The Songs You Need to Hear This Week
Featuring Ayra Starr, Ali Farka Touré x Oumou Sangaré, Pheelz, King Perryy and Dur-Dur Band.
Ayra Starr "Sability" single cover art.
Every week, we highlight the top African music and afrobeats releases through our best music column, Songs You Need to Hear.
If you like these African music lists, you can also check out ourBest 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.
Ayra Starr "Sability"
Afropop princess Ayra Starrdropped "Sability," her first single of the year. The soon-to-be club banger comes via Nigerian-British producer LONDON and showcases the musical evolution of the young songstress, as she plays along with different sounds. The pair conjured up a vibrant tune, featuring a zestful sample of 'Coupé Bibamba' by Congolese soukous legend Awilo Longomba. Read more.
Ali Farka Touré "Cherie" ft. Oumou Sangaré
The legendary Malian guitarist and singer Ali Farka Touré is set to have his first posthumous release in 13 years with Voyageur, a collection of previously unheard song's from throughout his illustrious career being released by World Circuit Records. "Cherie," the second single we hear from the project, features Malian diva Oumou Sangaré. The track was recorded in 1995 in London. Oumou mentions: “Ali Farka Touré... provided me with a lot of support when I started out in music, like a protective big brother, and he was proud of my achievements on African development. Ali and I often used to sing together for Malian audiences, and this session is the only recorded trace of our musical harmony."
Pheelz 'Pheelz Good' EP
Nigeria's Pheelzreleased the star-studded Pheelz Good EP which features everyone from Davidoto BNXN. TheEP, showcases his versatility, and attention to sonic detail. Pheelz Good, which is a summation of eight songs, is a celebration of the newcomer's Nigerian roots and musical creativity. A longtime producer-turned-lead artist, Pheelz is one of the rising Afrobeats names currently gaining critical acclaim in the international music space. Read more.
King Perryy 'Continental Playlist' EP
Nigeria's rising King Perryy released the 7-song Continental Playlist EP, which includes features from the likes of Tekno, Victony, Ria Sean and 1da Banton. The EP sees King Perryy blend straings of afrobeats, dancehall, reggae, drill, pop, and more into catchy, head-bopping productions. "I spent the whole of last year working on this project and experimenting with different sounds, trying new melodies with my voice, and just discovering myself in the music," he mentions about the EP.
Dur-Dur Band "Heeyaa" ft. Cabdinuur Allaale
Somalian group Dur-Dur Band Int.'s upcoming album, The Berlin Session, is being heralded as "the first new studio recording by a full group from Somalia since the country’s golden era of music ended three decades ago." They are now sharing the second single off the album, "Heeyaa," which sees them connect with veteran Somali vocalist Caddinuur Allaale. Pre-order The Berlin Sessions, which will be out March 10 via Outhere Records.
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