Ghanaian Sensational Afro pop singer and song writer Gideon Adade-Boakye , popularly known by the stage name Deon Boakye replied a tweet from a Ghanaian saying ‘ BRING MORE SONGS AND STOP CONGRATULATING SAMINI’ for winning the GIMPA SRC PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.

He ended his statement by calling Deon Boakye a LAZY ARTISTE.

The Afro pop star did not take the ‘LAZY ARTISTE ‘statement likely and after the to and fro on twitter replies in his new release ‘OVA DEM’ featuring the “ABOTRE hit maker” AMERADO BURNER .
https://yve.fanlink.to/ovadem

Having made an outstanding statement with her previous single ‘BLUR’, Sofie sends in her newest – a collaborative single that sees the Ghanaian singer-songwriter team up with American singer-producer, Matthew James Hemmer. (more…)

Global streaming giant, Spotify, announced today that Nigerian singer-songwriter Simi has been selected as Spotify EQUAL Africa music programme ambassador for July. This announcement follows the release of her latest album, ‘TBH (To Be Honest)’ which came out in June.

Simi joins other Nigerian artists,Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Asa, and FAVE to be part of EQUAL Africa, which aims to  spotlight and amplify the voices of talented African female artists making waves in the music scene. She also becomes only the second African artist after Tiwa Savage to be named as an EQUAL Global and EQUAL Africa artist.

The Nigerian musician, sound engineer and actress, Simi Bolatito Ogunleye, started her musical journey as a chorister in church. Starting her musical career as a gospel singer, Simi released her debut studio album ‘Ogaju’ in 2008 before switching genres to Afro-pop. She came onto the public’s radar in 2014  after the release of the single, ‘TIFF’, which was nominated for Best Alternative Song at The Headies in 2015.

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Her 2016 single, ‘Jamb Question’, was a massive hit, topping music charts for weeks. In 2020, Simi garnered even more buzz in the industry after she released her famous song, ‘Duduke’, which celebrated the birth of her daughter. ‘Duduke’ was one of the most played songs of the year in Nigeria, a further testament to Simi’s musical prowess.

“Striving and thriving as a woman in a male dominated industry has taken years of practice to master,” says Simi. “You go from being scared of it, to being intimidated by it, to being brave enough for it and then finally, to conquering it. I’ve almost always had to do way more than my male peers to prove myself. But, because of my love for music, I have been relentless and proud to do this work. I certainly hope, with all my heart, that the women who continue to come after me find it easier to shine in the way they deserve.”

Spotify welcomes Simi to the EQUAL programme which aims to foster gender equality and provide a platform to celebrate influential female artists. She joins a  list of talented African women who are driving the culture and breaking through barriers in the music industry.

“We are proud to welcome Simi to the EQUAL programme, and we’re so excited to see where her talent continues to take her from strength to strength,” says Spotify’s head of music for sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu.

The EQUAL programme spans seven categories, which include the EQUAL Artists of the Month and the EQUAL local playlists. As the latest artist to join the EQUAL Africa and Global Music Programs, Simi will be featured on the EQUAL Africa and the EQUAL Global playlists.

This week on STUDENTOFLIFE PODCAST, Akosua Peprah dives into the energy centre we have in our bodies. She gives you an introduction to understand the power we hold inside of us and how these energy centres connects the spiritual to the physical sides of us. (more…)

Following the announcement of their collaboration earlier this month, the Spotify RADAR and COLORSxSTUDIOS’ shared spotlight now shines on  Afrobeats singer-songwriter, Victony — the second featured artist for the campaign.

In a bid to further showcase the talent emerging from Africa, the Spotify RADAR and COLORS partnership centres on selected Nigerian artists who are steadily making waves beyond their home turf. Featured artists are profiled on the COLORSxSTUDIOS website which fans can visit to learn more about each artist, and are also streamable on Spotify’s RADAR Africa playlist.

RADAR Africa supports emerging musicians from the continent by exposing them to new audiences worldwide — a product of this programme is the Spotify RADAR Africa playlist, curated for those who want to discover new music from across the continent. Partnered alongside Spotify RADAR is COLORSxSTUDIOS, a widely-popular global music platform that showcases up-and-coming artists through their distinctive video performances.

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The eagerly-awaited announcement of the second featured artist from Nigeria is chart-topping rising star Victony. He first stepped onto the scene with his Soundcloud mixtape The Outlaw King. With origins in producing rap music, he has since moved to a versatile mix of Afrobeats, RnB, Trap, and Afropop sounds. Victony’s breakout track that got him on the radar was his 2021 collaboration with Mayorkun, Holy Father. His most recent release kolomental has also seen huge worldwide popularity, with over two million Spotify streams to date.

For his COLORS performance Victony shares his vibrant and inspiring new single, Many Man. The hit track comes off the back of his previous EP, Outlaw EP, which had listeners in anticipation for his next project. In response to his feature for the collaboration, Victony said, “I’m grateful for the support from COLORS x Spotify, and I’m more than excited to be a part of the new generation that’s pushing the African sound beyond borders. We’ve only just begun.”

Spotify aims to forge connections between fans and artists, while supporting unique African artists who drive the culture and are headed for the global stage. Through collaborations with platforms like COLORS that share this goal and through supportive initiatives like RADAR Africa, Spotify hopes to continue celebrating and promoting emerging African talent.

Spotify’s RADAR Africa and COLORSxSTUDIOS first kicked off their partnership by featuring Nigerian singer Ayra Starr. With two exciting artists so far, the partnership is not yet over – fans can expect more to follow. In the meantime, listeners can check out Victony’s performance on the COLORS website, as well as on Spotify’s RADAR Africa playlist.

To check out Victony’s COLORS performance and discover more, music lovers can visit colors.lnk.to/victonycxs.

Apple Music today announced the latest featured artist in its Africa Rising artist development program as Ghanaian Afrofusion singer-songwriter Gyakie (real name Jacqueline Acheampong).

“I’m so excited to be sharing the music I made all the way from Ghana to the global stage and grateful to Apple Music for being a huge part of my journey so far. I’m honoured to play my part in widening the global African story,” she tells Apple Music.

As the daughter of Ghanaian highlife legend Ernest “Owoahene” Nana Acheampong of the legendary Lumba Brothers, Gyakie’s musical roots run deep and her eclectic take on Afrofusion has seen her make immense strides in a short space of time.

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Gyakie achieved massive success with singles “Love Is Pretty” (2019), “Never Like This”(2019) and “Sor Mi Mu feat Bisa Kdei” (2020), but it was her debut EP release SEED(2020) that set her apart from her contemporaries, with its lead single “Forever”, alongside“Forever Remix featuring Omah Lay” (2021).

Her latest EP, MY DIARY (2022), available to stream on Apple Music in Spatial Audio from 22 July, reinforces her knack for merging multiple genres seamlessly, from the jazz lounge-esque opener “AUDIENCE”, to the Afrobeats-rooted “MY BABY” and first single “SOMETHING”.

The latest music from Gyakie along with that of Africa’s hottest new artists, is available now on the Apple Music Africa Rising Playlist.

Apple Music’s Africa Rising, is an exclusive artist development programme and companion playlist geared towards identifying, showcasing and elevating rising talent and introducing the next generation of African superstars. Africa Rising alumni to date include: Omah Lay, Manu Worldstar, Tems, Amaarae, Ayra Starr, Yaw Tog, Blxckie, Nikita Kering, Buju, Fave, Nomfundo Moh and Victony. Africa Rising sees Apple Music select six artists every year who each receive a minimum of two months of editorial support across the Apple Music platform including a launch interview with Nadeska on Apple Music 1. Nadeska has also launched a new weekly Africa Rising feature on her show highlighting the hottest new artists on the continent.

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Africa Rising is the latest of many Apple Music initiatives aimed at taking African talent to the world. Now available in 33 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, Apple Music 1 is home to Africa Now Radio which has featured interviews with some of the continent’s hottest artists such as Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Cassper Nyovest, Mr Eazi, Patoranking, Rayvanny, Kiddominant, Mayorkun, Fireboy DML, Adekunle Gold, Master KG, Yaw Tog, Blxckie, Nikita Kering, Buju, FAVE and Nomfundo Moh.

Apple Music also selected Nigerian Afrobeats singer-songwriter Tems as its Up Next artist in 2021, Nigerian Afropop star Rema in 2020, Grammy Award-winning Afrofusion superstar Burna Boy in 2019, and Nigerian singer and entrepreneur Mr Eazi as the first recipient in 2017. Up Next is Apple Music’s global emerging artist program.