African musicians who impressed in 2023

Music In Africa concludes 2023 with a list of the African musicians who impressed our regional editors throughout the year.

Southern Africa

Zakes Bantwini (South Africa)

After two decades in the music industry, Zakes Bantwini reached the pinnacle in 2023 with the track ‘Bayethe’ alongside Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance category, catapulting his career to new heights. In May, he headlined a show dubbed Muzika in Brooklyn, New York. It was his first performance in the Big Apple after appearing in Miami during Formula 1 weekend. Mercedes-Benz South Africa announced in June that Zakes Bantwini would become part of its Friend of the Brand programme. The collaboration involves Zakes Bantwini driving the AMG EQS 53, the company’s flagship electric car. He is now the second ambassador of the programme after South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi.

In July, talent management agency, Aline signed Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Boity Thulo as its flagship acts. Zakes Bantwini also signed a three-year contract with the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, allowing him to launch Abantu Festival, which he headlined becoming the first African artist to headline a concert at the stadium. A couple of months later, he headlined the DStv Delicious International Food & Music Festival in Johannesburg along with fellow Grammy winners Maxwell (US) and Tems (Nigeria). That same month, Zakes Bantwini, Major League DJz and the late Brenda Fassie were added to the soundtrack for the EA Sports FC 2024 game.

Uncle Wuffles (eSwatini)

For the past two years, Uncle Wuffles has been on an upward trajectory and is showing no signs of slowing down. Born Lungelihle Zwane, the eSwatini-born South Africa-based artist headlined her first international show at New York’s Great Hall at Avant Gardner in 2023. “A global ambassador for amapiano,” according to Rolling Stone, the 23-year-old DJ released two albums, ASYLUM and SOLACE this year.

Forbes Africa’s 12th birthday issue, which honoured the movers and shakers of Africa’s booming music sector, featured Uncle Waffles on one of three covers. A year after signing a deal with Jägermeister in 2022, she landed another big gig as the brand ambassador of KFC South Africa. In August, Apple Music featured her as an Isgubhu cover star in an effort to elevate the work of African electronic DJs, producers and artists. Among her achievements this year, the ‘Peacock Revisit’ hitmaker garnered an overall 33 million streams and 5.6 million listeners worldwide.

Tyler ICU (South Africa)

South African artist, Tyler ICU made a splash with his hit track ‘Mnike’, which amassed millions of streams. ‘Mnike’ made history as the fastest South African track to reach 10 million streams on Spotify. Less than three months since its release, the song went multi-platinum and became an anthem representing South Africa. ‘Mnike’ peaked at No 1 for 16 consecutive weeks on the Official South African and Billboard South Africa Songs charts. It earned him a nomination at the 2023 MTV EMAs for Best African Act, which he lost to Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz. ‘Mnike’ also took the No 1 position on Spotify Wrapped’s Most Streamed Songs in SA chart for 2023.

Kabza De Small (South Africa)

South African producer Kabza De Small is no stranger to success for his massive contribution to the South African amapiano scene. Between February and April, the 31 year old and his long-time production partner DJ Maphorisa completed the remaining dates of their Scorpion Kings Summer Tour in Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Johannesburg and Rustenburg. This tour followed the success of last year’s shows in Cape Town, Mbombela, East London and Kimberley.

Kabza De Small made the nation proud when Canadian rapper Drake announced him as one of the producers of his It's All a Blur tour, which began on 5 July and ends on 27 March 2024. In November, he won four trophies at the South African Music Awards. He also remained the most streamed South African artist on Spotify for a second consecutive year with two of his projects, KOA II Part 1 and The Konka Mixtape: Sweet & Dust, rounding out the top five most streamed South African albums.

Anglophone West Africa

Burna Boy (Nigeria)

The self-styled Afro-fusion pioneer has been the foremost cultural ambassador for the continent for years. This year, he continued in this vein, maintaining his place among the top streamed African artists across multiple digital streaming platforms. Burna Boy released his seventh studio album I Told Them in September and became the first Afrobeats artist to secure a UK No 1 chart position. He also deepened his reputation among Africa’s most successful touring artists by taking on big stadiums around the world, notably the 60 000-capacity London Stadium in June.

Africa’s first Afrobeats Grammy winner scored four nods at the 66th Grammys slated for early next year, including for Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best African Music Performance. This year also saw him win BET’s Best International Act Award for a historic fourth time, having previously claimed the title in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He also become the first African act to surpass 1 billion streams on Audiomack. US publication Rolling Stone also ranked him No 197 on its list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.

Rema (Nigeria)

The West African Afrobeats scene has long faced criticism for not producing major superstars other than the usual trio of Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido. But 2023 saw Rema emerge as a bona fide rockstar, and in many ways assumed the role of spokesperson for the genre. Rema wrapped up this year as the top exported artist in sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to the popularity of ‘Calm Down’ featuring Selena Gomez. In November, Rema became the latest Afrobeats star to sell out the 20 000-capacity O2 Arena in London as part of his world tour, placing him in the ranks of the aforementioned big three and, recently, Asake, who have sold out the famous venue. Before that, he performed at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris.

Ayra Starr (Nigeria)

Signed to Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records, Ayra Starr was tipped by music video network Vevo as an artist on the cusp of global breakthrough in 2023. This year saw her living up to that expectation by becoming one of Nigeria’s most streamed female acts across all major digital platforms. A steady streak of pop hits, including ‘Rush’, made her a staple within the global pop conversation, after earning diamond certification in France. On YouTube, ‘Rush’, which has already received platinum and silver certifications in Canada and the UK, respectively, has been streamed more than 285 million times.

Ayra Starr is a nominee at the upcoming Grammy Awards, after scoring her first nomination in the Best African Performance category, introduced as part of a larger set of updates and amendments by the Recording Academy to make the awards process “more fair, transparent and accurate.” Earlier this month, the singer also made BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 longlist.

East Africa

Bien (Kenya)

Where to start? From appearing on just about every hit song in Kenya this year to releasing his debut solo album Alusa Why Are You Topless? Bien, aka Bien Aime Baraza, has shown he is a force in the East African music industry. All-pervading, unstoppable and possessed of talent that can start a fire, Bien had Kenyans eating out of the palm of his hand in 2023. Africa and the rest of the world should be on the lookout come 2024, as this former Sauti Sol vocalist has what it takes to climb to the very top.

Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)

Bruce Melodie is the official poster boy of Rwandan pop with the talent to back it up. Having dominated the airwaves at home, it was only natural for his peers across the border to take notice. This has resulted in collaborative offerings with musicians in the region, but it is his recently released joint effort with global dancehall superstar Shaggy that's got everyone talking.

Spice Diana (Uganda)

Spice Diana is a music powerhouse. With a continuous stream of hits and rabid tabloid attention, she is one of East Africa’s top popstars at the moment. Her latest single ‘Omulembe' is packed with Afropop 101 lessons that all upcoming artists should be taking note of.

Zuchu (Tanzania)

This Tanzanian sensation is not only talented but has truly embraced her superstar status. A diva in all senses, Zuchu has mastered the pop game and turned into her own, delivering hit after hit and a steady stream of fodder for the gossip bloggers in 2023.

Francophone West Africa

Didi B (Ivory Coast)

If you had to choose one impressive artist in West Africa this year, it would certainly be Didi B. He won the Song of the Year Award at the 2023 All Africa Music Awards for his hit ‘Tala’, the Best West African Artist Award at the 2023 Trace Awards, and the 2023 Primud d'Or for Best Ivorian Artist of the Year. Didi B owes much of his success to ‘Shogun’, a single recorded in Dakar, Senegal, and for featuring Dadju on ‘l'argent’. He also performed at top concerts, notably the 15th edition of FEMUA in Ivory Coast, alongside French rapper Booba.

Viviane Chidid (Senegal)

Like fine wine, Viviane Chidid improves with each season. After a fine year in 2022, the ‘Queen of Sabar-fusion’ has created even more sparks with her fusion pop and mbalax, inspired by the traditional rhythms of her country. With her hits ‘Surprise’ and ‘Par Force’, she has dazzled Senegalese and African fans alike, and it came as no surprise when she won the title of Female Artist of the Year at the 2023 Trace Awards, ahead of her brilliant colleagues Ayra Starr (Nigeria), Josey (Ivory Coast), Nadia Mukami (Kenya), Soraia Ramos (Portugal/Cape Verde) and Tiwa Savage (Nigeria).

Seckou Keita (Senegal)

Senegalese musician Seckou Keita’s exemplary career has garnered him numerous awards, including the BBC Radio Award in 2000, the Best Album in Africa and the Middle East, awarded by British magazine Songlines in 2016, and the 2019 Musician of the Year Award, presented by the BBC at its Folk Awards gala. This year, the kora player received an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University, a distinction he himself considers a great achievement. Seckou received critical acclaim in 2023 when he released African Rhapsodies with the BBC Concert Orchestra. With its unique content exploring classics of African tribal music, African Rhapsodies is a new take on Afro-European high-art collaborations. 

Central Africa

Fally Ipupa (DRC)

Congolese singer Fally Ipupa received the Exceptional Flames Prize in Paris in May , and was even inducted as Prince of the Ekonda Culture by the Anamongo people in his country. In 2023, he received several award nominations and was named Best Central African Artist at the Jayli Awards. He also received the Best Live Award at the Trace Awards in Rwanda. He continued to redefine the boundaries of African music with his latest album Formule 7, released in December 2022.

Libianca (Cameroon)

Libianca is the first Cameroonian artist to appear on the US Billboard Afrobeats Songs Chart. She ranked second in the rankings with her song ‘People’. In June, she earned the Viewer’s Choice: Best New International Act accolade at the 2023 BET Awards. She then won the coveted Best Central African Artist of the Year Award at the 2023 Headies. Libianca’s success demonstrates the increasing influence and recognition of Central African artists in the African and global music industries.

Krys M (Cameroon)

Krys M is worthy of admiration for her rise to fame. Her music ranks among the most successful by Central African artists in 2023. In spite of her success with ‘A chacun sa chance’ the previous year, the young Cameroonian has once again set the bar high with ‘Qui croira verra’. As a result of the song’s release, she was nominated for several awards in Africa, winning Best Female Artist at the CIMFEST Awards, Best Central African Artist at the Kunde d'Or Awards as well as Best Female Artist, Best Popular Song, and Best Digital Performance at Canal2or.

North Africa

Dystinct (Morocco/Belgium)

In 2023, Dystinct released hit after hit and initiated several fruitful collaborations, such as ‘Tek tek’ with rapper MHD, ‘Darba 9adiya’ featuring Moha K and Yam, and ‘Y Dor’ with Algerian singer Soolking. In addition to winning a Trace Award for Best North African Artist, Dystinct was also nominated for the Belgian Revelation of the Year Award at the 2023 NRJ Music Awards. The multilingual (Dutch, English, French and Arabic) artist’s rise to stardom came in 2021 with the release of ‘Mon Voyage’, which was the best-selling Moroccan album for the that year. Additionally, Dystinct gained international recognition with ‘Ghazali’, which became the anthem of the Atlas Lions during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Soolking (Algeria)

Hitmaker Soolking has once again proved his undisputed talent as the ‘Prince of French Urban Pop/R&B’. Hit song ‘Casanova’, sampled from Magic System’s ‘Premier Gaou’, quickly conquered the charts, reaching the remarkable milestone of more than 100 million streams. ‘Casanova’ climbed to fourth place in the overall SNEP (Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique) chart and received a nomination for the 2023 NRJ Music Awards, in two categories.

Wegz (Egypt)

This year was one of many accolades for Egyptian rapper Wegz, who has established himself as an undisputed talent in Egypt, rising from underground Egyptian trap acene to superstar status. He has retained his title of most listened-to artist in Egypt for three years running on Spotify Arabia and Anghami, with more that 45 million streams in 11 countries.

Fusing shaâbi and electro, Wegz delivers a distinctive and precise flow that pushes boundaries and sets new standards. Propelled onto the international scene by his half-time performance at the FIFA World Cup final between France and Argentina in 2022, he has since opened up new horizons, performing in Berlin, London and Washington, D.C.

Faouizia (Morocco)

A double award winner at the 2023 All Africa Music Awards in Dakar, Senegal, Faouzia lit up the music scene with two prestigious awards: Best African Female Artist in the Diaspora and Best Female Artist in North Africa. She was also the winner in the Best North African Artist/Group category at the first edition of the Jayli Awards in Ivory Coast. These exceptional accolades mark a significant milestone in the career of this young Moroccan artist. At just 21, Faouzia’s career is both rich and inspiring. She is now positioned as one of the most promising and prolific female voices of her generation.

A.L.A (Tunisia)

Tunisian hip hop is on a roll. In just a few years, the genre has gone from being marginalised, invisible and even banned to one of the most popular in the country. Talented rappers with inimitable flows are spearheading the protest movement, and hip hop is now the stronghold of Tunisia's hitmakers. Such is the case of A.L.A, a young suburbanite from the capital Tunis who has become one of the most adulated artists of his generation. Awarded Best Male Artist North Africa at the All Africa Music Awards, the young rapper is now contributing to the hybridisation of the Tunisian artistic landscape by tackling a variety of themes and absorbing new musical genres.