2022 was a great year for music. There was a consistent flow of good music across multiple genres and 2023 promises the same. The New Year offers a clean slate which gives artists more freedom, more inspiration, and to experience more growth. It also gives an opportunity for artists that have been in hibernation for the last couple of years to get back on the road now that festivals and tours are back in running.
Bubblegum Club takes a look at the top five mainstream African musicians to look out for in the New Year.
Mr. Eazi is one of the biggest artists to come from Nigeria and to come from the continent. His music has an international imprint largely thanks to a collection of hits and the increased interest in Afrobeats on mainstream pop.
The last full project he released was his critically acclaimed ‘Life is Eazi, Vol.2’ Lagos to London mixtape that came out in 2018. The Ghana-based songwriter and producer finished the last quarter of 2022 releasing a slew of records as he is gearing up towards his debut album. Mr Eazi describes the upcoming project as his most personal piece of work to date as he is more openly talking about changes in his life as well as his engagement to his fiancé, Temi Otedola. He says about the album, “On the album, you hear Yoruba traditional drums, horns, and serious African percussionists. This album is the most ‘expressive me’ my fans have ever seen. I think that was the surprising part – the things I talk about and sing about.”
Elaine became an international R&B sensation after the release of her first album, ‘Elements’ in 2019. The project amassed massive traction after releasing independently online. Since then, she has signed a major deal with Columbia Records – becoming label mates with Beyonce and Adele. The anticipation for her next project is at an all-time high and she has released two singles last year; ‘Shine’ in March and ‘Fading Away’ in October. There is no timeline yet but the songstress has been dropping teasers on her social media.
BET Award winning South African sensation has been blazing up the scene since her hit single ‘Gqi” in 20 before releasing her renowned album, ‘Limpopo Champions League’.
By the end of 2020, she released ‘What a Life’ album. Following the promotion cycle for that project, the songwriter and poet elected to shy away from public appearances and stages to focus on writing her children’s book, ‘Shoma on the Stars’ dedicated to her late sister and on making new music. She closed the year with her amapiano-inspired single and music video, ‘TORO’ as a teaser of her new musical and artistic direction. The ‘John Cena’ hitmaker revealed she plans on releasing her new album within the first half of the year.
After a two and a half year break where she toured her music and became a mother, Nakamura returns with her fourth solo effort titled ‘DNK’. The album follows up her chart-topping album ‘Nakamura’ which had the platinum selling single ‘Djadja’ which catapulted her onto the world stage and her third album ‘Aya’ (2019). In the interim, she has put out a couple of tunes like ‘Bobo’ in 2021 and ‘Dégaine’ (feat. Damso), ‘Wicked’, ‘VIP’ and ‘SMS’ that were released in 2022.
Her new album will come out by the end of January and it will feature collaborations with Tiakola, Kim and SDM.
The Okoye twin brothers or more famously known as P-Square broke hearts across the world when they announced the disbandment of the group. The split was sparked by a bitter family dispute which saw the brothers making music individually. However, in late 2021, the brothers celebrated their 40th birthday together; giving fans hope that not only that they had reconciled but they would release new music. 2022 came and went with them touring the world and performing their classics to 100 cities.
They have revealed plans to release a new album this year. It would be their seventh joint studio project and with their creative minds and their experiences converging, it is guaranteed to be excellent.
