{"id":2467429,"date":"2026-06-19T19:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2467429"},"modified":"2026-06-19T19:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:00:51","slug":"the-african-music-you-need-to-hear-this-week-june-19-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-african-music-you-need-to-hear-this-week-june-19-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The African Music You Need to Hear This Week \u2013 June 19, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"ecba85ea-e183-4c01-9b99-9238afc4d66f\">\n<p class=\"subtitle \" style=\"\">Stream the best African music this week and listen to new releases from Tyla, Moliy, Solana, Nyota Parker and more.<\/p>\n<p><figcaption itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"\">Tyla released her new single, \u201cIs It Love,\u201d this week.<\/figcaption><figcaption itemprop=\"author\" class=\"\" data-byline-prefix=\"Photo\">from Tyla\/YouTube.<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-element-guid=\"78f058c8-733f-4b40-aba1-6009b65afde6\">\n<p>Every week, <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"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 class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">African Music You Need to Hear This Week<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- placeholder(#1) --><\/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<h2>Tyla \u2014 &#8220;Is It Love&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"dba273b9-8456-4178-8bf7-d1fdc8924fb3\" 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\/YdrW1SJwiMs\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Tyla<\/span>&#8216;s gearing up for her long-teased album, A*Pop, and it&#8217;s looking like she&#8217;ll change the game once again. Much-lauded, much-admired, but also much-criticized, the international pop superstar refuses to back down, and seems to have realized the power in firing from her waist and saying very little else. The music speaks for itself: &#8220;Is it love if you don&#8217;t cry?&#8221; she asks, over a beat that&#8217;s a bridge between R&amp;B and trap sensibilities.<\/p>\n<h2>Sjava, Emtee, Saudi and Ruff \u2014 The Trap Temptations [LP]<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"14eeae52-450d-4bb0-b4fc-19d5a2f2bd92\" 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\/6KAQP9C79Bs\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Sjava, Emtee, Saudi<\/span> and <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Ruff <\/span>released their collaborative album earlier this week. It&#8217;s a brooding collection of love songs premised on the idea of supergroups of old \u2014 <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">The O&#8217;Jays, The Manhattans, The Temptations<\/span> \u2014 with a South African twist that draws from all four artists&#8217; lives. The artists have been working together on projects for over a decade, and each has carved his own lane in South African music.<\/p>\n<h2>Solana, Killertunez \u2014 &#8220;Okunkun&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"317ec248-3aae-4d81-b754-6bf690a93fe0\" 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\/YEjCrgS4dnI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Solana<\/span>&#8216;s making some of the best music of her career right now, and &#8220;Okunkun&#8221; is squarely in that streak. The power anthem takes the best parts of the &#8217;80s \u2014 the sheen, the attitude, the expansiveness of sounds \u2014 and gives them a 2026 facelift, courtesy of <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Killertunez<\/span>, whose sound bed creates the perfect mood for Solana to go wild. And she does, with a song so catchy and life-giving that replaying it isn&#8217;t overkill.<\/p>\n<h2>Marcus Harvey \u2014 &#8220;Mapula&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"3330bf63-1d79-4bd5-be8c-199ca94ef0e9\" 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\/04aYlLCGDjc\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Marcus Harvey<\/span> is the golden child of South African R&amp;B. His discography speaks for itself; he&#8217;s been a top-tier artist since his arrival in 2020. &#8220;Mapula&#8221; is the first single from his forthcoming album, <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">Son Of Elvis<\/span>, due August 28. It finds the artist promising the world to his lover, as <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Jordan Klem<\/span>&#8216;s production wraps the message up and delivers it at high fidelity, with deep basslines and keys that tingle the senses.<\/p>\n<h2>Hadaya Eliana \u2014 &#8220;Wacha Wacha&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"e4e0632c-c411-4984-a0be-5fdb3ce77917\" 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\/MwmWW5iZ37s\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nairobi&#8217;s <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Hadaya Eliana<\/span> has the markings of a star. The singer and songwriter&#8217;s latest release, &#8220;Wacha Wacha,&#8221; takes elements of early 2000s R&amp;B and integrates them into the East African state of mind, locating a looming greatness and placing it in the palm of her hand. Her voice cuts above the nostalgia, and we&#8217;re left with warm, fuzzy feelings that are very much a part of the present.<\/p>\n<h2>Umzulu Phaqa \u2014 &#8220;Unlimited Budget&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"d8cd7d09-d6e2-4423-8f3d-1f6e6f4bd808\" 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\/epwAL4Fvp7g\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Umzulu Phaqa<\/span> wears her heart on her sleeve and speaks her truth at all costs. She made a splash when she announced she&#8217;d be quitting music some months back, but has seemingly come back filled with a force greater than herself. Her songs are gateways to the dream world, manifestations for a better life. &#8220;Unlimited Budget&#8221; is essentially her saying that she won&#8217;t give up; that she&#8217;ll keep kicking down doors in search of something better for herself and her loved ones.<\/p>\n<h2>Nyota Parker, Jay Jody \u2014 Confused Admiration [LP]<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"7502a2f9-264f-4773-bea4-ac008d94176d\" 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\/z2r8Z7k46j8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Nyota Parker<\/span> has been putting in time developing her pen game, her confidence, and her delivery. She&#8217;s a new-school artist with an old soul, a scholar of hip-hop versed in its fundamentals. So it only makes sense that she&#8217;d collaborate with <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Jay Jody<\/span>, one of rap&#8217;s gifted sons, who is an equally great student of the game, as well as an elder to many. Their collaborative project, <span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">Confused Admiration<\/span>, is common ground for different generations to develop a single language, to communicate in present tense so that the future doesn&#8217;t get caught slipping.<\/p>\n<h2>Moliy \u2014 &#8220;Jetski (FRIKI)&#8221; (feat. Yailin La M\u00e1s Viral &amp; Theodora)<\/h2>\n<div data-element-guid=\"c0b3f95b-d167-4074-a7a7-542222dc1d1e\" 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\/hUpS-0jIlaw\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Moliy<\/span>&#8216;s deep in her reggaeton bag on &#8220;Jetski (FRIKI).&#8221; &#8220;<span class=\"italic m-italic \" data-lab-italic=\"italic\">I can make your mind want me<\/span>,&#8221; she declares at the beginning, before the song devolves into a dizzying minefield of massive proportions. This one&#8217;s designed for the dancefloor, for the ones who know no weekends. She doesn&#8217;t do it alone, though, and enlists Dominican Republic&#8217;s <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Yailin La M\u00e1s Viral<\/span>, who&#8217;s fresh from a three-day stint in jail for gun possession, as well as French Congolese singer-songwriter <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Theodora<\/span><span>, <\/span>and together, they\u00a0 maximize this high-impact music with their combined aura.<\/p>\n<div data-element-guid=\"bdd45cd9-ae32-4bda-90f8-fa60f5d2dab6\" id=\"factbox-1433167\" 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 \" 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>From <span class=\"font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold \" data-lab-font_weight=\"font-weight-bold\">Tyla, Burna Boy, Asake<\/span>, and more.<\/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>Stream the best African music this week and listen to new releases from Tyla, Moliy, Solana, Nyota Parker and more. Tyla released her new single, \u201cIs It Love,\u201d this week.from Tyla\/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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2467430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":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-2467429","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\/06\/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\/2467429","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=2467429"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2467431,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2467429\/revisions\/2467431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2467430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2467429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2467429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2467429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}