Why Amaarae deserves to top global charts
the moment
A year on from the release of her glittering debut, Amaarae ‘s music is topping charts globally. In the past week alone, her genre-defying debut album ‘The Angel You Don’t Know’ has gained her new levels of recognition days from celebrating its one-year anniversary. While it’s a warming moment for the genre-bending singer and rapper, for many who have been paying close attention since ‘Passionfruit Summers’, this current moment has been imminently approaching for while now.
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This week, Amaarae’s expansive catalogue of music have been all the rave. Off the back of her globe-throttling appearances, which found her live at the Pitchfork fest and gracing stages from the United States to London and Europe for her CRAZY WURLD tour, the Ghanaian-American singer and rapper is now reaping the rewards of years of hard work, which have only been made more feasible due to her gargantuan ambitions.
The remix to her standout single “SAD GURLZ LUV MONEY” ft. Moliy and Kali Uchis is steadily gaining traction on charts around the world, months from its initial release. Over the past few days alone, Amaarae has moved up from a few thousand videos using her song on TikTok to racking in over a million videos. Alongside this, she’s shot to the summit of the Shazam US charts this week after making her debut on the chart only a few weeks ago. To sweeten this moment even further, the record has gone to top other global charts including No.1 on the global Spotify Viral 50 chart, No. 12 on the Billboard World Albums chart and No.5 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100.
In one single day, the Kali Uchis-assisted number did a clean sweep across streaming platforms, garnering over 2 million streams on Spotify alone, a sizeable amount of streams for an African artist, particularly one who is operating independently and without any major label backing. This feat is certainly one worth celebrating, particularly as a female African artist operating outside the tenets and boundaries of a male-centred music industry. Already, listeners and loyal fans are already calling for Amaarae’s blueprint to be followed to a tee as she embarks on this new stage of her career, but what these comments fail to take into account is the fact that success rarely happens overnight.
— Fountain Baby (@amaarae) November 9, 2021
Three years ago, the alternative scene was buzzing with some of the newest and brightest stars in the current Afropop vanguard. From Lagos to Accra and Johannesburg, an emerging class of new acts were bypassing industry gatekeepers and making music that met the demand for something new and different. Amaarae was one of such names making headlines, alongside the boys of La Même Gang from Ghana. At the time, her melody-driven sound and fettered authenticity were both ammunition used to fuel polarising conversations against the validity of her music, but these debates have only quelled as she’s risen to the top, off the back of her own distinct sound.
Amaarae has always been an adventurous artist and a risk-taker. Right from ‘Passionfruit Summers’, the singer and rapper has set a vast tone for where she is able to go sonically and lyrically. She carried this on throughout the years, first delivering a string of unmissable singles and collaborations such as the Cruel Santino-assisted “Rapid Fire”, “LIKE IT” and “Spend Some Time” featuring Wande Coal to the release of her genre-defying debut ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ her most cohesive and coherent effort to date.
Similar to Omah Lay who has established himself as one of Nigeria’s most promising contemporary artists all within the space of a year to Tems who continues to break boundaries unknown to many women in Afropop to even CKay whose smash hit “Love Nwantiti” is making head waves across the world, it is ostensibly clear that Afropop is witnessing its defining moment, all bolstered by its new vanguard of hitmakers. Amaarae is definitely in great company as she now joins the ranks of African artists who have topped global charts this year and introduced a new template of authenticity and self-confidence to the current soundscape.
Perhaps Amaarae’s crowning moment was destined all along–it was only a matter of time. Anyone who knows their salt on the music industry is aware of the reach and impact that Latin artists have on music with their English-speaking counterparts. The Latin-English collaboration pipeline is one that has been tried and tested to produce colossal results as we’ve seen from artists such as Bad Bunny, Luis Fonsi, Rosalia and more, however, Amaarae’s use of this formula now points to the future of transcultural collaborations that favour African artists on a global scale. Whatever the case, it’s hard to imagine any of Amaa’s contemporaries more destined for a moment like this than her, she’s been teetering the lines of an international crossover for a while now.
With the Yinka Bernie-produced single “SAD GURLZ LUV MONEY,” Amaarae’s music is finally collecting real estate and reverence as it rightly should. Currently, she’s one of the few African artists operating in a lane entirely of their own making. With the visibility that this traction will offer Amaaraee, it’s clear that the singer is being ushered into the next phase of her career, one where she sheds her rookie status for veteran tendencies.
Featured image credits/Youtube
ICYMI: A Review of Amaarae’s ‘The Angel You Don’t Know’
Asake Links With Tiakola On Gritty “BADMAN GANSTA”
Another step towards ‘Money,’ his fourth
Street-pop star, Asake, has released a surprise new single titled “BADMAN GANSTA.” Produced by super producer, P.Priime, the single, Asake’s second of the year, arrives with a crisp black and white feature and a stellar guest verse from French rapper and singer Tiakola.
The singer posted the full music video–a monochromatic montage of dazzling shots and scenes of his opulent lifestyle–across his different social media handles on Thursday evening, July 24, with a caption that read, ‘The World Of Money.’
Earlier in June, the ex-YBNL star announced a new album titled ‘Money.’ A few months before that, he released a loosie titled “Military” and then “WHY LOVE,” his first official single under his new imprint Giran Republic. “Military” served as a bookend to the first arc of his impressive career as much as an announcement of a new era, while “WHY LOVE” officially kicked off season two.
Following the release of “WHY LOVE,” Asake has also featured on songs like Olamide’s “99,” J Hus’ “Gold”, and Young Jonn’s “Che Che,” delivering standout verses that favour a melodious, laid-back approach as opposed to the spirited, fast-paced style that earned him success early on. “BADMAN GANSTA” also excels with this approach, as Asake’s melodious musings about his current lifestyle dovetail nicely with Tiakola’s equally sturdy verse over a plush beat that samples Amerie’s 2005 classic “1 Thing.”
With Asake releasing three albums in as many years, it’s not unreasonable to assume ‘Money’ might arrive before the end of the year. There’s also the possibility that he might be willing to take his time a little more now, seeing as he his under his imprint now.
Whatever the case may be, ‘Money’ is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, and it will be fascinating to see what other aces Asake has up his sleeves.
Listen to “BADMAN GANSTA” here.
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Ayra Starr Releases Her Sizzling Anthem, “Hot Body”
An 11th-hour summer anthem for the
Ayra Starr has released her highly anticipated single “Hot Body.”
The Mavin popstar has been teasing the new single for a few weeks now, posting multiple promotional videos across social media that built up significant excitement for her third official release of the year. The release of “Hot Body” comes on the heels of recent reports that confirmed the Grammy-nominated singer had officially joined Roc Nation’s roster, the American music label, entertainment, and sports services company founded by rapper and business mogul JAY-Z.
Earlier in February, Ayra Starr shared “All The Love,” a sumptuous Afropop ballad produced by labelmate Johnny Drille and Teemode, before releasing the sleek and sensual Wizkid-assisted “Gimmie Dat” about months later. In that time period, the singer picked up two awards at the 2025 MOBO Awards for Best African Music Act and Best International Act before also clinching her first BET award for Best International Act in June.
It was recently announced that the pop singer would be joining Coldplay on the UK leg of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour between August to September, and her impressive year continues with the release of “Hot Body.” Once again, teaming up with close collaborator Ragee and UK production duo The Elements, Ayra Starr manages to deliver a sweetly erotic summer jam that’s sure to elicit plenty lip-biting, hip gyrating, and flirty winks. “Look what a hot body can do,” she sings repeatedly, almost like an enchantress performing a magic trick.
With her current deal with Mavin and Universal Music still running and the recent confirmation of her management deal with Roc Nation, it’s safe to assume that “Hot Body” might garner significant momentum both at home and abroad. Outside of her music, the singer recently wrapped up the shooting of the film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone which is reportedly set for release in early 2027.
Listen to “Hot Body” here.
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Zulo Details His Evolution On New ‘Z’ EP
Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a...
ZULO is no stranger to reinvention. Formerly known as Lil Trix, the rapper rose through the ranks with a series of gritty mixtapes that chronicled his upbringing, thrills, and connection to the community. Since his rebrand, he’s steadily grown into a renowned voice in South African Hip-Hop, regarded for his storytelling, cultural homage, and genre fusion.
Three years after the release of ‘Talk To Me Naace,’ his reintroduction to the scene, ZULO has returned with ‘Z,’ a three-track EP that shows a glimpse of his evolution as an artist and human. Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a refined sound that’s bold, emotional, and distinctly South African.
The three-tracker opens with “God’s Armour,” a gospel-inflected protest anthem layered with brass and trap drums. It is followed by “Sweeter Success,” an infectious Afropop-inspired groove built around a nostalgic sample of UPZ’s iconic “Pure Surprise”. Beneath its shine lies a darker message: the emotional cost of ambition, the toll of always pushing for more. ZULO produced the track himself, with additional production from Miglow and SpiceDrums.
‘Z’ closes with “Spaan”, a gritty street anthem that samples Kamazu and confronts addiction, poverty, and the lingering scars of apartheid through the lens of coloured identity. “These songs are battle cries and war journals,” ZULO says. “‘Z’ is everything I’ve fought through to stand where I am. The EP follows a strong run of 2024 singles, including “Adawise,” “JOL,” “Garden,” and “Smaak To Love (Lamza).”
Listen to ‘Z’ here.
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