An African Artist Does Not Automatically Equate to Afrobeats

Tiwa Savage, Davido, and Mr Eazi were all featured for the May 23, 2020 Issue of Billboard Magazine which is absolutely incredible. The three artists were able to provide an introspective look into how they are “Taking The Global Stage—And Making The Industry Come To Them”. Throughout the feature the artists discussed their respective journeys in the music industry, stereotypes about Africa, investing in Africa, and the importance of acknowledging the diversity in music across Africa.

A major takeaway from the latest feature was the the fact that African artists should not automatically be classified into the Afrobeats genre. The reality of the matter is that Africa has 54 countries and they represent people that will produce their own unique sounds and dictate their own music trends. Which sparks the necessary discussion to dig deeper when searching for and presenting African artists to other parts of the world. As well as not constricting artists on music charts to simply music from Africa lists. African artists are taking part in exploring and creating music in a plethora of genres like Afrobeats, Highlife, Banku, Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Alternative Folk, Afro-Soul, etc. Essentially, African artists are limitless in their musical genre choices and are just as great as any other artist. With the success and popularity of Africa to the World, this is just the beginning of African artists breaking barriers and entering the discussions of mainstream music. It’s better to catch on now to all of the talent that Africa has to offer, then to get left behind.

To read the full Billboard feature click here.

Moving forward GVFM will be making more of an effort to frequently highlight and feature more African artists.