Ayra Starr, Black Sherif, DBN Gogo, Buruklyn Boyz among those set to gain new fan audiences globally
Spotify today announced six African artists joining RADAR – the music streaming giant’s programme dedicated to the spotlight and discovery of emerging artists across the world. The full list of artists from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa includes DBN GOGO, Ayra Starr, Black Sherif, Victony, BNXN and Buruklyn Boyz.
This batch of artists follows in the footsteps of other African talents like Elaine, Willy Cardiac, Tems and Focalistic who all joined the programme in 2020 and were exposed to new global fan communities on the platform as a result.
“It gives me so much joy to bring back our RADAR Africa program, and to do so within a deservingly bigger and better format. It is so important that we continue to identify and find ways to offer developing artists a fair chance at success on and off platform. We have six outstanding ones from the region to begin with, and look forward to sharing in their journey while we provide the resources to elevate them to the next level of their respective careers, and hopefully make thousands more Spotify fans around the world,”says Phiona Okumu, Head of Music, Spotify Africa.
Since its launch, RADAR has driven an increase in listening and furthered fan-artist connections and, as part of the programme, these artists will receive editorial, on-platform and off-platform support from Spotify to help broaden their respective fanbases.
Moreover, as part of its Global Hub launch, Spotify will prioritise the promotion of RADAR playlists, RADAR podcasts, Spotify Singles, and priority releases from RADAR artists across all regions.
About the artists
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Ayra Starr is impossible to ignore. Born in Benin Republic, the 19-year-old was raised between its beach city, Cotonou and the cultural hub of Lagos, Nigeria. This mix of cultures inspires her global approach to music, art and life. She’s inspired by the regal earthiness of Angelique Kidjo, Rihanna’s feisty confidence, as well as 90s fashion icons and has amassed a hugely impressive base of more than 1.2 million listeners a month on Spotify.
Black Sherif (Ghana)
Black Sherif’s unique sound is geared towards creating a mass cult following, with the end goal of creating a global icon. With the manner in which he blends Ghanaian Highlife with Reggae, Hip Hop and other sounds, it widens his reach and potential. With Highlife being Ghana’s authentic sound, his use of the genre has an instant effect on the older folk which isn’t the usual case for a 20-year old artist. First time listeners of Sherif get amazed by his vocal range then zone into his eerie unorthodox melodies. But the actual catch is the substance in his writing and how relevant and relative it is to modern times and listeners. Black Sherif currently boasts more than 1,3 million listeners a month on Spotify.
BNXN (Nigeria)
Lagos-born, Daniel Benson (BNXN) is an Afro-Fusion singer and songwriter who took the world by storm when he was still performing under the stagename Buju. He has cultivated a monthly listenership of more than 3 million on Spotify.
BURUKULYN BOYZ (Kenya)
A hip hop crew fronted by Mr. Right and Ajay from Nairobi Kenya pride themselves in rapping what they live and in being the flag bearers of Kenya’s Drill music movement. They have more than 45,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
DBN GOGO (South Africa)
With more than 335,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, DBN Gogo is a professional DJ, musician, and music producer from Durban, South Africa.She spent part of her childhood years in Pretoria. Born Thembani Radebe, DBN Gogo also spent part of her life in France making her fluent in both English and French. Unthinkable, disruptive, and unexpected are words to describe DBN Gogo who brings magical brilliance to each set she plays and hopes to leave behind a beautiful legacy for future generations.
Victony (Nigeria)
Anthony Ebuka Victor (born January 5th, 2001) professionally known as Victony, is a 20 year-old Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter who hails from Orsu local government in Imo state. He started off solely as a rapper and later honed his skills and developed a more dynamic artistry that allows him to perfectly swing between different genres such as R’nB, Trap and Afropop. He currently has more than 752,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.