The Songs You Need to Hear This Week
Featuring new African music from Burna Boy, Amaarae, Major League Djz, Kwesi Arthur, Victony and more.
Every week, we highlight the top Afrobeats and African music releases through our best music column, Songs You Need to Hear.
If you like these African music lists, you can also check out our Best Afrobeats and Best Amapiano of the month columns, plus our Best Songs of the Month columns following Nigerian, Ghanaian, East African, and South African music.
Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.
Burna Boy “Rollercoaster” ft. J Balvin
Burna Boy - Rollercoaster (feat. J Balvin) [Official Music Video]www.youtube.com
Nigerian superstar Burna Boy has shared a new music video for “Rollercoaster,” the J Balvin-featuring standout track off his most recent album, Love, Damini. The new clip follows the star artists as they head to an old-school movie theater together. In other recent Burna news, the African Giant is set to perform at the UEFA Champions League final game in June. Watch the new video above.
Amaarae “Reckless & Sweet”
Amaarae - Reckless & Sweet (Official Music Video)www.youtube.com
Ghanaian-American songstress Amaarae has announced her upcoming album, Fountain Baby, and shared its highly-addictive lead single “Reckless & Sweet,” a track blending Afrobeats elements with Arabic and Indian melodies. “This time it’s about love and faith. This is my sexiest video to date and what I love most about it is that young Black women and men are about to see what our new energy is for 2023 and beyond,” Amaarae mentions in a press release. “Moving forward we’re grown and sexy.”
Major Lazer & Major League Djz “Ke Shy” ft. Tyla, LuuDaDeejay & Yumbs
Major Lazer & Major League Djz - Ke Shy (feat. Tyla, LuuDaDeejay & Yumbs [Official Audio]youtu.be
South African DJ/producer duo Major League Djz have teamed up with Major Lazer (the trio of Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Ape Drums) to release the collaborative album Piano Republik, which is out today. As its title implies, the new album is all about amapiano. “Africa is the center of musical energy for the whole world right now, and amapiano is easily one of the most exciting things happening,” says Walshy Fire in a press release. “It’s blown up all over the continent, but it all started in South Africa, and Major League Djz is in the middle of everything. As soon as we got to experience their movement in real life, we knew we just had to collaborate.” Check out the album’s lead single “Ke Shy” above.
Kwesi Arthur “Pain Interlude”
Kwesi Arthur - Pain Interlude (Official Music Video)youtu.be
Kwesi Arthur has released a new inspiring music video for his song “Pain Interlude.” The visuals, which were entirely shot in black-and-white, chronicle the life of a boxer who goes through challenges, but ultimately overcomes them due to his consistency and grit.
Victony “Soweto” ft. Don Toliver, Rema & Tempoe
Victony - Soweto with Don Toliver, Rema & Tempoe (Official Lyric Video)www.youtube.com
Victony and Tempoe share a new version of their massive hit “Soweto,” this time with the additional star power of Don Toliver and Rema. “Soweto is such a special track for me,” Victony mentions in a press release, “so it was very exciting to team up with Don Toliver and Rema for the remix.” The original “Soweto,” which featured on Victony’s Outlaw EP, had already amassed 110 million streams.
