Songs from African Artists You Must Hear This Week

Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Music You Need to Hear This Week.

Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.

Read ahead for the best African songs of the week.

Shekhinah - Love On Repeat, Vol. 1 [EP]

Shekhinah's presence brings joy, her voice like medicine, soothing wounds and making right all that has gone wrong. Love On Repeat, Vol. 1 finds her waxing romantic on dance beats, flexing her gifts to impressive effect. "This is the first time in my life where I can say that all the songs were made this year, and are being released this year," she told OkayAfrica in an exclusive interview recently. Brandon Dhludhlu features on two songs ("Say You Love Me" and "My Baby"), while Simmy features on one ("Your Love"). Production is handled by the duo of Thorsten Mashego and Khaya Sibuyi, alongside Master Aflat and Fatso98.

State Off - "Alarma"

State Off's sonic references are spacious. He has a knack for identifying distinct styles and bringing them together to produce something entirely his. "Alarma" takes the percussive poetics of amapiano, fuses them with the dark, effusive strings and gnarly bass of gqom, and imports drum patterns from bacardi, unleashing something infernal and life-changing.

Thando Zide - "Fakazela" (feat. Ami Faku)

Some songs arrive as whispers, gently prodding at your heart, then waiting for you to react. Thando Zide's "Fakazela" falls in this category; it sits at your doorstep, waiting for the door to open. It walks alongside you, softening every stumble, cheering you along. Alongside Ami Faku, she enacts deliverance, runs rampant with the soundscape, and dares the heart to fully open. Incredible.

Ezra Collective - "Only Love" (feat. Pa Salieu)

Fresh off headlining the inaugural Montreux Jazz Festival South Africa, Ezra Collective is back with a new twist and flavor, ready to upgrade like they've been doing for the past decade-plus. "Only Love" features Pa Salieu and is the first single in the lead-up to their fourth studio album, Here Because of Hope. Filmed in Lagos, the video is a stylish exhibition of their African heritage, rooted in the Afrobeats sound they've been exploring over the years.

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - "Na Dem" (feat. Tom Morello)

Heavy metal and Afrobeat share a similar anti-establishment outlook, a particular disregard for power that inspires both awe and action. Seun Kuti linking up with Tom Morello makes sense in this instance — it's the perfect alignment of voices that have never shied away from speaking out over the years, even when it was unpopular. The Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave/Prophets of Rage guitarist brings a decisive twist to the song, further sharpening Kuti's already trusty blade. Together, they slay dragons and rage against the system with class and precision, making "Na Dem" a pointed critique of a failing system.

El Mehdi - "SALAM (سلام)"

Moroccan-Canadian Queer artist El Mehdi has revisited his work from earlier this year to rework some tunes, a process that has resulted in "SALAM (سلام)," which he sings in Darija (Moroccan Arabic) rather than the English he used on the original. It brings about feelings of hearing the adhan first thing in the morning, memories of late nights chasing an unending rush of adrenaline. Its bouncy groove locks you in and never quite lets go.

Uche - “Messi” 

On “Messi,” Uche channels vulnerability through a tranquil beat, laying his heart bare and letting emotions do the heavy lifting. “Kelechi, I want you, Kelechi, I need you,” he sings, letting the longing take hold and seize the moment. 

Tessa Nandi - "Living Without You" (feat. YOSHE)

Tessi Nandi & YOSHE - Living Without You (Official Video)

On "Living Without You," Tessa Nandi explores the idea of going where no one else has gone, romantically. She rips safety nets apart, interrogates their utilitarian value ("I'll be a shadow, where you go I'll follow / give you all I have and leave me hollow"); she goes to extremes in order to understand the material that makes up love and attraction. YOSHE glides in, smooth as conviction, carrying the type of promise that will have you resting on cloud nine.

mau from nowhere - "choose what stays" (feat. Kwoli Black)

mau from nowhere is the perfect in-betweener, floating somewhere between Kenya, the UK, and Amsterdam, belonging nowhere in particular. His songs are the definition of laid-back, the soft padding that protects the soul from harm. Even when attending to more pressing life issues, like loss and heartbreak, he maintains a reassuring sense of calm and rootedness. You want to listen to him on repeat; it's good for the nerves. "choose what stays" has the feel of grime and the range of a wordsmith looking for their next phrase. Kwoli Black adds his own dimension, allowing the song to exhale with ease.