Top Five Africa's Musicians Lighting Up 2023

Sputnik Africa highlights the top 5 African singers who have captivated audiences, broken boundaries, and defined the musical scene in 2023.

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has emerged as one of the most vibrant music stars of the past year, not only on the continent but also on the global stage.

This fall, the Afrobeat maestro achieved a unique feat for African musicians - he became the first African artist to top the UK album charts.

Burna Boy managed to achieve this after releasing his seventh studio album entitled "I Told Them" on August 24.

The album also earned the Nigerian a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Album, and his hits "Alone" and "City Boys" were shortlisted for Best Global Music Performance and Best African Music Performance, respectively.

Damini has also set a new record as the first African to have two songs debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in a single calendar year.

Burna Boy's "2023" broke the ten million streaming mark, and the film adaptations of the work reached 50 million views, with tons of positive comments.

Another gifted Nigerian musician, Davido, or, David Adedeji Adeleke, maintains his status as a force to be reckoned with in the Afrobeat scene in 2023.

With the release of his much talked about album "Timeless" in spring, which featured collaborations with some of the biggest names in the industry such as Skepta and Musa Keys, Davido continued to conquer musical heights.

"Timeless" has set countless records for the continent: the most listens to African artist in a single day, the highest number of pre-orders for an album by an African artist, the most simultaneous tracks in the Top 100 chart on various music platforms. It is easier to say which records remained unbroken!

The music video for the same song, which is undoubtedly the crowning achievement in Davido's discography this year, has received 81 million views on YouTube.

The icing on the cake for Davido's musical exploits in 2023 was a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Album for "Timeless," along with two other nominations; Best Global Music Performance for "Feel" and Best African Music Performance for "Unavailable." He is up against compatriot Burna Boy in all categories.

Davido's influence spread across the ocean, as he was recognized as an "outstanding citizen" of the US state of Georgia by the Georgia House of Representatives in early December.

Nigeria seems to be a smithy of musical talent with another excellent alumnus - Rema whose real name is Divine Ikubor.

Rema is on the same level as Burna Boy and Davido in the Afrobeat scene, and in some ways he surpasses them.

The highlight of the artist's musical journey in 2023 was his global hit with Selena Gomez, "Calm Down," which was released last year but gained global popularity in 2023.

"Calm Down" made the Nigerian the first African artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a year and also became the most popular Nigerian song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching 3d position.

The significance of Rema's success goes beyond his chart-topping performances. He has been invited to perform at prestigious events such as the Golden Ball in front of the world's elite footballers.

Asake, Nigeria's Afrobeat newcomer, has become a sensation on the global music scene this year thanks to his deeply charismatic personality and impressive stage presence.

With a staggering 240.1 million on-demand streams and the release of his debut album, "Mr Money With The Vibe," which garnered a remarkable 440 million on-demand streams in Nigeria alone, Asake's year has been an exhilarating journey.

Asake won the music category at this year's Future Awards Africa in Lagos, Nigeria.

The Nigerian, whose music videos have consistently garnered tens of millions of views, was nominated for a Grammy for the first time in 2023 for his collaboration with Olamide, "Amapiano," in the Best Performance of African Music category.

As for other awards, he went home with a brand-new car after winning the highly coveted Next Rated category at the 2023 Headies Award in September.

Tyla Laura Seethal (Tyla), the youngest artist on this list and the only one from South Africa. 21-year-old Tyla is already a star in her home country, having been nominated for two South African music awards.

In 2023, she reached unprecedented musical heights. With "Water," the title single from her forthcoming debut EP, she also became the first South African solo artist in 55 years to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

The single, hyped in Tik-Tok, also earned her a Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance.

Tyla has also reached the number one chart position in her career, topping the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for her record "Been Thinking."

As we celebrate the musical brilliance of these artists, it's clear that African music is not just a genre, but voices that resonate globally.