When it came to popularizing African sounds and culture, you could only look to Kidjo and a few other artists. Kidjo was in good company in 2024. When thinking about the biggest cultural moments of 2024, it’s hard to ignore the many African women who were at the center of it all. grammy met gala and for olympicsJust a few highlights: In February, Tyla won the first Best African Music Performance Grammy for her viral pop hit, “Water.” Three months later at the Met Gala, she turned the head When she arrived in a custom Balmain dress that transformed her into a sand sculpture. After working with Rihanna, Beyonce and Drake, Thames dropped their long-awaited soulful debut album born in the forestIn the Olympics, Aya NakamuraJoe, who was born in Mali and raised in France, took center stage at the opening ceremony. Ayra Star– who sings in English, Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin and French – released her second album, before dominating the festival circuit throughout the summer.
Over the past decade, global African music has been dominated by Afrobeats, the catchy rhythmic style most popularized by Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido. However some women were successful, including the “Queen of Afrobeats”. Tiwa Savage, This style was dominated by men. In recent years, a new generation of female artists have emerged and with them, a fusion of sounds – from Starr’s pop sound, to Thames’s sultry RnB-adjacent sound, to Tyla’s clubby amapiano. His rise in pop culture reminds us that there is no one way to be African.
French-Malian singer Aya Coco Denioko, aka Aya Nakamura, in Paris in April.Photo: Julian De Rosa/Getty Images
