global streams. Simultaneously, the music video has clocked north of 87 million YouTube views. At radio, it continues to hold strong in the Top 5 at Pop.

She continues to breathe new life into the track. In addition to the Joel Corry Remix, she capped off the holidays with “Made You Look (A Cappella).” It gathered 6.2 million YouTube views on the accompanying video featuring friends Sri, Scott Hoying, Elyse Myers, and Chris Olsen.

So far, the song has soundtracked over 4 million TikTok videos and 308K YouTube Shorts. Apple Music touted it at #1 on its A LIST POP Playlist, and Spotify placed it on Today’s Top Hits Presents Best Hit Songs of 2022 and the Best Pop Songs of 2022. Billboard applauded it as “inescapable,” and Entertainment Tonight chatted with her about the track.

It sets the stage for more to come from Meghan Trainor in 2023!

Multitalented Ghanaian musician and producer Paapa Versa has released a new video and single titled “Lights go dim” on Friday, 27th January 2023, featuring fast-rising rapper KooKusi.

The music video, directed by MRCMulti.me, depicts both artists struggling to pursue their dreams while fighting their inner demons. 

The incredibly soulful song, produced by Paapa and mixed & mastered by Jayso, holds an inspirational message for all dreamers. “A sentence can change a life. A song can ginger a tired heart. This song is for anyone struggling to smile lately, deeply wounded by someone’s words, or simply trying to recover a joy they once had” the artist says. 

KooKusi has chalked many milestones since the release of his debut EP “5 foot 3” last year, and this collaboration marks another step in his remarkable rise.

The release of this song leads up to the release of Paapa Versa’s third studio album, “Versa Villa”. The artist will host an album launch and concert on Feb 17th 2023 at the Virtual Hub in Accra, Ghana. 

“Lights go dim” by Paapa Versa is now available everywhere:

https://paapaversa.fanlink.to/lightsgodim

Website: https://www.paapaversa.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paapaversa

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/paapaversa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paapaversa

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/paapaversa

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@paapaversa