In 2016, Drake released “One Dance,” a funky dance hall track that dominated the charts thanks in no small part to the influence of Wizkid, a feature on the song and one of the signature voices of the Afrobeats movement. Afrobeats is a genre that has been slowly gaining in popularity in the UK, the US and around the world. In addition to “One Dance,” you’ve heard Afrobeats if you’ve ever enjoyed “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez or “Water” by Tyla. So what exactly is Afrobeats as a genre? Sheila O., a global music businesswoman and host of Afrozons, the first Afrobeats radio show in the U.S., explains Afrobeats’ origins.
And those sounds have been taking the world by storm and now Afrobeats is a genre that looks to continue catapulting artists onto the top of the charts. One big way to do that has been gaining a foothold by contributing memorable features on other artists work and giving them new sounds to play around with. For example, Afrobeats artists like Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Saint Jhn were featured on Beyonce’s album “The Gift.” But these artists are also more than capable of doing it themselves. For instance, last year, Tyla won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance for her smash hit “Water.”
To explore Afrobeats further, check out Sheila O’s weekly show Afrozons, you can head to their website at Afrozons.com for local listings.
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