{"id":38420,"date":"2025-06-30T22:25:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T22:25:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/30\/our-favorite-afropop-moments-of-2025-so-far\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T22:25:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T22:25:53","slug":"our-favorite-afropop-moments-of-2025-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/30\/our-favorite-afropop-moments-of-2025-so-far\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Favorite Afropop Moments of 2025 So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tWe\u2019re officially halfway through 2025, and it\u2019s truly giving \u201cIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times\u201d vibes. This month\u2019s column is going to lean into the good \u2014 a few Afropop<\/a> moments of innovation, excitement, and inspiration that have made waves this year. This is an unranked list \u2014 a slice of joy and pride from my perspective. Still, I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t recognize that around the world and particularly in the African diaspora, it can feel like these achievements pale in comparison to the rampant injustice<\/a> hitting every corner of the Earth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the U.S. to East Africa, authoritarianism is on the rise. Last week,\u00a0in Kenya<\/a>, security forces reportedly opened fire<\/a> on demonstrators taking part in anti-government protests<\/a> that commemorated a year since a mass movement<\/a> began there against unfair tax hikes. Initially, the protests had seemed successful, with Kenya\u2019s President William Ruto announcing<\/a> that he would not sign the controversial tax bill that was under consideration. However, the government\u2019s harsh response to the most recent round of protests has fostered a deepening sense of resentment toward Ruto and his administration. Accounts of government and police repression have only gotten more gruesome, with Amnesty Kenya reporting that 16 people have been shot and killed <\/a>as of June 28 and local officials claiming that hundreds have been injured (while also alleging that most of those hurt were police officers). Meanwhile, devastating conflicts still rage in Nigeria<\/a>, Sudan<\/a>, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tIn the face of unrelenting tragedy, we\u2019re left to balance the beautiful and the calamitous, fighting to retain our humanity along the way. I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about what British Nigerian journalist Julie Adenuga and Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti<\/a> expressed in the forthcoming HBO Max documentary Wizkid<\/a>: Long Live Lagos<\/em><\/a> (a highlight of this year in Afropop I\u2019ll say more about later). They spoke about what it truly means to have a global pop star in Wizkid. As I listened, I contended with the way such representation can seem so fickle and inconsequential when so much else is a clear matter of life or death.<\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\t\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t take for people to like a song for them to feel that there is an entire country and continent of people that are worth investing in,\u201d Adenuga explained, as she and Kuti also imagined the eyes, ears, bodies, and wallets that could be and are being drawn to Africa as it becomes a bigger cultural capital internationally. They imagined how those resources could make a dent in solving the real problems of underdevelopment colonialism left behind. But if nothing else, art, sport, and entertainment remind us of all we are and can create when we have a bit of joy, purpose, and freedom. \u201cAnyone from where I\u2019m from are kings,\u201d Wizkid says in the documentary. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what matters, the way you see yourself.\u201d So, here are some moments of that very joy, purpose, and freedom to savor.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfrican Artists Show Up and Out at Coachella<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt seemed momentous when acts like Burna Boy, Tems<\/a>, and Uncle Waffles had taken the stage at Coachella in previous years, but this spring, the range and concentration of Afropop stars in the desert felt deep and unique for such an iconic American festival. This April, there was Nigeria\u2019s Rema, right after his standout show at Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2019s Future of Music showcase and before he headlined Madison Square Garden for the first time (more on that in a minute). His first weekend debut was plagued<\/a> by a long delay and technical difficulties, but he bounced back<\/a> with the type of spectacle he\u2019s near mastering for the second. As another massive export to make the lineup in the same year, Tyla<\/a>\u2019s slick dance moves and music repping her South African culture shined. Amaarae<\/a> got her Black Star<\/em> era off to a rousing start with her set, leaving a sea of Ghanaian flags waving in the audience as the first act<\/a> from the West African nation to perform solo at Coachella. And the always cool and curt Seun Kuti & Egypt 80<\/a> brought real Afrobeat to the scene with a moving sense of conviction and musicality, invoking the spirit of Fela.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tTyla at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 18, 2025, in Indio, California<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChristopher Polk\/Variety\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tRema Rages at SXSW\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIn March, Rema<\/a> fans flocked to Austin for his headlining set that closed out Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2019s Future of Music showcase<\/a>, following his turn as the magazine\u2019s first Black African cover star<\/a>. His show at ACL Live at the Moody Theatre hit capacity, which admittedly surprised me for\u00a0a city not particularly known to be a hub of Black or African culture. The energy was absolutely ferocious, too. To close out his electric set, Rema summoned the dark energy of \u201cOzeba,\u201d a Heis<\/em> hit modeled after a Nollywood horror film. \u201cIf you wanna take off your shoes, take off your shoes,\u201d he said before it. \u201cIf you wanna take off your wig, take off your wig.\u201d While shoes and wigs seemed to remain mostly intact, the crowd took the spirit of the invite to heart, jumping, screaming, and sweating to the sound of an Afrobeats visionary.<\/p>\n

\n\tTems Wins a Grammy, Owns Part of a Soccer Team, and Reps Omega Watches<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tOK, Tems has been making major moves this year, so I\u2019ll go chronologically \u2014 you find it motivational, remember that you have the same 185 days left in the year as her. In February, she kicked things off by winning her first Grammy as a lead artist for her single \u201cLove Me Jeje,\u201d which Rolling Stone<\/em> named the best Afropop song <\/a>of 2024. She took home the trophy for Best African Music Performance<\/a>, an award that\u2019s only a few years old. Just 10 days later, it was announced that she had joined Major League Soccer\u2019s San Diego FC\u2019s ownership group<\/a> with a stake in the team,\u00a0a contingent that includes Issa Rae. And this month, Tems became a luxurious face of Omega watches, alongside five other women including model Ashley Graham and Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose. Though we fell in love with her as a tender singer-songwriter, she\u2019s becoming a bona fide superstar and diversifying her impact. It\u2019s lovely to watch<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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