Gracey Mae Believes the Future of Afrobeats is in Diversification
The music executive, journalist and champion of African art spoke to Martell ‘Swift Conversations’ host Adesope Olajide about what brought Afrobeats to its current state, and where exactly she thinks it should go next.
Gracey Mae talks Afrobeats with Adesope Olajide on Martell’s 'Swift Conversations.'
Photo courtesy of Martell
As Gracey Mae sees it, Afrobeats experienced a peculiar case of cultural dilution in 2025 through genre blending. “What we’re finding is, a lot of artists, because they are attempting to crack new markets, they may change their lingo, they may change the cadence, they may change the beat pattern,” Mae tells host Adesope Olajide in the latest episode of Martell’s Swift Conversations. “And suddenly something that is traditionally Afrobeats, the music that we know and love, becomes something that's a bit too foreign for the local market, but also not foreign enough for the market they’re trying to penetrate. And this year (2025) we’ve seen quite a bit of that.”
Mae is one of the foremost champions of African talent. With her impact across the voting boards of the Grammys, BET and other prestigious award bodies, the multi-hyphenate has been working in front and behind the scenes of African music, ardently watching and contributing to the global ascension of Afrobeats music. This episode saw Gracey offer astute observations on where Afrobeats is and timely suggestions on where it needs to go.
Further into this episode, Olajide and Mae dive into the factors that brought Afrobeats its biggest challenges in 2025, the rising speculation of the genre reaching a peak season and what a reimagined idea of the genre might grow to become. Gracey is particularly keen to see Afro artists extend their identities beyond just entertainment and into other cultural pillars, including food, sports, etc. “I am excited to see (for 2026) more artists making deliberate efforts to penetrate the consciousness because our attention span is so short these days and we have so many options,” she says.
The episode also dug into changing listening habits, with Gracey pointing out the prominence of this change amongst younger listeners. Ultimately, this episode provides refreshing insights on what Afroneats needs to do to revitalise itself and create a pathway towards cultural sustainability.
Watch the episode below:
