Best Songs From West Africa This Month

This October, the best songs from West Africa are, in some ways, all connected by matters of love: losing it, finding it, and making sense of it. The songs are also experiential, with Côte d’Ivoire’s Roseline Layo infusing mbalax into her latest track, a brave shift away from her usual sound and Nigeria’s Fireboy DML taking a deliciously ominous tone with his latest collaboration with Lojay. This month’s list is intriguing, compelling, and filled with music made by artists who are unafraid to push themselves.

Roseline Layo - “Dia” (Côte d’Ivoire)

Following a smash hit collaboration with Fatoumata Diawara, Roseline Layo releases “Dia,” a thrumming, heartfelt track that finds her displaying her impressive vocal prowess. The song is at once a ballad and an mbalax-laced track, a brave and well-executed shift away from her usual sound or perhaps, an expansion of it. It’s a testament to Layo’s proven range and broad musical influences. “Dia” thrums with energy and glides through the senses with the ease of a song that will likely be a classic.

Fatoumata Diawara - “Tcheba” (Mali)

As with any Fatoumata Diawara track, betrayal and deceit are intriguing subjects that reveal more about the human condition than the specific illustration her song is based on. “Tcheba” is a reflection on and solidarity with women who are betrayed by their cheating partners. Her ability to consider and focus on the big and small matters that define our everyday lives is a remarkable gift and a testament to her brilliance as a captivating storyteller and skilled musician. “Tcheba” is soft rock meets soft house, all floating through vibrant guitar compositions. Diawara offers her listeners one consolation: the only person who can understand the breadth of betrayal is God, who should be turned to in such moments for guidance. But you would be excused if you find yourself swimming away in the sure-footed groove of “Tcheba” long before its central theme sinks into you.

Axel Merryl - “Dans La Poussière” (Bénin)

Axel Merryl strikes a firm balance between hitmaker and love-stricken superstar in his latest track “Dans La Poussière.” The song is an expression of devotion to a subject of affection, and uses metaphors to color in the love he is feeling. Merryl is making a successful transition from skitmaker to music artist, and it’s working mostly because he has something interesting to say and has very interesting ways of saying it. 

Didi B ft Khaid - “Malade” (Côte d’Ivoire/Nigeria)

In “Malade,” Ivorian rapper Didi B continues his regional collaborations with a feature from Nigerian artist Khaid. In this lighthearted, groove-focused track, both artists employ contemporary Afropop effects to a successful degree. The chorus is delivered by a makeshift choir, the Afropop beat is underlined with amapiano beat patterns and the word ‘Malade’ is repeated with a consistency that makes it click. With each new collaboration, Didi B keeps deepening his connections with the Nigerian music industry which shares many similarities with his hometown’s. And in all of the ways that matter, it just keeps getting better.

Fireboy DML feat. Lojay - “Goddess” (Nigeria)

Nigerian superstars Fireboy DML and Lojay bring a sense of danger and intrigue to this “Goddess,” a groovy, Afro-pop track guided by an ominous quality and lighthearted lyrics. DML and Lojay share an affinity for propulsive lyrics and imagery that sharpen the senses, and they both overdeliver in that regard. They are both willing to surrender, their defences completely self-decimated with one goal in mind. It’s an intriguing perspective that makes “Goddess” so fun to listen to. It’s the thing that gives this track a riveting effect and the sense that the people who made it are secure in their feelings. Ultimately, “Goddess” is a dance track but also a laid-back hang that seeps slowly into the senses and just stays there.

Mia Guisse - “Antidote” (Senegal)

Mia Guisse hasn’t been immune to controversies. Her main priority, as heard on her latest Afro-pop track “Antidote,” is not to let them define her. “Antidote” is a statement, a well-earned one from a female artist whose boundary-pushing music has earned her both immense praise and intense backlash. Guisse dedicates “Antidote” to her loyal fans, but keeps her eyes trained on the conversations that have followed her and her career. “Antidote” acknowledges those conversations, but also declares that she will rise above them, advice her mother gave her that continues to be the antidote to any negative feelings. It also helps that at the heart of it, “Antidote” is an undoubtedly danceable track.

Kiki Celine - “One Wish” (Ghana)

Kiki Celine is one of Ghana’s most earnest Ghanaian indie artists. Her writing is often direct, a mix of imagery-led storytelling, deeply held confessions and a voice that oscillates between soft-rock and folk. Her song “One Wish” is a transparent, rarely metaphorized ode. Celine sings of yearning for things lost, things at arm's length but so far out of reach. Her vocalization of the gut-splitting sensation of wanting something you once had but can no longer have makes “One Wish” a striking track off her EP Everything That Broke Me. It also makes Celine an artist to watch, if for her sense of transparency and her willingness to hold her heart in her palm, inviting whoever is willing and brave to step close and have a look.

Mr Eazi ft MOLIY - “Comfort” (Nigeria/Ghana)

Mr Eazi and MOLIY pair up for a playfully sexy new song “Comfort” that has been making a case for one of the best Afro-pop songs released this year. “Comfort” opens with MOLIY’s signature soprano, opening the floor for a kind of desire that isn’t afraid to be playful yet doesn’t try too hard to be sensual. The beat is a well-honed mix of Afro-pop percussion, heavy basslines and flirty guitar strings. Eazi and MOLIY make a great team, with Eazi delivering sharp and consistently witty verses while MOLIY keeps things slightly psychedelic and wavy with her hooks. MOLIY’s versatility has been nothing short of impressive, and nowhere is her vast, often unpredictable range more evident and fascinating to witness than on “Comfort”. On Eazi’s part, if “Comfort” is anything to go by, we are about to witness a musical takeover that mirrors the wit and well-intentioned irreverence of his earlier works. 

King Promise - “Melody” (Ghana)

In “Melody,” a sticky-sweet new track by Ghanaian popstar, love and desire are compared to candy and melodies that excite the senses. Promise barely keeps matters of his heart light, over an unhurried beat. This decision occasionally gives his delivery a sense of conviction rather than an attempt at persuasion. You can tell that Promise believes himself. It’s a brilliant writing technique made believable by the fact that Promise has never shied away from baring his heart and saying exactly how he feels when it matters. “Melody” arrives just as the musical year in West Africa is winding down, and in many ways, its beat, its themes and the genteel delivery give it an elevated quality. There is no doubt that this track will soundtrack many day parties, countless beach hangouts or just a simple day out with that special someone.