These are the top 10 African artistes that have made us proud globally in 2021.
Despite this, a number of artists had a successful year, releasing hits and signing profitable record and endorsement deals and here are the top 10 African artistes that have made us proud globally in 2021.
As usual, Nigerian and Ghanaian artists dominated the West African region while their South African counterparts ruled the continent’s south.
Lets take a toll at the african artistes that have made us proud globally in 2021.
Top 10 African artistes that have made us proud globally in 2021
Wizkid (Nigeria)
That Wizkid is among Africa’s top musicians is hardly a surprise by now. This has been the case for something like a decade.
The ‘Ojuelegba’ singer’s many feats this year include an endorsement deal with international sportswear brand Puma and the release of his commercially successful Made in Lagos album, which in November became the most-streamed african album on Spotify this decade with more than 210 million streams.
with his smash hit “Essence” which was the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200.
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Nigerian Afro-fusion artist Burna Boy has become a towering figure on the continent’s music scene, an African giant.
He added another achievement to his repertoire at the BET awards 2021 where he won the Best International Act.
With this win, Burna Boy becomes the first African artiste to bag three nominations and wins consecutively, having won the BET Award in 2019, 2020 and now in 2021.
Burna Boy was featured on Jon Bellion’s single “I Feel It”, released on 17 September 2021.
Davido (Nigeria)
Davido completes the Big Three of Africa’s Afrobeats/pop scene (alongside Burna Boy and Wizkid).
Like previous years, the hits have flowed, the latest being ‘Fem’ off his A Better Time LP.
Additionally, merely days after A Better Time’s release, the album, which packs party anthems and collaborations from everyone from Nas to Nicki Minaj, recorded 100 million streams across all major digital platforms, once again reaffirming Davido’s status at the very top.
Diamond Platinumz (Tanzania)
The sky is the limit for Diamond Platnumz’s music career.
This year, he hit 3 million subscribers on YouTube and clocked more than 900 million views on the video streaming platform, ahead of Nigeria’s Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido.
The ‘Eneka’ singer also appeared on the 100 Most Influential Young Africans list and was nominated for best international act at the BET
Nasty C (South Africa)
In June 2021, he released a single titled “Best I Ever Had”.
At 6th ceremony of All Africa Music Awards, he received three nominations for Songwriter of the Year, Best Male Artist in Southern Africa and Best African Rapper/Lyricist.
he was also nominated at BET hiphop award at the concluded award ceremony.
Tems (Nigeria)
On 2 September 2021, it was announced on billboards in Lagos that Tems was set to feature on rapper Drake’s Certified Lover Boy album.
her collaboration with Drake on the song “Fountains” earned her her second Billboard Hot 100 entry debuting at number twenty six.
On 15 September 2021, Tems released her second extended play titled If Orange Was a Place, primarily produced by GuilyBeatz and supported by the single “Crazy Tings” which peaked at number three on the UK Afrobeats chart, it debuted at number seven on the Billboard World Albums chart and number nine on the Heatseekers Album chart.
her collaboration with Brent Faiyaz on the song “Found” from the EP debuted at number seventeen on the Hot R&B Songs chart, number thirty three on the New Zealand hot singles chart and number one on the UK Afrobeats Chart
Ckay (Nigeria)
Chukwuka Ekweani, better known by his stage name CKay, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Warner Music South Africa.
He was formerly signed to Chocolate City, on 8 October 2021, Ckay became first African artist to hit 20 Million Spotify Listeners, with over 21 million monthly listeners on his Spotify page.
In 2021 the song charted across Europe, Australia, Latin America, and New Zealand, reaching number one in India, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland, and gained popularity across TikTok.
It also peaked at nuymber 3 on the UK Singles Chart and reached number one on the UK Indie Singles Chart.
It also reached No. 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on the Canadian Hot 100.
Shatta Wale (Ghana)
In his home country of Ghana, dancehall singer Shatta Wale holds a firm grasp on the music industry with a never-ending streak of hit songs and a constant presence in the tabloids for his unorthodox charisma.
The release of the video for Beyoncé’s ‘Already’ not only signifies a pivotal moment in his career, but also the most important one for Ghana’s participation in the global music industry this year.
Mr Eazi (Nigeria)
Mr Eazi is a leading example of a modern-day music entrepreneur and philanthropist. In July, he announced the launch of a $20m fund for emerging African artists and secured a global distribution deal between his independent music company emPawa Publishing and Kobalt.
He maintins his place among the continent’s musical elite with offerings like the One Day You Will Understand EP and the explosive track ‘Oh My Gawd’ featuring Nicki Minaj and Major Lazer.
The ‘Miss You Bad’ singer, alongside Tiwa Savage and Davido, was featured in Billboard magazine’s May issue,
Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
Tiwatope Savage is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education.
Five years later, she began her music career doing backup vocals for artists such as George Michael and Mary J. Blige.
After participating in the UK edition of The X Factor and graduating from Berklee College of Music, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2009.
Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012. She made an appearance on the label’s 2012 compilation album
Eliane (South Africa)
South African R&B revivalist Elaine has become a formidable force on the local music scene, particularly after the release of her debut EP Elements.
She was featured on Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight platform and in March became the first local artist to benefit from Spotify’s Radar programme for upcoming artists.
Not to be outdone, Apple Music featured Elaine on its Soul September campaign in celebration R&B and soul.
Also featured were John Legend, Toni Braxton, Tamia, Anthony Hamilton, Ari Lennox, Alina Baraz, Snoh Aalegra, Teyana Taylor and Victoria Monet, making Elaine the only African artist on the campaign.