Top performers like Ayra Starr, Tems, Labianca, Yemi Alade, Tiwa Savage, are now household names in Afrobeats as they continue to produce back-to-back hits.
But there are other exciting emerging acts that more or less represent the future of popular female legends in the globally accepted music of African origin.
Here are five names you may not be familiar with, along with a brief description of what they have been up to since they appeared on the scene.
Morravey
Born Daniella Ibinabo Daniel, Morravey, has been on the music scene for a while but announced her presence in Afrobeats on Tuesday, November 2, 2023, with her debut Extended Play (EP) titled Ravi.
The Nigerian singer is a signee of the Davido Music World (DMW) record label, and her latest EP has songs such as What Is Love, High Again, Condo, My Baby with the record reaching number six on the Nigerian Apple Music Top Album Chart bearly 24 hours of its release.
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From humble beginnings in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, she believed in “little steps forward” until she met Davido, who featured her on the song In the Garden on Davido’s Timeless Album.
In addition to singing, she is a full-time medical student at Rivers State University. She posted videos of herself singing covers of various songs on social media platforms until her discovery.
Bloody Civilian
Her real name is Emoseh Khamofu. She was raised in Abuja, Nigeria. As early as eight years old, she began writing songs which she would perform for her parents. A school talent show ignited her desire to pursue music.
She began recording vocals and creating songs with a few plug-ins and extra learning tools embedded in the Audacity software.
The young songstress grew up listening to R&B and hip-hop and later graduated into trap music when in high school.
Coming from the Northern part of Nigeria, her name “Bloody Civilian” came from the somewhat derogatory term soldiers called civilians in the area. She settled on that name as a way to “empower” herself.
The singer-songwriter is signed to 0207 Def Jam, a UK arm of Def Jam Recordings and is noted for her single “How To Kill A Man” and “Wake Up” featuring Rema, used as soundtrack in the movie Black Panther.
She is described in local media as one of the “most radical of emerging mavericks in the Nigerian music scene.” Some of her works include Anger Management, released in June 2023, I don’t like You, and Mad Apology featuring Odumodublvck. She was named Rookie of the Year at the 2023 Headies Awards.
Qing Madi
Chimamanda Pearl Chukwuma, known by her stage name Qing Madi, was born in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. She became known through her hit single See Finish, made popular by TikTok.
She later featured prominently on the song Ole ft BNXN, which peaked at Number 1 and 3 on Uganda Apple Music and Nigeria Apple Music respectively. She has another single titled Why released in 2023.
Qing Madi’s music genres include Afrobeat, Pop, Soul, and R&B. In 2023, Spotify announced selected her as the Spotify Africa Equal Ambassador for the month of June.
Her single Ole featuring Bnxn, The song, made entry into the Apple Music charts and peaked at Number 12 on ‘Turntable’ on the Official Nigeria Top 100 chart.
Raebel
Raebel, originally known as Ademuyiwa Oluwatobi Christiana is a Nigerian Afro dancehall artiste and is currently signed to Konvest Music. She is the first child from a family of six and hails from Ogun State.
The 20-year-old, known for her freestyling skills, has songs including, Mini Skirt, Bad to Mee, Kash and Carry and continues to make steady progress in the industry.
She started gaining attention when a social media influencer discovered one of her freestyles on Instagram, and her impact on the music scene has since been described as significant.
The singer settled on the name Raebel because she believed it best explains who she is and what her music is all about. The name again gives her “the type of confidence” she lacked.
Her debut single blends dancehall and afrobeat elements and has gained popularity in her home country and elsewhere.