Love is in the air, and just in time for Valentine’s Day, the first single from the highly anticipated original soundtrack album of the upcoming feature film “EVI” has officially arrived. Titled “All My Love,” the soulful Afrobeat/R&B duet has been released and is now available on all major music streaming platforms worldwide. As an added treat, the official music video featuring scenes from the film has also premiered.

Performed in the film by Dayo and Evi, played by Ibrahim Suleiman and Osas Okonyon, the song’s vocals are delivered by Osas Okonyon and Abbey Wonder. Written by Martin Asogwa (Marzz) and produced by Tolu Obanro (Tyanx), “All My Love” beautifully captures the emotional connection between the two characters.

With tender melodies and heartfelt harmonies, the track explores themes of devotion, trust and the emotional risks lovers take for one another. Vulnerable, romantic and deeply resonant, it sets the perfect tone for the season of love while offering audiences an intimate preview into the emotional world of EVI.

Set for nationwide cinema release on March 27, 2026, “EVI” is produced by Judith Audu, written and directed by Uyoyou Adia, and distributed by FilmOne Entertainment. The film tells the story of a talented but arrogant rising star, Evi, who is forced to rebuild her life and career after losing everything, finding unexpected hope through a troubled talent manager. Music lies at the very heart of Evi’s storytelling, shaping the emotional journeys and growth of its characters.

The film is a Judith Audu Productions project in collaboration with Switch Visuals Productions, Signet Rings Productions and NOI Productions. It is powered by CcHUB in partnership with Africa No Filter and supported by the Gates Foundation.

Watch the music video below:

 

 

The post Feel the Love! Evi Releases First Official Soundtrack Single “All My Love” Ahead of Its Cinema Debut appeared first on BellaNaija - Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.

Fresh off her 2025 BET Award win for Best International Act, Nigerian pop sensation Ayra Starr released her latest single, “Hot Body” today, a sultry, dancehall-tinged song – her third release this year – that is as seductive and alluring as the summertime vibe it possesses.

Produced by Ragee and The Elements, “Hot Body” channels humid nights and a languid, late-night dancefloor mood. The beat leans into a bouncier, percussion-heavy groove, while Ayra Starr's voice carries the same magnetic allure that defined her previous releases. The lyrics are enticing; “Look what a hot body can do/ look, focus,” she insists, then, a revelation: “body be dancing/ slow whine, summer body so fine.” She turns up the sensuality without losing the sheen that has defined her career thus far. The video, lo-fi with VHS textures, sees her in top shape, lost in her world, ready and willing to walk into the night.

Is it a photoshoot? Is it a brief moment outside before going back into the club? Is Ayra Starr about to jump into the pool? It’s all of them at once, distilled into a series of frames where the artist and the camera are locked in motion.

Since her 2021 breakout, 19 & Dangerous, Ayra Starr has charted an upward course and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Her Grammy-nominated hit “Rush” remains the most-streamed solo track by a Nigerian female artist on Spotify. The accompanying video made her the youngest African woman to hit 100 million views on YouTube. She’s been a consistent force across award circuits too, winning Female Artist of the Year at both the Headies and AFRIMMA Awards, plus two major African Entertainment Awards USA titles in 2024.

Her sophomore album, The Year I Turned 21, was released in mid-2024 and was one of the most-streamed Afrobeats albums on Spotify that year. It featured high-profile collaborations with artists like Giveon, Anitta, Coco Jones, and Seyi Vibez, bridging genres and geographies while at it. The album’s success helped the superstar lock in her spot as the second most-nominated act at the 2025 Headies.

Earlier this month, she signed a management deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, reflecting her growing pull beyond the continent. It also aligns with her ongoing stadium tour across Europe, where she’s opening for Coldplay. The tour has exposed her music to massive audiences across cities like Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and London. She is also booked to perform at Global Citizen 2025, one of the year’s most high-profile international concert platforms. The lineup includes the likes of Tyla, The Weeknd, and Shakira.

With more than four billion career streams under her belt and a major international infrastructure now behind her, Ayra Starr is operating at a different tier.

Ideally, passion should be a prerequisite for artists. At least that’s what Tim Lyre believes. “I know it sounds cliché, but the truth is that you have to be passionate about doing it,” the Nigerian singer, rapper, and producer tells OkayAfrica. “You have to genuinely want it to be able to persevere and be consistent even when things are not going so well. I think that’s been most important, for me anyway.”

Lyre’s whole embrace of the process and dedication to creating music that can be appreciated for its singular vision is apparent in its output. Earlier this month, he released his third album, SPIRAL, a balmy soundscape featuring lilting neo-soul cuts, gently smoldering pop tunes, and smooth rap-indented highlights. The genre-hopping, now a trademark, is tied together by profound expressions of longing, loving, personal joys and anxiety, the constant search for self-fulfillment, and more.

Where his previous albums, Worry < and MASTA, were snappy affairs with runtimes hovering around the half-hour mark, Lyre’s latest is a double-sided effort that runs a few minutes shy of an hour. That extension doesn’t translate into any adverse effects; if anything, SPIRAL is a seamless listen that is effortlessly engaging. It’s an opus that reflects the accrued refinement and mastery Lyre has earned over the years, with some of his earliest releases dating back nearly a decade.

Lyre was among the dozens of young Nigerian artists who took to SoundCloud as their preferred platform for spontaneous drops, spurred by the need to create music outside what was popular in the mainstream. Across his early catalogue, Lyre ran through styles of music with a sometimes scattered twitch, to regularly strong results, if not wholly compelling.

“I think it was around that Covid-19 period,” he says, referring to the lockdown months as the period things clicked into place for him as a versatile artist. “I guess everybody just had enough time to reflect in general, myself included. I was in the studio as well, so I had time to think about how I wanted to sound. I’m someone who likes to try different things, and I had a lot of time to figure out what I wanted to take on and put all these things together. I’m someone who always just wants to improve constantly.”

The early 2022 release of Worry < was a remarkable showcase of Lyre as an artist with an elevated grasp of his abilities as a versatile artist, a streak that extended to MASTA and is foundational to the excellence curated on SPIRAL. The Tim Lyre experience since his first album has shown an artist comfortable with spotlighting his romantic scars, laying bare his yearnings, openly exploring his ambitions, and giving voice to his fears. Along with his ability to croon soulfully, rap with poise, and even dip into patois, these thematic threads make for a deeply relatable artist.

“[Introspection] is a very key part of what I’m trying to do as a musician,” Lyre says. “My favorite artists that I listen to, my best quality about them is the fact that they’re just so honest and vulnerable in their music, a lot of the time. There’s no shame when they’re talking about certain things. People can relate to that as well because we are all human beings; we all kind of go through the same things, you know, even if your circumstances are different. So I try to make it a point to keep that honesty about myself as much as I can.”

On “Rocketship,” the second song on SPIRAL, Lyre shares a heady portrait of the aftermath of a breakup where anxiety intertwines with an overreliance on weed. On the similarly forlorn “Storytime” with UK-based indie soul singer BINA, he asks, “What’s the worth of a love/that never gave you any peace of mind/until the day that it died?” It’s the kind of lingering thought that remains when you sit long enough to sift through an experience properly.

The first side of the album, largely self-produced, is heavy-hearted, filled with ruminative songs about finding perspective through the difficult weight of being jilted while also fighting for your dreams. The second side is lighter and more jovial without losing emotional lustre, from the devotional confessions on the house-infused “OMD” to the money-minded, highlife-pop swing of “Economy” with rap duo Show Dem Camp.

SPIRAL earns cohesion from being purposefully broad, a distinction that extends to the dozen featured artists, all well-placed and integral to the listening experience. “I’m lucky because I now get to work with more artists, and I’ve always been a collaborative type of artist,” Lyre says. “I’m also someone that just listens to a lot of music in general, so I feel like I know where things should go in terms of who should be on the feature.”

The collaborative spirit is aided in part by Lyre’s longstanding tilt towards community; MOJO AF, DAP the Contract, and Joyce Olong are frequent collaborators dating back several years. Meanwhile, Lyre credits a handful of the features to connections made by Outer South, the London and Johannesburg-based indie record label Lyre has been working with since his first album.

SPIRAL is “the biggest thing” Lyre and Outer South have done yet, putting more resources behind this album than his previous releases, seeing the traction the artist has slowly built up with a growing catalogue of quality releases. Those increased efforts include a headline show in late September at London’s Camden Assembly.

“I definitely want to perform my music as far as I possibly can, and just keep making good, quality music and collaborating with artists,” Lyre says as a ballpark answer for what he’s looking forward to next. He obviously wouldn’t mind scoring the kind of huge hit song(s) that vaults him from rising niche favorite to popular star, but it’s not an achievement he’s looking to force.

“With enough momentum and consistency, we can definitely get there. These things take time. It might happen one day, and people will think I’m an overnight sensation. I’m genuinely interested in making great music, and as long as that’s working out, I’m happy with life.”

Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases — including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits — through our best music column, African Songs 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.

Victony & Fridayy – “Glory II”

Releasing a sequel to his latest single just some weeks after the original, Victony is flexing the reach of his artistry. Here he’s joined by Fridayy, who’s built up an impressive resume of collaborations with Afrobeats acts. The grass-to-grace narrative of the original is maintained, as Victony’s rap-informed flow is matched for intensity by his guest’s choir-reminiscent vocals. A fine blending of sensibilities, it’s a song that delivers beautifully on its role as an ode to God’s enduring grace. – Emmanuel Esomnofu

Kabza De Small - “Siyabonga”

Kabza De Small moves in his own lane. His long-awaited fifth album lays his heart bare, clarifies his intent, and reaffirms his status as the top don in the electronic music game. Not that he ever left; in the past year alone, his music was performed by an orchestra, he dropped one of 2024’s standout tracks in “Hayi Baba” (with Chronical Deep and LaTique), and laced bangers alongside Darque, DJ Maphorisa, Xduppy, and Dlala Thukzin. He’s a man on a mission: to stretch the sonic spectrum, school our senses, and come out on top every time. “Siyabonga,” featuring Nontokozo Mkhize and Mthunzi, shows Kabza at his most tender, most curatorial. It leans into 3-Step, embraces you, cradles you. It’s a prayer – “asisabi lutho, isandla sakhe siphezu kwethu imihla yonke” (we fear nothing, His hand is upon us every day) – and everyone’s invited. - Tšeliso Monaheng.

Lojay – “Tenner”

After announcing the August release of his long-awaited debut album, Lojay has set the wheels rolling with a fiery song intended for the dance floors. Pairing his svelte vocals with hyper-vibrant pop beats is an artistic choice favored by the artist, and it continues to prove a winning formula, as he paints a riveting portrait of a lady he’s enamored by. Bold metaphors, swirling notes, and banging drums are ever-present throughout the song’s runtime, but the fusion doesn’t eclipse Lojay’s voice at the center of the fanfare. – EE

Adekunle Gold – “Coco Money”

Always one to reinvent himself, you’ll be hard-pressed to find Adekunle Gold in the same spot. On “Coco Money,” he returns to the indigenous throb that influenced his early music, pairing disco sensibilities with the unmissable drums of Juju music. It’s a quintessential fly talk song, an arena the artist particularly excels in. The vocals and the energy matching each other’s vivacity, it’s a renewed demonstration of the artist’s prowess as a songwriter. – EE

TOSS, Maglera Doe Boy, Young Stunna - “Hermano”

“Hermano” is the rap Olympics – a relay of distinctive, heavyweight voices in African music. Themed around Black township life, with fashion nods to la sapeur, Black dandyism, and ukuswenka, the video brings the song to life in elegiac style. The back-and-forth between TOSS and Maglera Doe Boy deserves its own support hotline; there are simply too many quotables to catch in one go. Then comes Young Stunna on the chorus, a welcome breather from the lyrical warfare unfolding. Together, the three move like a league of their own: elite yet grounded, daunting but disarming, feisty and tender in equal measure. It’s an overload of excellence, so pace yourself. - TM.

Mr Eazi – “Corny”

On his latest song, Mr Eazi shows why he’ll always be an interesting voice within Afrobeats. The chill number produced by P Priime showcases the artist’s expanding vision as a storyteller, as he reveals the intricacies of a romantic relationship. “No go do you cunny,” he sings atop the mid-tempo production, charting a seductive vibe that sways with the lyrics of the record. – EE

Blue Pappi - “G-Wagon” (feat. LaCabra)

Blue Pappi’s on a roll, and he’s only just getting started. The emcee, vocalist, and producer, who hails from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal – home of the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo – follows up last week’s high-octane, Kane Keid-featuring “Dairy” with a mellow, left-of-centre tune that allows him and fellow Qwellers member LaCabra to exercise their rap muscles and cross uncharted flow territory. The cadences are impeccable, and the music, very stripped back, very lo-fi, allows them to swim with intention, playing lifeguard to your treasured eyes and ears. No word is wasted, and every moment of silence is as necessary as breathing itself. South African hip-hop is enjoying its moment in the sun, and these two are but part of a bubbling movement whose legend shall be spoken about in years to come. - TM.

Mlindo The Vocalist - “iMedi Yakho” (feat. Sir Trill)

Following the success of his breakout debut, Emakhaya, and the vulnerability of his self-titled sophomore album, Lindokuhle, Mlindo The Vocalist enters his third chapter with something deeper: perspective. It's a delicate balance of talent and emotional maturity that cuts above the clatter to go for the heart. Uhambo – The Journey is an album shaped by his own lived experience. It carries the weight of heartbreak, the beauty of healing, and the clarity that comes after navigating life’s highs and lows. On “iMedi Yakho,” a duet with Sir Trill, he repurposes the melody to Oliver Mtukudzi’s hit, “Neria,” and injects an Afro-pop swing to its step. The flavours ooze from the speakers straight to your soul. - TM.

Chrissy Spratt – “Call On Me” feat. Nonso Amadi & Serøtonin

Chrissy Spratt is no newcomer to the Afrobeats scene. Through her covers, the Canadian-based artist has curated a strong presence, even going on tour with Chike. Now, the Hi-Way 89 signee has released her latest song, a three-way collaboration with the talented singers Nonso Amadi and Serøtonin. As the line-up infers, it’s a vulnerable embrace that offers the love of a partner, with Spratt holding the thematic core through her piercing verse and vocals. It continues the purposeful run-up to a project expected in August, as she’s shown an impressive ability to handle several genres. – EE

I remember sitting at my kitchen table one night in spring when someone sent me Melanchronica, a collaborative album by Sudanese American rapper Bas and London-based duo The Hics. I took a listen and immediately knew that this was a special project. By the time I had reached "Sometimes," the 7-minute-long outro, I had dissolved into feelings of nostalgia and joy, playing the song on a loop.

Bas and The Hics, a duo comprising Roxane Barker and Sam Paul Evans, have cultivated their shared creativity over the past decade. They collaborated on tracks for Bas' sophomore album, Milky Way, as well as The Messenger podcast after Bas heard The Hics' "Cold Air" on GTA 5 Radio and DM'd them while passing through London on tour with J. Cole.

"I always try to seek out people who bring me out of my comfort zone and inspire me to achieve a different level in my artistry," says Bas. "Whenever I work with [The Hics], there's just a lot of emotional depth to the music. Their writing is very poetic, and they're intentional with their wording."

Melanchronica began in 2017 with "Four Walls," a song about heartbreak and longing for lost love. It was too chronically melancholic for Milky Way's summery vibe, so Bas held it back. But the world and soundscapes they had created begged to be explored further.

"The song was like one of those vulnerable moments and thoughts that you might not share with others or might not even like to admit to yourself until you get that sonic landscape that evokes that emotion out of you," says Bas. "At least in our culture, music is a bit devoid of emotion right now."

They continued working on what would eventually become Melanchronica, a cinematic, textured invitation to feel it all. At the intersection of Bas' New York-cool rap style and The Hics' genre-bending sound, which blends elements of soul, electronic, jazz, and alternative R&B, effortless chemistry has birthed to one of the rare projects that you can listen to from start to finish without skipping a single track, and then repeat.

"To have that much time making music in this day and age is [a privilege]," says Bas, echoing musicians like Morocco's Stormy and Small X. "We're stuck in a music consumption rat race and trying to stay relevant. But we had the time to really cook this." Melanchronica comes right on the heels of Egyptian rapper Marwan Moussa's prediction that rap music was changing. "I think we'll hear music that feels like more time has been spent making it," he told OkayAfrica in May.

Track five, named after the standout Black Mirror episode "San Junipero," is one of the album's more energetic songs. Evans' grungy bassline immediately drew Bas in. "It's emotional, but aggressive and has a bounce," he says. "Black Mirror is one of the most culturally relevant media, filled with so many warnings of the human condition and society that we're heading into."

My favorite songs as of now are "Erewhon" and "Sometimes." "Those are solid choices, I think I'd agree with you there," Bas says. Both tracks were written at Harbor Studio in Malibu, which was lost to the LA wildfires this year.

"Erewhon is the most LA of LA grocery stores," Bas says with a grin. "$20 smoothies and you might get an avocado sandwich and have to take out a loan. But it's good, though, I'm not gonna lie."

The track confronts artistic progress and, as a result, the improvement of one's material comfort levels — from London's Aldi to LA's Erewhon — which is one of the album's central themes. After attaining a higher lifestyle, one often realizes that it does not guarantee greater happiness or fulfillment. "Every time you reach those moments, you're not content. You're trying to find the next glass ceiling to shatter," says Bas.

Dualities, self-reflection, and longing resound through Melanchronica and are felt as the timeless and existential conditions they are. For Bas, longing specifically took on a more complicated dimension with the outbreak of war in Khartoum, Sudan, in 2023.

He used to spend every December at his family home in Bahri, which had become a base for the Rapid Support Forces until the Sudanese Armed Forces recently recaptured the city.

"When things get as dire as they have, you understand the value of having those roots, traditions, and that piece of history," says Bas. "To be in a hometown where all the families in the neighborhood go back centuries, having a cemetery I can visit with generations of my family buried there. To have all that ripped from you is depressing. Nothing's been the same."

In his writing, Bas personifies longing and desire to make the sentiment more relatable. "You might not have lost a country, but the emotion at the core is the same," he says. "It's just like, damn I miss you, I want you back."

Even though Bas agrees with me on my favorites, his is "Roxane's Interlude." "I like when Roxanne takes front and center and we get to, kind of, pepper around that," he says. "I like those songs that remind me of those classic R&B summer records I grew up on. This dominant female lead, and then a cool rap verse to throw in there."

Melanchronica is his first collaborative album; it takes patience, trust, and compromise to put a project like this together. "Professionally and creatively, I grew a lot," he says. "I am maturing as an artist and as a man. I've gained the confidence to shed a little more of the bravado that's expected of us in our genre, really tap into the depth of my artistry, and see where I can go."

If he could, he would like to go home. To Sudan. Practice his Arabic, restore the family house, and nurture a connection that was weakened when his mother passed away.

It might be this shared longing for our parents' home that touched me so deeply when listening to Melanchronica. But whatever it is you are longing for, reflecting on, and feeling melancholic about, this album will hold and nurture you in the process.

Burna Boy is ramping things up ahead of the release of his eighth studio album, No Sign of Weakness, due July 11 via Bad Habit/Atlantic Records.

The African Giant has now shared the full tracklist for the forthcoming album, which reveals an eye-catching range of guests across its 16 songs.

Perhaps the most surprising and notable of them is rock legend and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who will appear on the album’s eleventh track, “Empty Chairs.”

Another noteworthy guest is Belgian pop star Stromae, who shares track billing on No Sign of Weakness track “Pardon.” Stromae has strong ties to the African continent through his Rwandan family background, and notably concluded one of his world tours in Kigali.

American breakout star Shaboozey (who has Nigerian roots) will appear on a track titled “Change Your Mind,” and we’ve already heard the Travis Scott-featuring single “TaTaTa.”

So far, Burna Boy has shared album tracks “Sweet Love,” “Update,” “Bundle by Bundle,” and “TaTaTa.” He’s also announced an upcoming North American tour in support of the album.

See the full tracklist for Burna Boy’s new album below.

Burna Boy's ‘No Sign of Weakness’ Official Tracklist

1. No Panic
2. No Sign Of Weakness
3. Buy You Life
4. Love
5. TaTaTa feat. Travis Scott
6. Come Gimme
7. Dem Dey
8. Sweet Love
9. 28 Grams
10. Kabiyesi
11. Empty Chairs feat. Mick Jagger
12. Update
13. Pardon with Stromae
14. Bundle By Bundle
15. Change Your Mind feat. Shaboozey
16. Born Winner

When Ckay released his second EP, Ckay The First, in 2019, he was still ingenious and, for the most part, underrated. He self-produced a large portion of the EP. He had already developed his unique, undefinable sound, which draws inspiration from a diverse range of influences, including sultry R&B and mellow Afropop.

But that EP would only change Ckay's life and the arc of his career two years after its release. In 2021, "Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)," the second song on the EP, found instant and inescapable fame on TikTok. It then became the first number-one song on Billboard's Afrobeats chart and the first Nigerian song to spend 52 weeks on the Billboard charts. It made Ckay an eight-times platinum artist and one of the crucial vehicles by which Afrobeats music found its global roots in the early 2020s. Now, more than six years after its release, Ckay is ready to share a rejoinder to it in the form of his latest EP.

Aptly titled Ckay The Second, this new EP, according to Ckay, is a continuation of the ideas and themes he generously explored in Ckay The First. Of course, he's no longer the person he was when he made Ckay The First. The trajectory of his life has shifted with dizzying speed, thrusting him to the forefront of Afrobeats music's expansion, along with the pressures and demands that come with it.

It's why Ckay The Second is a simultaneous attempt at returning to a former self but also slowing down for a second. "I was at a stage of my life where I felt like I had to shed off some old skin and step into a new phase," Ckay tells OkayAfrica just days before the release of the new project. "The headspace was basically to communicate that the first EP was to assert 'I am the first Ckay,' and the second is the continuation of that."

For this project, Ckay prioritizes live instrumentation, a key part of his sound. Here, he maintains the sonic architecture of his previous records. "I'll describe the sound as an advanced version of my signature emo-Afrobeats sound," he says. "I love live instrumentation. I love chords that make you vibe and feel something, as opposed to just making you dance. This EP is no exception. I dived deeper into the emo-Afro sound and took it a step further."

Born Chukwuka Ekweani, Ckay grew up in a home that nurtured his musical talents. His early days learning hymns and developing a prodigious understanding of music theory helped set him apart as an artist who understands the most technical rules of music and is unafraid to break them.

His music process is guided by instinct. There are no set formulas or patterns. "It could be anyway, you know," he admits. "Sometimes the lyrics come first, sometimes the music comes first. It all depends. Creativity is something you need to let free. You can't box or tie it down to the process. So I like to let the music flow regardless of the order, music or lyrics or whichever."

Insert EP Stream

A much-needed reminder

Although Ckay is one of the most important ambassadors of Afrobeats' global ascension, he's also the least recognized for it. It's an erasure that Ckay is deeply aware of but hasn't taken to heart. "I probably don't get enough credit for my contributions toward the advancement of Afrobeats, especially in the Nigerian space," he says.

Between 2021, when he blew up, and this year, Ckay's life has undergone an explosion that may have been too much for some to handle. He has scored hits with fellow stars like Davido and received a Grammy nomination for his feature on Janelle Monae's album The Age of Pleasure. He released his debut album, Sad Romance, in 2022, and Emotions, a genre-bending EP, in 2024.

Ckay has also, according to him, grown a lot. The most important part of that growth has been the need to keep pushing and to draw persistence from an unbreakable spirit. "I would say my artistry has evolved. I've learned a lot more than I knew at the time," he says. "Me being more exposed and seeing the impact of my music on people thousands of kilometers away, I think that gives me a different perspective."

If Ckay The First was a statement in establishing his name and marking out his creative territory, Ckay The Second is a reminder of where he's come from and a window into where he's going next.

More than anything, Ckay hopes that people can relate to the experiences he lays bare on this EP. "I make music about my own experiences and my life. I feel that, as human beings, we're all connected and share similar experiences. So I would say I hope people see themselves in me basically when they're listening to the songs, and they relate to the experiences."

Maleek Berry was starting to sense that something was missing. The British Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer was aware that the emotional and technical elements that once enlivened Afropop music were being overlooked by those who grew up with it.

"Good songs, great songwriting, great storytelling… Afrobeats fans are yearning for that right now. That's why I had to go away and put together a collection of amazing songs that people can relate to for years to come. Not only party to, but cry to, get married to, have babies to," Berry, born Maleek Shoyebi, tells OkayAfrica in an exclusive interview.

The result of that time off is Berry's debut album, If Only Love Was Enough. It's Berry's most anticipated work, which arrives just about a decade into his time in the industry as one of the most important pioneers of contemporary Afropop music.

A predominantly R&B and Afropop blend, 'If Only Love Was Enough' pays homage to the early 2010s Afrobeats sound with a strong awareness of the times. The album features new-age artists like Ruger, as well as longtime collaborators of Berry like Tiwa Savage and Wizkid. In a music landscape that has been hurtling towards global expansion and evolving its sonic identity at a dizzying pace, Berry wants to slow things down a bit. If the project sounds like a time capsule, it is likely because it has been in development for several years and incorporates a range of sonic influences from various eras.

"I've gone through so many different versions," Berry says. "I've gone through many phases of not liking a particular song or not liking a certain group of songs, and changing them over and bringing them back. The album was supposed to have dropped a long, long time ago, but I'm glad I waited this long, and I've finally arrived at this version now. I'm very proud of it."

If Only Love Was Enough is not, thematically or structurally, a cultural statement after all. The songs here explore unrequited love, romance, and existential reflections, all classic Maleek Berry themes, but the project is highly symbolic. It's a well-articulated response to the creative slump that Nigerian music has found itself in recently. Berry is aware that, on a sonic level, this project has the potential to kickstart a return to basics, reminding music makers and Afrobeats listeners of the magic and thrill of a musical era that should never have been forgotten. "In my opinion, it's going to bring a breath of fresh air and carve out a whole new direction musically and sonically for the space as well," he adds.

Berry from the past

Much of what has made Maleek Berry's sound distinct is his devotion to drawing from the past while keeping his ears open to what the present has to say. His journey into the Nigerian music scene began in 2011. While on vacation in Nigeria at the time, he would connect with some of the voices who were already molding the scene — Davido, Naeto C, Wande Coal, and Wizkid — and eventually got his first major hit with "Carolina," featuring Sauce Kid and Davido. Then there was 2013's "The Matter" featuring Wizkid. A recurrent feature of that sound was an intelligent blend of percussion and hip-hop flows. It was modern, quintessentially Nigerian, and helped blaze a trail for what the genre would go on to become.

On If Only Love Was Enough, Berry seeks the expertise of former collaborators who also ruled the scene in that era while also drawing from the R&B music he grew up listening to. "I wanted to bring those worlds together. I had to do a little bit of looking into myself as well and getting out of my way, listening to my previous projects, figuring out the greatest songs that I've written that people liked, and not overthinking it, and making sure I have something on the album for everybody."

For Berry, the sounds of the early 2000s are timeless because it was also a time with minimal distractions.

"People were writing some of the best music ever to come out. The world was a lot less distracted during that period. That was one of the main reasons for my prolonged absence. I had to go and live life to experience what it felt like to truly live the meaning of these songs. This is what real artists used to do back in the day."

Berry worked with longtime collaborators like Legendury Beatz to keep himself rooted in the sound he wanted to create. "All of us started together back in the day, working with Wiz during the Star Boy era. There were points where I was stuck, and I had certain creative blocks, and I'd go down and ask their opinion."

Berry was also tempted to jump on the amapiano wave, but his close collaborators were opposed to the idea. "We've had many moments like this during this album creation process. Legendury Beatz would sit me down and be like, 'You know you have a sound, right? You created something back then that is tangible.' Getting reminded about that and what that sound meant to people, and what it still means to people today, gave me the confidence to stick with this sound and stick with the theme."

Berry hopes that If Only Love Was Enough will be inspirational. "I always want people to be inspired by my music," he says. "I want my music to stand the test of time. So, the same way my fans are still listening to music we released in 2013 or 2016, I want to have the same impact with this music, if not more." Even more important to Berry is how this work might inspire his peers. "All of us are sharpening each other, and I want my peers to hear this album and be blown away just like everybody else."

In the Arabic-speaking world, Marwan Moussa needs no introduction. The Egyptian German rapper and producer has dominated the rap scene for years, rising to fame for his hard-hitting bars and effortless flow. A man who enjoys bragadociousness and does it well, Moussa is the third most-streamed Arab rapper of all time and has received three All Africa Music Awards.

After losing his mother to illness in October 2023, Moussa did not listen to music for six months. Then, he returned with "3AMEL EH" (What do I do) in July 2024, on which he opens up to his therapist about his depression, inviting listeners into a journey of climbing out of the darkness.

This week, Moussa revealed الرجل الذي فقد قلبه (The Man Who Lost His Heart), a conceptual framework for the introspective tracks he has been releasing. Throughout the album, the female voice we hear on "3AMEL EH" tells him that everyone deals with the same feelings in different ways. She introduces him to the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance - which he adopts as an artistic lens for the 23 tracks across five discs.

"I wanted to make a sad album, but I cannot say accurately what I was going through," Moussa tells OkayAfrica. "I was creating as I went and tried to fit songs into categories. Maybe creating these songs was therapeutic, but I cannot say accurately which stage I went through with which song."

Each disc has stylistic elements that bring Moussa's emotions to life. Denial sounds like string instruments and trap shaabi, a mix of dark trap beats over traditional Egyptian rhythms. Anger rises with Arabic scales and instruments like the Oud. "I felt like [anger] is a very Arab emotion and state," says Moussa. "It's how we express grief the most, especially as men."

His favorite track on the album, "TAQATO3," is on the anger disc. Starting rap-heavy, the track samples the iconic song "Shagar El Lamoon" by Egyptian singer Mohamed Mounir, before ebbing into a vibe that Moussa describes as "melancholic, somehow sad but euphoric."

Moussa wrote and recorded "TAQATO3" between Thailand and Los Angeles; the album came together in studios all over the world. "We just recorded in the places that we happened to be at, and we let it add color and flavors to the album, which I think added diversity to the songs," he says.

Bargaining heavily features the piano, the instrument Moussa associates with questioning. While the other discs have at least one feature, bargaining is the only emotional state he navigates completely alone. With track three of that disc, "Fahman Donya," he recently became the first Arabic-language rapper to perform on the global rap platform From The Block.

Depression is characterized by ambient, mournful textures. Moussa sings and bears his soul over simplistic, repetitive melodies that feature string instruments and the piano, carrying a distinguishable Egyptian rhythm that embeds the universal experience of loss in a specific cultural context.

Throughout the album, a male voice tells Moussa "hawil tiftikir" (try to remember), reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar’s use of voicenotes. However, Moussa did not have any musical influences for this project. "In the beginning, I thought that was a bad thing. Everything just came from the mind," he says. "But I hope that it will become more timeless because there are no musical reference points."

Acceptance closes the album with Moussa emerging on the other side. This disc is more playful, incorporating jazz piano, Afrobeats, and the assertion that he must keep trying. "[The album] is not about being sad or breaking up with someone. It's about losing someone who dies, specifically, "says Moussa. "I would love it if it helps someone navigate through a period of sadness. Like a map."

Now that he has revealed this deeply vulnerable and raw side of himself, will Moussa continue along this path? "I miss doing an ego song," he says and laughs. "I want to do music that makes me feel confident. That's what I love about classic rap: you say stuff, you feel cool, and it feels good. But that's not how I felt the past year, so I couldn't rap like that."

There's a common concern that Egyptian rap lost its authenticity when it became mainstream, and some voices mutter that the genre is dying out. Moussa agrees that rappers have not been at their best in recent years, but he has noticed a brooding resurgence.

"I think people will become more competitive in the next few months. The action is going to come back," he says. "I think we'll see some battles and hear music that feels like more time has been spent making it. I can feel it and am excited to be a part of it." The Man Who Lost His Heart, with its poignant lyricism and expertly crafted sonic layers, can spearhead a revival of vanguard Egyptian rap, should it actually be on its way.

April has been a superb month for East Africa's music scene. This month's standout releases are all about bold moves, unexpected collaborations, and deeply personal storytelling, proving once again that the region's artists continue to innovate while staying true to their roots.

Tanzania's Jux celebrates love's grandest gesture with "God Design" featuring Nigeria's Phyno, with visuals from his real-life wedding. Kenya's Bien takes listeners on a rare cross-border journey with Somalia's Suldaan Seeraar on "Safari," bridging cultures with a heartfelt collaboration. Uganda's King Saha reflects on the highs and lows of life lived online in "TikTok Life," while Kenya's Bensoul and V-BE toast to the sweetness of love in "Kautamu Flani."

These are just some songs that kept East Africa grooving in April.

Listen to OkayAfrica's Best East African Songs Right Now below.

Jux - "God Design" Feat. Phyno (Tanzania)

Fresh off "Africa's wedding of the year" to Nigeria's Priscilla Ojo, Tanzania's Juma Jux returns with a new track featuring visuals from the actual ceremony. According to Jux, the song is part of his seven-track EP, A Day to Remember, described as "a soundtrack to our love story." "Straight from the heart, for the love of my life," he shared on social media. "Forever starts now." Don't sleep on Phyno's verse.

Bien - “Safari” feat. Suldaan Seeraar (Somalia/Kenya)

Kenya's Bien is gearing up to release a new album, kicking things off with the lead single "Safari," a collaboration with Somalia's Suldaan Seeraar. Despite Kenya and Somalia's shared border, musical collaborations between the two nations are rare. This makes the track a compelling glimpse into the album's direction and Bien's evolving artistry. The album arrives ahead of his upcoming tour across Europe and the U.S. this summer.

King Saha - “TikTok Life” (Uganda)

One of Uganda's finest, King Saha returns with a song that celebrates and laments the experience of living life in front of a phone screen. It reflects digital-age realities, delivered with his signature melodic flair—and it's been steadily climbing the Ugandan charts. Even over a decade in the game, King Saha continues to craft music that speaks to and for the people.

Bensoul - "Kautumu Flani" feat. V-BE (Kenya)

Six months after his hit "Extra Pressure," Bensoul returns with "Kautamu Flani," a new single featuring Nairobi-based duo V-BE (Vijana Barubaru). Since its release, the song has quickly climbed to the top of Kenya's charts. Known for their romantic, soulful sound, V-BE brings their signature vibe to the track, celebrating an unnamed, indescribable sweetness that love brings.

Matata - “Mpishi” feat. Bien (Kenya)

It's been a year since Norway-based group Matata released new music, and they've returned in style with "Mpishi," teaming up with Kenya's hitmaker Bien for a track that has topped the Kenyan charts. Known for their vibrant fusion of rap, Sheng, and Kikuyu influences, Matata's latest release also highlights their colorful aesthetic and infectious choreography, reaffirming their place as one of East Africa's most exciting acts.

Marioo - Tete  (Tanzania)

Marioo is on a roll this year. His hit "Nairobi" remains at the top of the charts, and he is ready to add to that with "Tete."

Toxic Lyrikali - "Confirmation" feat. Mr Ree (Kenya)

After a breakout year in 2024, urban tone-drill sensation Toxic Lyrikali kicks off 2025 with his first single, "Confirmation." Hailing from gritty Nairobi, Toxic Lyrikali has built a loyal digital following with his electrifying stage presence, sharp lyricism, and bold storytelling.

In this month's Best West African Songs list, OkayAfrica travels through Côte d'Ivoire, where coupé-décalé is still ruling the scene, Ghana, where artists like Lali x Lola experiment with Afropop-influenced sounds, and Nigeria, where legends make triumphant comebacks.

Tiwa Savage "You4Me" (Nigeria)

The Queen of Afrobeats, Tiwa Savage, is entering a new era. Here, she returns to her R&B roots, ditching percussion for guitars and tender lyrics. After releasing the reggae-infused "Forgiveness" last year, "You4Me" plays like an earnest, feel-good contemporary R&B track that still carries her subversive touch. The track samples Tamia's "So Into You," drawing clear connections between the influences Savage is drawing from for her upcoming project and the sounds she is looking to create. As is familiar with Savage's work, the writing is tightly constructed, and well-placed riffs anchor the vocals.

Serge Beynaud “Taper Dedans” (Côte d’Ivoire)

One of the prominent champions of coupé-decalé and loko loko, Serge Beynaud's new track "Taper Dedans" is instantly infectious and club-ready. The track is enlivened by a playful call-and-response, repetitive hooks that stick to the brain, and an explosive beat that would make a perfect soundtrack to an end-of-year music festival. With over a decade of working in the Ivorian music industry, Beynaud is one of the ardent voices that have continued to embody the communal and transformative essence of coupé-decalé while adding a modern spin.

Reekado Banks “Mukutu” (Nigeria)

In "Mukutu," Reekado Banks keeps things seductively simple. Singing over a bouncy yet stripped-down beat, Banks offers a splashy, beach-ready track for the summer. More than a decade since his debut, it's clear that Banks still knows what it takes to make a hit song.

Dayo Lamar “Woody” (Côte d'Ivoire)

Dayo Lamar's "Woody" lends itself to classic hip-hop and EDM sensibilities. Executed as if in one breath, Lamar raps over a thumping beat, clearing his mind and getting his thoughts out without an interlude or chorus. "Woody" is a short, well-defined, and brilliantly executed confessional that places sufficient trust in the sharpness of Lamar's rap flows, the slimness of the beat, and the precision with which he delivers his message.

Team Paiya “Révolté” feat. Le Grand Homme (Côte d'Ivoire)

In many ways, Team Paiya's music carries an urgency that's difficult to explain yet essential to their impressive discography. Even though they were formed in 2022 and haven't been around for long in the star-studded music scene in Côte d'Ivoire, their energetic, blended approach to music has made them a crucial part of the current success of Ivorian music. In "Révolté," their latest track, the crew blends coupé décalé, rap, and boucan in a signature sound they call "maimouna 2.0." Like their previous hits, "Révolté" has an explosive, thrilling essence that, yet again, proves how attentive Team Paiya is to the sounds and messages that move the youth.

Joyce Olong "WWYD" (Nigeria)

Nigerian indie artist Joyce Olong created much of her latest, full-length project, Soseo, in Ghana. Tucked away in a serene and spiritually charged space, Olong became a channel through which several ethereal, otherworldly songs were birthed. "WWYD," a groovy, bewitching track, is one of them. Starting with short, sharp chants and an echoey, trance-like beat, "WWYD" quickly segues into a gentle pep before Olong's soothing voice enters, asking questions and beseeching a love interest. Known for languid sounds that inspire reflection and easy living, Olong takes these qualities (her most powerful artistic qualities) and throws them into a highly experimental pot, where everything feels light, honest, and aggressively beautiful.

Lali X Lola "Unstable" feat. Oiza x Meyi (Ghana/Nigeria)

Fast-rising Ghanaian musical duo Lali X Lola share much in common with their Nigerian counterparts, Oiza x Meyi. They're both identical twins, and their music sits at the fringe of the mainstream, often melding R&B with indie and exploring Afropop and folk. In their first and fitting collaboration, both duos bring their well-oiled charm, playful but sensitive lyrics, and experimental musicality to a lively track. "Unstable" explores classic themes of self-preservation, ultimately recognizing misdeeds and reaffirming one's strength amidst a chaotic relationship. Both groups share the same concerns regarding matters of the heart, and because they're both excellent documentarians of the state of modern romance, they're compelling to listen to.

Demmi "Still Rolling" (Ghana)

Ghanaian artist and producer Demmi (McDonald Otubuah) is an ardent student of modern Afropop. Thanks to his producer background, Demmi collects references from well-known and obscure sounds, which he then simmers into groovy yet deeply personal Afropop tracks. In his latest drop, "Still Rolling," that formula comes into play excellently. His lyricism is personal and anecdotal, the beat experimental but club-ready. For Demmi, "Still Rolling" is an alluring tease of something big to come.

Melissa "Tattoo" feat. Blaqbonez  (Ghana)

Ghanaian R&B star Melissa teams up with Nigerian rapper and singer Blaqbonez for a sultry, emotion-heavy number on "Tattoo." Covering the plains of desire and tease, "Tattoo" evokes a blurry image of a sweaty dance floor filled with willing love interests. Blaqbonez's raspy tone and playfully brash lyrics complement Melissa's airy, fluttering voice. Ultimately, "Tattoo" blends the softness of R&B with the subtle bounce of Afropop into a song that would sound magical after a dip in the pool on a hot summer day.

Check out the list below:

Femi Kuti sits in a modest room, cool and calm. On this Zoom call with OkayAfrica, the 62-year-old afrobeat legend speaks with the agility of a man assured in his craft. In a few days, he will release his eleventh body of work, Journey Through Life. As we begin our conversation, we first explore Kuti's intent behind the album title.

"I just thought it was important to talk about things that have guided me throughout my life," says Kuti, "that's why it's called 'Journey Through Life.' Just before the recording, my daughter had an operation and everywhere was just so … we were all very confused, everywhere was so emotional, and her bravery was part of the inspiration. The family was so tight and together in this period, and I thought it was important to sing about these virtues."

If you listen closely, you can hear the communal energy that flows through the 10 songs on the album. Vibrant percussion blends with bright guitar work on the titular track, "Journey Through Life," in which Kuti sings about the personal and familial ideals he speaks passionately about. "Keep all your loved ones by your side," he sings in his unshakable voice, a sweet salvo that soars with fiery purpose when required.

That energy often emerges when Kuti tackles the corruption of the Nigerian political class, as he does in "Chop And Run" and "Politics Don Expose Them," where he highlights the wrongdoings of politicians. Like a watchman from his tower, Kuti stands for the conscience of society.

"We're the ones that make up Nigeria," Kuti affirms. "All our issues, our joy, everything works hand in hand. I think I've understood long ago that this problem won't be solved in my lifetime. You see, when you're talking about not just Nigeria's problem but Africa's problem, you're talking about 400 years of slavery, a hundred years of bad, corrupt, evil African government, Western influence, greed, so it's not going to end in 50 years. It's not possible."

Highlighting the motives of pan-African leaders such as Patrice Lumumba and Malcolm X, he says that anyone who wanted Africa to grow was eliminated.

So why sing at all? The veteran knows it's impossible to change the world, so he has recently turned to more personal matters. "I think I would be quite stupid to think I can solve Africa's problem with my music," he scoffs. "But if you listen to the tracks, you'll see a record called 'Work On Myself.' The way I look at life is: 'Why do we like to superimpose our ideas on other people?' We need to superimpose those ideas on ourselves to make ourselves better. Probably that's the objective of life."

Journey Through Life is a compilation of Kuti's ideals. His political thoughts might occupy the frontline, but they stand visibly beside his musical mastery. Whether it's his early recordings after forming the Positive Force band in 1986 or almost breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest saxophone note in 2017, it's remarkable that Kuti has always continued making music. Nearly stoic in his dedication, he tells us it's a fight against monotony.

"It's very important for an artist not to remain stagnant or monotonous," he says. "Every project of mine, I try to do something different, or else it would be boring. Age and practice help you grow, so I still practice. I still do a lot of work, and hopefully, my sound will mature with age as time goes by. You see, music is like a flower. You have to nurture it; you have to give it water and sunlight, or else it will die. Your music will die off."

On "Corruption na Stealing," he moves beyond his famous baritone vocals, singing in a near-falsetto that shows just how impressive a singer he is. Amidst the grungy Afrobeat groove, which instantly situates listeners in Lagos' Afrikan Shrine, the musician brings to life one of the transcendent problems of African society. In the second verse, his phrasing takes after contemporary styling, as he upholds that "when money thief, we must find the thief to call am thief," however recognizing that the same rules are bypassed for the rich and influential, with the advantage of "big English to add to the thing."

During our conversation, Kuti goes into long analyses of the social world, all of which tie back to his life’s journey. Education, he infers, used to mean more than just certificates — it had to do with virtues.

"Nowadays, we have a lot of lousy professionals," he says. "In a classroom of twenty students, if one child fails, everyone fails. Maybe that guy who came last, or doesn't know it, probably would have become a surgeon if we had taught him well. He would probably treat one of us in the future, but we're making fun of him and bringing him down. For me, the teacher is wrong, and everyone in that classroom is wrong, for that child to fail. What kind of education is that? The African community is old. We grow together. Everybody has the potential to be successful; everybody is important in society. Everybody has a problem to solve."

Creating such a thematically and sonically rich work four decades into one's career is quite rare in music; furthermore, in the Nigerian music scene, where legacy is often attributed to the old, the dying, or the dead. For the Anikulapo-Kuti family, who have commandeered one of the strongest cultural legacies in the world, it seems fitting that an artist and personality like Femi Kuti would release this project now, four years after a joint project with his son, Made Kuti.

Our conversation ends with me asking about the importance of these familial connections. "I think legacy is important in that sense," he says. "But you don't force people to do what they don't want to do. Made did. He's playing music because he wants to. I have seven children. He's the only one ... Okay, one of the girls is showing interest, I don't know if she'll show it at the latter stage of her life. All of them have studied music, but the rest don't want to play music."

"To play music, you really have to be sure," he says. "It's not a bed of roses. You have to find your passion; when you discover what you love, even during tough times, your dedication will make time fly. You won’t even realize where the last 20 years have gone because you’re so engaged in your work. And if you even become successful, you'll see it in a different light. It's not about material things. In my family, success is never weighed by wealth; rather, it’s about your commitment to your work and the perseverance you demonstrate over time. This is how I see my life, and this is how Fela lived his life."