News Brief
Damola Durosomo
Jan. 24, 2018 11:53AM EST

Katy Perry Is Performing In South Africa and Some People are Actually Excited

The "Fireworks" singer is heading to Johannesburg in July as part of her Witness Tour.

"Teenage Dream" singer and poster woman for white, female cultural appropriation, Katy Perry, dropped some major news yesterday: the singer will be making her way to South Africa for two shows in July as part of her worldwide Witness Tour.

The singer seemed pretty excited to share the news yesterday via Twitter—except we're not exactly sure how excited to be about this news.

Our first reaction was: who asked for this?

But much to our surprise, it seems like the singer might have somewhat of a fanbase in the country, as many folks on Twitter have expressed their anticipation for the upcoming show. And, apparently the singer's album "Witness" is currently number nine on the South African iTunes chart.

And then there's this person who is apparently also a Taylor Swift fan. Wow.

Other folks, however, seem to share our confusion.

Whether or not we would spend our hard earned money to see Katy Perry—we would not—is irrelevant. If her performing in South Africa means that some of her most enthusiastic fans will get an opportunity to see her, we really can't be mad at that.

We still won't pretend to get it though.

News Brief
Ikenna Nwagboso (BANKU MUSIC)

Mr Eazi and J Balvin Cross Continents to Bring Us 'Lento'

This sizzling afropop and reggaeton hit is surely a collab sent straight from heaven.

In an end of year collaboration sent straight from heaven, Nigeria's Mr Eazi and Colombia's J Balvin join forces and cultures to bring fans "Lento." The two continue their delectable cross-continental bond on the brilliant and infectious new hit.

The sizzling new single has something for fans of afropop, reggaeton, and everything in between.

The two music giants manage to perfectly bridge and melt their musical worlds together on an unmistakable Nigerian beat, courtesy of bad ass producer KILLERTUNES. All the while exchanging lyrics in Spanish, Yoruba and English, with a nod to Elvis Crespo's merengue classic "Suavemente."

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News Brief
Photo: Darren Gerrish/WireImage for Nownessn via GettyImages

South Sudanese Top Model Aweng Ade Chuol & Her Wife Embrace On Cover of Elle UK

If the love doesn't inspire you to push boundaries and move fearlessly, we don't want it!

South Sudanese Top Model Aweng Ade Chuol and her wife Alexus Ade-Chuol braved the seemingly endless sea of criticism against African LGBTQ+ communities by posing on Elle UK's January 2021 issue together.

The newlyweds are the picture of love and happiness as they pose, kissing, for the magazine's new year release.

In an interview with Yahoo Life! , Elle UK's Editor-In-Chief Farrah Storr said of the groundbreaking cover, "Glossy magazines have traditionally put heterosexual couples on covers, but rarely have I seen same-sex couples embraced and celebrated in the same way. At Elle, we wanted simply to show a young couple in love at the end of a very tough year, and Aweng and Lexy seemed like the most natural fit in the world."

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Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Eli Fola Offers a 'Soundscape to Freedom' With New Performance Visuals

The multidisciplinary artist's latest release "Blackness Be Divine" gives listeners a glimpse into what the musician has to offer.

Nigerian born-Brooklyn based artist Eli Fola is back in our hearts and on our screens, with the latest music video release for his single "Blackness Be Divine" off of his EP, Soundscape to Freedom.

The DJ, saxophonist and producer's release comes from his own production and events label Tech Afrique.

The EP's opening track, "Blackness Be Divine" is, "like a letter of empowerment to all Black people across the diaspora to embrace their brilliance and to know that they are royalty living in this world," he says. "The project was inspired by events that took place this year during the middle of the pandemic with the rise of the black lives matter movement and protest across the country."

Although the EP is only six tracks long, it certainly packs a punch with its hypnotic rhythms, nostalgic house beats and graceful lyrics heard throughout the project. It truly is a unique musical adventure.

Eli Fola's self-proclaimed "Yoruba tech soul" elements are loud and clear in this brilliantly eclectic piece of music.

Watch Eli Fola's performance visuals for "Blackness Be Divine" below.

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Interview: Sun-El Musician Is Going 'To the World & Beyond'

Thirteen years ago, Sun-El Musician left his home in the Midlands of KwaZulu Natal and dropped out of university to move to Joburg and pursue a dream that continues to unfold with To the World & Beyond, the much-anticipated followup to his debut album