Artists of any African musical style can gain a nomination, whether they make Ethio-jazz, Ghanaian drill, high life, or kwassa. Three of the five tracks nominated take stylistic cues from amapiano, with ASAKE even namechecking the genre in the title of his nominated track. There are more established artists in this field, but none feel as momentous as Asake, whose rapid rise to fame feels at times like the Afrobeats equivalent of Beatlemania.
The key to his appeal lies in his embrace of sounds from all over the continent, especially amapiano. After earning his first UK No.
Asake may have risen to fame based on his embrace of Amapiano, but Davido has been boosting the genre for even longer.
Back in he joined forces with amapiano DJ and MC Focalistic on "Champion Sound," giving the style a crucial early foothold into the Afrobeats scene. A brighter, smoother take on the sound with triumphant choral vocals on the hook, it features confident verses from Davido and collaborator Musa Keys. The album also gained the most single-day streams for any African album on Apple Music.
Born in French-speaking Benin to Nigerian parents, the year-old moved frequently during childhood, eventually ending up in Lagos to pursue music. After a brief stint in modeling, she signed to the star-making Mavin Records label in , only their third female act. The youngest nominee on this list and the lone South African artist, year-old Tyla is already a star in her home country, having been nominated for two South African Music Awards.
