{"id":2357567,"date":"2026-04-03T21:24:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T21:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2357567"},"modified":"2026-04-03T21:24:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T21:24:56","slug":"the-african-music-you-need-to-hear-this-week-apr-03-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-african-music-you-need-to-hear-this-week-apr-03-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The African Music You Need to Hear This Week \u2013 Apr 03, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ecba85ea-e183-4c01-9b99-9238afc4d66f\">\n<p class=\"kicker \" style=\"\">MUSIC<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subtitle \" style=\"\">Stream the best African music this week and listen to new releases from Omah Lay, Lubiana, Zo\u00eb Modiga, and more.<\/h2>\n<p><figcaption itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"\">Lubiana features Fatoumata Diawara on her latest song.<\/figcaption><figcaption itemprop=\"author\" class=\"\" data-byline-prefix=\"Photo\">by Lubiana\/YouTube<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-element-guid=\"92e77d5e-2eed-4f5f-fc08-9a7a27bda556\">\n<p>Every week, <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">OkayAfrica<\/span> highlights the top <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/african-music\">African music<\/a> releases \u2014 including the latest <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okayafrica.com\/tag\/afrobeats\">Afrobeats<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.okayafrica.com\/tag\/amapiano\">amapiano<\/a> hits \u2014 through our best music column, <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">African Music You Need to Hear This Week<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Read ahead for our round-up of the best new African music tracks and music videos that came across our desks this week.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.okayplayer.com\/collections\/okayafrica-shop\"><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">BUY NEW VINYL FROM TYLA, BURNA BOY, ASAKE, AND MORE AT THE OKAYSHOP<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- placeholder(#1) --><\/p>\n<h2>Lubiana &#8211; &#8220;Women Who Run with the Wolves&#8221; (feat. Fatoumata Diawara)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"9ee08bee-0804-4a80-96f8-b3c8269011bf\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/nj5lETuqVzU\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c<span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">I saw the women who ran with the wolves<\/span>,\u201d sings <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Lubiana<\/span>, her voice a soft whisper that reveals the might of its owner\u2019s spirit the more one listens. She sings about fearless women who get ostracised for refusing to conform, for rejecting approval that demands they minimize themselves. It\u2019s for women who show up in their fullness, and who better to help communicate that message than <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Fatoumata Diawara<\/span>, a non-conformist of the highest order. \u201cWomen Who Run with the Wolves\u201d is taken from Lubiana\u2019s new album, <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">Terre Rouge (Mother Earth)<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h2>Zo\u00eb Modiga &#8211; &#8220;The Vault&#8221; [LP]<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"1eeeecbf-1af2-48fc-bb56-8234e02190fa\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/flf5JPZZF7U\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Zo\u00eb Modiga<\/span> has, over the past few months, been hinting at her forthcoming album, The Vault, out today via her own Yelloeax imprint. She\u2019s also been hosting listening sessions to give people a feel for the music. The album, her fourth so far, is the culmination of a heartbreaking few years, with pressure crashing in around 2025. On \u201cWings Do What They Do,\u201d she speaks about giving freely, out of the goodness of her heart, expecting nothing in return, only for it to come back and bite in nasty ways. \u201c<span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">Put myself last in this thing \/ self-serving people eat off it<\/span>,\u201d she sings. It\u2019s painful, heart-wrenching stuff, but she makes it look stylish and sound super cool while doing it.<\/p>\n<h2>Alewya &#8211; &#8220;Eshi&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"412d70e4-04d8-4c01-ae29-6d594d43b458\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/FlVRTdrRnFU\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Alewya\u2019<\/span>s music is hypnotic. She draws you in with her voice and keeps you present and grounded with the worlds she builds through it. \u201cEshi\u201d is the third single from her upcoming album, <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">Zero<\/span>, and one gets the sense that she has already found her sonic identity. Now, she\u2019s stretching its limits and daring the ricochet to challenge her. She isn\u2019t afraid to bring all her worlds \u2014 musician, painter, sculptor, dancer \u2014 into anything she does, and this makes every encounter with her art feel like a spiritual exchange.<\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"c866c2b8-dcc4-4c24-9f64-8bdb9f5d8cf5\" id=\"factbox-1426667\" class=\"column factbox state-expanded-desktop small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12 style-fade expandable-mobile expandable-desktop collapsable-mobile collapsable-desktop\">\n<div class=\"content border-bg-primary mobile_border-bg-primary border_width_5 border_width_mobile_5 hasBorder mobile-hasBorder\" style=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"\" style=\"\">Visit <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.okayplayer.com\/collections\/okayafrica-shop\">OkayShop<\/a> for original vinyl from your favorite artists on the continent!<\/h2>\n<div class=\"fact collapsableContent \">\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">From Tyla, Burna Boy, Asake, and more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Sal Ly &#8211; &#8220;Off Days&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"acf43dfb-93f7-4aa6-aa41-3e34ba82cf00\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/5dDwjvOK4hY\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Off Days&#8221; is <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Sal Ly<\/span>&#8216;s latest single, and it finds the singer-songwriter in a rather interesting conversation with her creator. Our ears are greeted by guitar chords played in reverse, which immediately throws us into a psychedelic deep end. It\u2019s mind programming, but we don\u2019t mind. In fact, we want more of it injected into our veins. \u201c<span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">Will the sun rise at the right timing\/&#8230;\/new clouds come with a silver lining,<\/span>\u201d she sings, a reassurance that things will turn out fine. It\u2019s devotional music cloaked in a minimalist bop, and Sal Ly\u2019s vocals embrace the space to give us something magical.<\/p>\n<h2>Eli Mary &#8211; &#8220;Damaged&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"b7c9b5ee-ab12-4e86-a804-c60dc3ea639e\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/XQAgAMNIVV8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Eli Mary<\/span> has a gift for taking the best parts of jazz and hip-hop and synthesizing a third space where both exist without judgment. One also gets the feeling that she\u2019s not trying too hard to sell you something, nor to convince you of her greatness. Instead, she does her thing the best way she knows how and keeps it moving. \u201cDamaged,\u201d produced by her alongside <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Equals Zero<\/span>, is a brilliant exposition of her songwriting and production capabilities.<\/p>\n<h2>Omah Lay &#8211; Clarity Of Mind [LP]<\/h2>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Omah Lay<\/span> has only ever given us two full-length albums: 2022\u2019s <span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">Boy Alone, and Clarity Of Mind, <\/span>which is out today. It\u2019s twelve songs of great songwriting, production that understands moments and eras, and artistry that seeks to innovate. \u201cJah Jah Knows\u201d is a world of funky guitar licks; \u201cCoping Mechanism,\u201d with <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Elmah<\/span>, feels like flying and sounds like freedom; and the previous single \u201cHoly Ghost\u201d is an exorcism on wax.<\/p>\n<h2>Bridget Blue &#8211; &#8220;Mimi Na Wewe&#8221; (feat. Nikita Kering)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"40cdf9e7-4b35-4e16-873d-5c9fdd27c981\" class=\"column youtube small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12\">\n<div class=\"content \" style=\"\">\n<div>\n<p>\n                    <iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/OXKNU6yOjqY\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Bridget Blue<\/span> has the makings of a classic R&amp;B artist, steeped in traditions that have shaped the genre across eras, but especially partial to the late \u201980s through \u201990s sound\u2014think divas and icons like <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Whitney Houston<\/span>, <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Brandy<\/span>, and <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Celine Dion<\/span>. \u201cMimi Na Wewe,\u201d featuring <span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">Nikita Kering<\/span>, is an exhibition of that staple. \u201c<span data-lab-italic=\"italic\" class=\"italic m-italic\">I see forever in your eyes, I love you \u2019til the end of time,<\/span>\u201d she sings. Stay for Nikita Kering\u2019s verse, and prepare to have your world upended by what their voices do when they harmonize. Impeccable.<\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ddac5820-4b1a-4e5a-b550-41b3f004e432\" id=\"factbox-1426668\" class=\"column factbox state-expanded-desktop small-12 large-12 small-abs-12 large-abs-12 style-fade expandable-mobile expandable-desktop collapsable-mobile collapsable-desktop\">\n<div class=\"content border-bg-primary mobile_border-bg-primary border_width_5 border_width_mobile_5 hasBorder mobile-hasBorder\" style=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"\" style=\"\">Visit <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.okayplayer.com\/collections\/okayafrica-shop\">OkayShop<\/a> for original vinyl from your favorite artists on the continent!<\/h2>\n<div class=\"fact collapsableContent \">\n<p><span data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\" class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold\">From Tyla, Burna Boy, Asake, and more.<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.okayafrica.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MUSIC Stream the best African music this week and listen to new releases from Omah Lay, Lubiana, Zo\u00eb Modiga, and more. Lubiana features Fatoumata Diawara on her latest song.by Lubiana\/YouTube Every week, OkayAfrica highlights the top African music releases \u2014 including the latest Afrobeats and amapiano hits \u2014 through our best music column, African Music [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2357568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2357567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/The-African-Music-You-Need-to-Hear-This-Week-\u2013.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2357567"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2357569,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357567\/revisions\/2357569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2357568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2357567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2357567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2357567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}