zion
popular
OkayAfrica
Aug. 15, 2018 06:59PM EST

This 19-Year-Old Singer Has Your New R&B Meets Afrobeats Jam

Stream our premiere of Zion's debut single "No Wahala."

Zion is a young name in the R&B scene coming out of South London.

The 19-year-old British-Nigerian artist is now premiering his debut single, "No Wahala," an infectious R&B-meets-afrobeats excursion in which he samples Ivorian group Magic System's classic tune "1er Gaou."

Zion, who recently singed to Virgin EMI, is also sharing the new Sesan-directed music video for "No Wahala," which follows him, as a photographer, trying to find his leading lady.

"When I would go to African parties and weddings with my family and Premier Gaou by Magic System came on, I'd see everyone go crazy and move to the dance floor immediately including me," Zion tells OkayAfrica.

"Something about the drums and melodies used in that song was just magical to me, so I really wanted to incorporate it in what I was doing musically. I was scared when doing it because of how massive Premier Gaou is but after i had written and recorded it and started playing it to close friends and family everyone seemed to like it. I am very proud of my Nigerian heritage, so it is amazing that i got to put my spin on a record I've always loved."

Watch our premiere of the music video for Zion's "No Wahala" below. The track is available now.




nigeria no wahala zion
popular
Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Trump Plans to Extend Travel Ban to Nigeria, Tanzania, Sudan, Eritrea & Three Other Countries

Here's what the travel ban could mean for these nations.

On Tuesday is was announced that Donald Trump's administration plans to extend its infamous travel ban to include seven new countries, many of them in Africa.

The countries named on the list, include Nigeria, Tanzania, Sudan and Eritrea, as well as Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, and the Eastern European nation of Belarus. Politico first broke the news.

According to The Washington Post, the move would likely not be a complete ban on citizens looking to enter the US, however it could place various visa restrictions on some government officials and on those seeking certain type of visitor and business visas.

Some nations could also be banned from participation in the diversity travel lottery program, which grants green cards. Trump has threatened to sack the program in the past.

Keep reading...
Audio
Kizz Daniel in "Eko" (Youtube)

The 9 Best Afropop Songs About Lagos

Featuring city odes from Kizz Daniel, Wizkid, Teni, Maleek Berry, M.I Abaga, Brymo and more.

The best afropop songs about Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city, are as much about the city as a whole as they are about select areas of special importance to individual artists.

Read on for our selection of The 9 Best Afropop Songs About Lagos. Listed in no particular order.

Keep reading...
Audio
Yilian Canizares & Paul Beaubrun in "Noyé." Photo: Ben Depp.

The 13 Songs You Need to Hear This Week

Featuring Makwa x Maraza x AKA, Joeboy, Zlatan, Nadia Nakia, TOBi x The Game, Yilian Canizares, Aewon Wolf and more.

Every week, we highlight the cream of the crop in music through our best music of the week column.

Here's our round up of the best tracks and music videos that came across our desks, which you can also check out in our Songs You Need to Hear This Week playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.

Follow our SONGS YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS WEEK playlist on Spotify here and Apple Music here.

Check out all of OkayAfrica's playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.

Keep reading...
popular

A-Reece Releases His Second Song of 2020 ‘Selfish [EXP 2]’

Listen to A-Reece's new song 'Selfish [EXP 2].'

A-Reece has released another song via SoundCloud. "Selfish" is a minimalist song with its beat consisting mostly of gnarled guitar strings and a pulsating bongo drum.

Keep reading...

get okayafrica in your inbox

news.

popular.