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.

Ayra Starr — "Tornado"

Ayra Starr kicked off the week with viral clips from her show at Zsongo Experience in London, then had the internet talking endlessly about her NPR Tiny Desk performance. Rihanna's clip featuring hers and Rema's "Who's Dat Girl?" had even more mouths talking, proving the currency and the power the Nigerian artist has. She ends the week still on a high and shows no signs of halting anytime soon. "Tornado" is in-your-face, boisterous, high-grade pop music. There's no posturing, no pestering, just pure, pulsating attitude: a power anthem with rousing parts and counterparts. It's big, ambitious, expressway-type music. Ayra Starr's cooking, and we're here for the full course meal.

Bongeziwe Mabandla — Ndingubani [LP]

Bongeziwe Mabandla has built a solid career over the years, balancing the art of penning big, vibrant pop tunes with the more immersive, inward-gazing mantras that shaped much of his earlier output and continue to pour outward today, nourishing a new generation of listeners. He's an artist's artist: a performer extraordinaire, unafraid to gesture towards the unknown and emerge victorious every time. His musical partnership with Tiago Correia-Paulo of the band 340ml has produced critical pieces of music, treasures to be guarded at all costs. On his new album, Ndingubani, Mabandla tightens the inward gaze, has tough conversations, acknowledges shortcomings, forgives himself, and emerges stronger on the other side. It's 18 songs of absolute bliss, and we're having all of it.

DESIREE — "Macho" (feat. Emmanuel Jal)

DESIREE is growing with every release, her productions becoming more assured as she takes chances with sounds and influences. On "Macho," with Sudan's Emmanuel Jal, the producer and deejay prefixes the groove with a delinquent looseness: a steady thump that vibrates beneath the surface, then dislocates any notions about direction or shape by heading in an unimaginable direction. There isn’t a moment wasted; things get moving from the first beat, as Emmanuel Jal threads heartstrings over the unrelenting guitar lick, moving like a troubadour over the production, which has elements of Afro and bacardi house baked in. This is special.

Rorisang Sechele — "Mama"

A pearl of South African jazz, Rorisang Sechele has moved silently, with intention, taking her time to understand herself in relation to the craft. "Mama" is her contribution to the archive honoring mothers and mother figures worldwide. "Don't forget to write me a song for our love," she sings, her heart on her sleeve, love leading the way. This is precious in every way; the artist takes a well-worn subject and makes it a novelty. We are sat!

Mavimbs — "Chance" (feat. Spha Mdlalose)

"You've given me a chance to love again," sings Spha Mdlalose, the golden star in Mavimbs' spectacular constellation. The song is taken from the bassist and composer’s debut album, Late Bloomer, where he goes knee-deep into the bits and bobs that shape improvised music, especially jazz. Take the tune with you to bed; let it live beside you as you figure life out. Allow the words to dig into more than your mind, and let the music move something in you. This is a class affair.

Joey B — Sexy Highlife [EP]

Joey B is one of Ghana's most decorated lyricists, a fine talent whose imagination goes beyond rap, trickling into the thickets where melody complements the heart. He demonstrates his prowess with words, sounds, and vibes on Sexy Highlife, a nine-track collection that throws it back to the nineties while updating the formula. With features from Bosom P-Yung and Odunsi (The Engine), Sexy Highlife hits the sweet spot and leaves a lasting impression.

Sarkodie — "Everlasting" (feat. Shatta Wale)

When two of the continent's mightiest warriors link up, the heavens have no option but to open up. Sarkodie's position as a god emcee has long been established, while Shatta Wale's status as the continent's dancehall don is time-tested and still standing. Together, they wreak havoc, spinning larger-than-life tales that match their style and taste. The tune sits somewhere between azonto and amapiano — a continent-wide sonic deliberation that tracks.

THE NORTHMOB — "highway, dimas"

After close to two months of teasing across their social media channels, The Northmob has released the much-anticipated "highway, dimas" to the masses, and we're all feasting. Their song titles raise curiosity; two-word snippets into worlds well-versed in the art of show, don't tell. "Highway, dimas" captures the feeling one gets while riding roughshod on the highway, shades on, with zero care to give. This is theme music for self-actualization, delivered by some of the most potent lyricists in South African rap right now.

Bloody Civilian — "Space Fuji" (feat. Terry Apala, Boj)

On "Space Fuji," Bloody Civilian repurposes the old, merges it with the contemporary, and takes liberties with her imagination, combining ideologies that represent outer-space technologies. Here, there's the percussive drive and bass licks of fuji, the interoperable groove of mara; there are the undeniable contributions of counterparts Terry Apala and Boj; and there's Bloody Civilian's allure, a charm that can't be debated. The song is from her forthcoming EP, The Haze, due out this August.