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April 10
Ghana: How to Keep Your Music Career Going - 3 Tips From a Ghanaian Star
Ghanaian parents have historically discouraged their children from becoming musicians or marrying musicians. A music career is still not seen as one that can provide a steady… Read more »
April 01
Nigeria: Fuji Music in Nigeria - New Documentary Shines Light On a Popular African Culture
Nigerian singer Síkírù Àyìndé Barrister (1948-2010) pioneered fújì, a Yorùbá genre of popular dance music. In… Read more »
February 16
Africa: A Brief History of the Diss Track - From the Roxanne Wars to Megan Thee Stallion
Released last month, Houston-born rapper Megan Thee Stallion's hit song Hiss is a textbook diss record. Fans and critics have suggested the track takes aim at multiple artists… Read more »
February 02
Africa: Sexism Permeates Every Layer of the Music Industry - New Report Echoes What Research Has Been Saying for Years
The landmark Misogyny in Music report from British MPs on the women and equalities committee, published on January 30, shines an unsettling light upon the gender discrimination,… Read more »
February 01
Ethiopia: Ethiopian Protest Music - the Songs of Hachalu Hundessa Reveal the Struggles of the Oromo People
The Oromo are the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, accounting for over 40 million people or more than one-third of the population. However, they have been politically… Read more »
January 19
Africa: Five Inspiring Female Composers From History You Should Listen to
I research female composers and contrary to what many people expect, women have successfully written music throughout history. It is important to learn about these musicians to… Read more »
January 17
Africa: How Video Game Soundtracks Are Influencing a New Generation of Musicians and Music Lovers
One of my clearest musical memories is playing the video game Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo in the winter of 1995. When my character first entered the forest where the game… Read more »
January 18
South Africa: Soul Brothers - the Story of a Band That Revolutionised South African Music
Biographies of important South African musicians often fall into two categories: they either emerge from PhD or other university-based research, or are the fruit of dedicated… Read more »
November 09, 2023
West Africa: Kora - in Search of the Origins of West Africa's Famed Stringed Musical Instrument
"How come we've never heard of this beautiful instrument until now?" This was posted by a first-year college student to my world music course discussion board recently. He voiced… Read more »
August 28, 2023
South Africa: Sylvia Mdunyelwa, One of South Africa's Great Jazz Vocalists, Kept Music Traditions Alive
If Miriam Makeba is hailed as the South African vocalist of her generation who brilliantly embraced (and actually shaped) global music sounds, and Sathima Bea Benjamin as the… Read more »
August 14, 2023
Africa: 3 Ways AI Is Transforming Music
Each fall, I begin my course on the intersection of music and artificial intelligence by asking my students if they're concerned about AI's role in composing or producing music. Read more »
Africa: The Science of Why You Can Remember Song Lyrics From Years Ago
Why is it that many people can't remember where they put their car keys most mornings, but can sing along to every lyric of a song they haven't heard in years when it comes on the… Read more »
August 01, 2023
Nigeria: Music Video Controversy in Nigeria - Logos Olori Misreads a Religious Time Bomb
Recently, Logos Olori - a Nigerian singer who is signed to Afrobeats superstar Davido's music label - released a video with supposedly Muslim men dancing to his song Jaye Lo in… Read more »
July 27, 2023
Africa: Deaf Rappers Who Lay Down Rhymes in Sign Languages Are Changing What It Means for Music to Be Heard
In April 2023, DJ Supalee hosted Supafest Reunion 2023 to celebrate entertainers and promoters within the U.S. Deaf community. Read more »
May 05, 2023
Africa: The Empire Sings Back - the Deep History Behind South African Soprano Pretty Yende's Triumph
Among the invited artists at the coronation of Britain's King Charles III is the South African soprano, Pretty Yende. Coronations are not events that take place often. What makes… Read more »
April 06, 2023
Zimbabwe: Winky D Is Being Targeted By Police in Zimbabwe - Why the Music Star's Voice Is So Important
Winky D, a 40-year-old Zimdancehall artist, is hugely popular in Zimbabwe. He's also increasingly in the news for the messages in his songs, some of which address social injustice… Read more »
March 30, 2023
Africa: Happy Songs - These Are the Musical Elements That Make Us Feel Good
Music has a unique power to affect the way people feel and many people use music to enhance or change their mood, channel emotions and for psychological support. Read more »
South Africa: Amapiano Awards - South Africa's Dance Music Scene Spreads Its Joy Across the World
In 2019 amapiano began to dominate South Africa's dance floors to such an extent that, by 2021, the first South African Amapiano Awards were held to mark the rise of the country's… Read more »
March 29, 2023
Ethiopia: The Astonishing Life and Music of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, the Ethiopian Nun Who's Died At 99
As the Ethiopian pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou approached the age of 100, fans and music critics from the US to Ethiopia, Israel to Europe have been eagerly… Read more »
March 23, 2023
South Africa: Album Celebrates New Traditions in South Africa's Ancient Bow Music
Musical bows are among the oldest instruments in southern Africa. Musicologists think the "ping" a bowstring makes when an arrow is released inspired early hunters (as far back as… Read more »
February 23, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria Elections - the Surprising Influence of Afrobeats Music On Politics
In the run-up to Nigeria's February 2023 elections, the country's younger generation has mobilised to demand change and redefine the political landscape - and music has been… Read more »
February 15, 2023
Cameroon: Jean-Paul Zé Bella - the Cunning Cameroonian Soldier Who Became a Global Music Legend
One of Cameroon's most influential music stars - Jean-Paul Zé Bella - passed away on 15 January at the age of 71 after a battle against cancer. The singer and drummer was a… Read more »
February 12, 2023
South Africa: AKA - Slain Rapper Was a Once-in-a-Generation Pop Culture Sensation
AKA, South Africa's most recognisable name in hip-hop, was gunned down - with his friend, celebrity chef Tebello 'Tibz' Motsoane - outside a restaurant along Durban's popular night… Read more »
February 03, 2023
East Africa: The Incredible Story of How East African Culture Shaped the Music of a State in India
The term Siddi refers to Afro-Indians - Africans who mixed with Indians through marriage and relationships. Africans crossed the Indian Ocean and arrived in India during the 1200s,… Read more »
February 01, 2023
Benin: Angelique Kidjo - the Diva From Benin Could Win a Record Sixth Grammy Award
Angelique Kidjo, the energetic singer-songwriter and activist from the Republic of Benin, represents a rare African phenomenon. Read more »
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