An important and inclusive change is pulsing through the 2021 GRAMMYs process and resonating across the music community worldwide. The category formerly known as Best World Music Album will now be known as Best Global Music Album moving forward. For the inaugural class of nominees under the reimagined category banner, the nod is twice as sweet. 

The adjustment in wording may seem subtle to some, but after deep research and conversations with artists, ethnomusicologists and linguists from around the world, the name refresh has been made to squarely address the baggage and connotation of "world music" by using a more adaptive and inclusive category title. 

"The change symbolizes a departure from the connotations of colonialism, folk and 'non-American' that the former term embodied while adapting to current listening trends and cultural evolution among the diverse communities it may represent," the Recording Academy explained in an email to its members. 

Read More: Why The GRAMMY Awards Best Global Music Album Category Change Matters

The Best Global Music Album nominees at the 2021 GRAMMYs reflect the spirit of vast musical diversity and cultural inclusion that the newly renamed category was created to celebrate. Today, GRAMMY.com takes a closer look at the albums and artists up for the honor.

To find out who will win, tune into the 2021 GRAMMYs Sunday, March 14, on CBS.

Fu Chronicles, Antibalas

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Two decades and seven albums into their ascension from Brooklyn to the biggest stages across the world, Antibalas have earned their first career GRAMMY nomination for Fu Chronicles. Daptone Records, the legendary label who released the project, aptly describes the album as "a thrilling sonic journey of kung fu meets Afrobeat," and it certainly exudes the energy and electricity of both.

Recorded with 17 musicians packed into Daptone House of Soul in Bushwick, N.Y., and later sculpted and shaped by visionary members Duke Amayo, Martín Perna and Gabriel Roth, Fu Chronicles sizzles and bursts with the relentless energy of the band's live performance experience heard as a soundtrack blasting through an arcade fighting game. Endearingly, the album's martial arts theme makes for the perfect pairing with Antibalas' Afrobeat mastery.  

Twice As Tall, Burna Boy

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After a decade on the rise, Nigerian Afro-fusion sensation Burna Boy had a breakthrough year in 2019. He made a major statement Stateside with his appearance at Coachella and dropped his formidable, feature-filled fourth album, African Giant, which earned him his first career GRAMMY nomination. Now, he's back to take another crack at the newly renamed category with his follow-up, Twice As Tall. 

On the album, Burna Boy continues to torch limitations, seamlessly blending styles and genres and fearlessly fueling the fire heating the melting pot of pop, Afrobeat, dancehall, reggae and more. Beyond boasting features from such style-spanning artists as Stormzy, Youssou N'Dour, Naughty By Nature and Chris Martin of Coldplay, Twice As Tall is a masterclass in the vibe and hustle that have made Burna Boy an international musical force. 

Read More: Burna Boy Talks 'African Giant,' Damian Marley & Angelique Kidjo Collab, Responsibility As A Global Artist

Agora, Bebel Gilberto

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The return of internationally beloved star Bebel Gilberto was as triumphant as it was hard-won. Agora is the Brazilian singer-songwriter's first new album in six years, but it was created in the wake of a series of devastating personal tragedies, including the loss of both of her parents and her best friend. But Gilberto perseveres through the pain on Agora, preserving her unmistakable, silky vocal tone while introducing delicate electronic flairs, thanks to producer Thomas Bartlett (Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent, David Byrne); the album ultimately bestowed her devoted fans everywhere a satisfying mix of familiar and fresh. 

With Agora, Gilberto nabs her fourth nomination in the category, and her first in a decade, as she seeks her first-ever career win. 

Love Letters, Anoushka Shankar

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Anoushka Shankar has covered a lot of ground in her two-decade career as a prodigious mixologist of Eastern and Western music. Yet the GRAMMY-nominated sitarist/songwriter found new, more personal territory to explore with Love Letters, exemplified by the album's lead single, "Loveable" featuring Cuban-French twin-sister duo Ibeyi. The result was an album both elemental and cathartic with a heart that transcends hemispheres.

"I've written from a personal place before, of course, but there was something particularly tender and raw about the process this time," Shankar said of the project. 

After six career nominations in this category, Shankar seeks her first GRAMMY win at the 2021 GRAMMYs. She follows in the footsteps of her father and mentor, Ravi Shankar, who earned four GRAMMY awards and 10 nominations throughout his legendary career as well as a posthumous Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.

Amadjar, Tinariwen

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Tinariwen created Amadjar, their ninth album, not by meticulously overdubbing parts in the confines of a recording studio, but rather by recording live under a large tent in the deserts of Nouakchott, Mauritania, sans headphones and effects. Accordingly, the album captures the spirit of the group's unique folk/rock, guitar-based take on a very-much-alive West African musical tradition and features memorable appearances by an array of musicians from both sides of the Atlantic, including Noura Mint Seymali, Micah Nelson, Cass McCombs, Rodolphe Burger, Stephen O'Malley and Warren Ellis, the latter of whom is best known for his work with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Grinderman. 

Less of a conventionally defined band and more of a living, breathing collective of songwriters and musicians, Tinariwen won their first career GRAMMY for their 2011 album Tassalli and notched another nomination three years ago for Elwan (2017).

2021 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List

Ghana has been home to some of the most recognizable musical exports from the African continent, contributing heavily to the globalization and development of the continent's sound. While highlife is regarded as the country’s biggest sonic export, the introduction of hiplife some 30 years ago invigorated the Ghanaian music scene and birthed some of the country's most important artists. 

Hiplife music blends hip-hop from the West with Ghanaian highlife sounds like Jama and Kpanlogo — a sound and dance by the Ga people, who make use of nono (metal bell), fao (gourd rattle), and local drums to play beats. These elements were fused with funk, bass, and boom-bap to create hiplife. Hiplife and hip-hop have aural similarities and both use rapping; both genres also reflect a larger culture. 

While Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is considered one of the earliest rappers, as demonstrated on his 1973 song "Simigwa-Do," the term "hiplife" was only coined in the late 1990s by genre pioneer Reggie Rockstone. Still, American hip-hop had arrived in the Ghanaian capital of Accra by the early '90s and local rappers began to release their own music soon after. Duo Talking Drum were among this early cohort, and their single "Aden" was an underground hit in 1993.

As a movement and culture, hiplife is also an identity,  created to encourage people to be daring in their exploration of sound. Pioneering hiplife artists like Root Eye Samini and Shatta Wale (then known as Bandana) fused dancehall and highlife in the early 2000s to make music which could connect with local audiences.  

Collaborations between artists and producers have been crucial in defining the sound, evolution, and amplification of hiplife. Just as hip-hop has developed a plethora of subgenres, hiplife has birthed other sounds such as azonto and asakaa. An offshoot of asakaa, Ghanaian drill, was among the elements in the new Best African Music Performance Category at the 2024 GRAMMYs.

The story of hiplife includes many important producers, artists and labels, including Kassa Records, DJ Rab, Zapp Mallet, Akyeame, Panji Anoff, JayQ, Hammer,  Ex Doe, Chicago, and Okomfour Kwadee. Going forward, the mantle will fall on artists like TicTac, Abrewa Nana, Appietus, and much later a younger generation including  Asem, Richie Mensah, and Beeztrap KOTM continue to amplify hiplife. Afrobeats artists have also taken notice; Tic Tac and Tony Tetuila’s "Fefe Ne Fe" was sampled on the 2019 song "Gbese" by DJ Tunez feat. Wizkid and Blaqjerzee. 

With African music continuing to gain global recognition, the rich sounds emanating from the African continent are ripe for exploration.  Read on for 10 artists who have been essential to the story of hiplife music.

Reggie Rockstone is regarded by many Ghanaians as the godfather of hiplife, having paved the path for many to pursue rapping as a career. Working with producers like the late Rab Bakari (DJ Rab Bakari), Reggie set the ball rolling for hiplife through songs like "Tsooboi." 

His 1997 album Makaa Maka offered an early template for the sound, fusing Western-influenced hip-hop with traditional Ghanaian highlife sounds. The linguistically adept Reggie Rockstone — a Ghanaian boy who was raised in the UK and New York — rapped in both English and impeccable Ghanaian Twi to the shock and admiration of many. By this singular act, he proved that it was cool to rap in your own dialect and not necessarily in English, like American rappers of the '90s.

Reggie's will to make Ghanaian rap music stand out via releases like Me Na Me Kae, and Me Ka did not go unrewarded. He also scored hits with his singles "Keep Your Eyes on the Road," "Plan Ben," and "AH." He has also collaborated withdancehall giant Beenie Man and Nigerian legend 2Face.

Lord Kenya rose to fame when he joined Slip Music, one of Ghana’s celebrated music labels of the late '90s and mid-2000s. His musicality was undeniable, and his hardcore rap style was adored by many for its energetic flow and delivery.  Likened to Tupac Shakur, Kenya was very direct whenever he was on the mic. He never shied away from any lyrical battle thus earning him the title "rap heavyweight." His swagger on and off the mic made him a star, with many eager to catch him anytime he performed.  

Lord Kenya's street affinity, coupled with great stage performances, left a mark on Ghanaian audiences. His albums — including 1998's Sika Card, Yesom Sika, and Sika Baa — solidified his position as one of hiplife’s most important artists. Kenya's hit singles "Enyomo," "Medo" and "Sika Mpo Mfa Neho" as well as his verse on the late Daseebre Dwamena’s song, "Kookoo" ushered in a street approach to the rap scene, as seen in the careers of rappers like Kwaw Kese and Kweku Smoke in later years.

Revered, celebrated, and crowned by music rap purists in Ghana as "Rap Sofo" (high priest of rap), Obrafour influenced multiple generations of rappers in Ghana. The artist first gained popularity in the late '90s with his cadence and mastery over his mother tongue, Twi, as well as his storytelling, lyricism, and wisdom.

Obrafour’s flow complemented the work of legendary producer Hammer, who brought hard-hitting drums, horns, and legendary sharp chords to Obrafour’s 1999 album Pae Mu Ka. The album is regarded as the bridge that connected older audiences who dismissed hiplife as a passing fad and the youth, who regarded hiplife as the future of Ghanaian music. Today, Pae Mu Ka is as important to hiplife as Nas’ Illmatic is to hip-hop.

Pae Mu Ka was the first of several collaborations between Obrafour and Hammer. Together, they created a sound that would influence generations of rappers. Obrafour is held in high regard by rappers such as M.anifest, Guru, Ko-Jo Cue, and Pappy Kojo.

Established in Nima, a suburb of Accra, VIP underwent significant personnel changes but never let their commitment to hiplife music falter. Original member Friction later onboarded Promzy, Prodigal, and Lazzy (who later changed his name to Zeal), and Bone championed the vision of the group for over a decade (as well as the departure of  Friction, Bone and Promzy).

Backed by the group's diverse personalities, VIP quickly became one of the biggest music exports of the country, winning six awards at the Ghana Music Awards in (2004), including Song Of The Year for the 2003 hit title track "Ahomka Wo Mu." Over a two-decade period, the group released albums and scored several hits and collaborated with some of the continent's finest, including  2Face, Patoranking and a host of others. Vision in Progress (VIP) epitomized the cultural ethos of hiplife: raw energy, passion and talent.

When Reggie Rockstone, a longtime admirer of the group, arrived in 2014, the group became  VVIP. The group’s success would be further cemented as they crossed over into Nigeria and other parts of the world. "Ahomka Wo Mu" has been sampled and interpolated by various musicians, including songs by  MUT4Y & Wizkid  and Kida Kudz.

While Twi rapping artists dominated the hiplife music industry, very few artists were successfully making music in other local dialects. Tinny — a rapper who raps in Ga, a language spoken by the people of Accra —  rose to the occasion with both rap and fashion. Another product of Hammer’s Last Two record label, Tinny had an unmatched aura that earned him the moniker "Sexy Man Tinny." Early aughts albums such as Makola Kwakwe, Aletse (Akwe Polo), and Kaa Bu Ame still echo in today’s industry. His later works with record producer Richie Mensah on singles like "Ringtone" and "Now I Know" further entrenched his name in Ghana’s hiplife history.

Tinny’s will to pursue rap music in Ga laid the foundation for artists such as Edem, who raps predominantly in Ewe and to a degree music duo Blackstone who performed in Dagbani. Tinny also featured in the BET Hiphop Awards International Cypher (Ghana) alongside Reggie Rockstone, Sarkodie, D Black, Edem, Kwaku-T and Baby G (2010).

In a male-dominated industry, Mzbel created change that still reverberates today through the careers of women like Amaarae, Wendy Shay, Sister Afia and Gyakie. Following in the footsteps of those before her, like Abrewa Nana (a household name in the early 2000s for her role as one of the leading female artists in hiplife), Mzbel's singing and rap skills were not just catchy, but thought-provoking with themes of love, sex, body positivity, and addressing abuse.

Mzbel's non-conformity made her a target by some aspects of the industry. The general public who felt she was a bad influence on younger girls, due to the sensuality in her lyrics and imagery. Yet she was unphased. Mzbel scored national hits with her albums Awosome, and 2005's 16 Years, and touched on issues many regarded as controversial. The rapper stood up for women’s rights and encouraged women to be vocal about things society heavily criticizes women for. She ensured that women were not bullied into silence but instead express themselves fully through art. Her hit single "16 Years" with the late Castro touched on the issue of sexual harassment and abuse young girls face at the hands of older men and, as such, became a national topic.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2008, Sarkodie has churned out multiple hits year after year with a unique flow and delivery. His records touch on multiple subjects, including friendship, family, love, heartbreak, and bad governance. His hold over rap in Ghana has been extended across the continent, making him one of the most influential rappers in Africa.

In 2012, Sarkodie played a pivotal role in the amplification of azonto music (an offshoot of hiplife that melds dance music genre from the early 2010s with upbeat fast-paced sounds and witty comical lyrics) with his song "U Go Kill Me" with fellow rapper E.L. Winning "Artist Of The Decade at the" Ghana Music Awards (2019), cemented his influence and status.

Rapping predominantly in Twi, Sarkodie’s ability to find pockets on the beat has made him a frequent featured artist by the likes of Mr. Eazi, Ice Prince, Flavour, Victoria Kimani, Patoranking and a host of other important artists in Africa. Sarkodie won Best International Act: Africa (2012) and the inaugural Best International Flow at the BET Hiphop Awards in 2019. 

In a time when hiplife had taken a back seat to Afrobeats and amapiano on the Ghanaian market, a group of artists from Kumasi (Kumerica) — a slang used to describe people of Kumasi who enthusiasts of American music and culture — burst onto the scene via asakaa, or Ghanaian drill. Inspired by Pop Smoke’s drill music, the sound reflects their lifestyle on the streets of Kumasi, hiplife elements, and American hip-hop culture such as fashion.

The name asakaa originates from the word saka, a flipped slang of the Twi word kasa, which means to speak. Saka, a style of speaking where words are pronounced backwards, was heard in the songs that were released by the Asakaa Boys. The asakaa sound is credited to the Kumasi-based Life Living Records, and signees Jay Bahd, Kawabanga, O’Kenneth, City Boy, Kwaku DMC, Reggie, Sean Lifer, Braa Benk and Skyface SDW under the moniker The Asakaa Boys.

With songs like "Akatafoc", "Sore," and "Agyeiwaa," and leading the charge, Asakaa (Ghanaian Drill) has gained recognition locally and internationally in the 2020s.

Black Sherif may be young, but he has already charted a path of success for himself in Ghana’s music industry which many are yet to match. Black Sherif’s sound, writing, fashion, and mannerisms have earned him admiration. He first tasted popularity when his song "Money" went viral in 2019; two years later he regained public attention in 2021 with his First and Second Sermon songs and after a Burna Boy cosign on "Second Sermon Remix," Black Sherif's popularity soared.

The artist has gone on to deliver multiple hit songs such as "Kweku The Traveller," "Soja," and a monstrous guest verse on Odumodu Blvck’s "Wotowoto Seasoning." In 2023 he won Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards and aBET Awards Best International Award. Additionally, he has performed on global stages atMOBO Awards, Wireless Festival, and 2023's AfroNation.

With a charisma like that of Lord Kenya, King Paluta is an energetic rapper with some "thugness" in his delivery influenced by life on the streets of Kumasi. As a young man, he often slept in the studio, where he learned how to operate the equipment in the studio and dropped his first official single in 2015. 

Despite releasing music and being popular in Kumasi, he would only gain national attention in 2023 for "Yahitte," which earned him the award as the Best New Artist at The Ghana Music Awards in 2024. In the 2024 alone, he has scored two charting-topping singles, "Aseda" and "Makoma," making him arguably the hottest artist in Ghana.

As a student of hiplife, King Paluta has fully embodied the genre as evident in his music. He has positioned himself to carry on the legacy of those before him as far as hiplife is concerned, and he is on track thus far.

With a voice that sounds as if it were emanating from the depths of a smoky lounge somewhere just off the Las Vegas strip, guitarist and singer Suryakant Sawhney beckons you into a world that is at once foreign and very familiar. "Maybe I'm a fool, a fool like you/ Believing in heaven, from inside a zoo," the Peter Cat Recording Co. frontman croons over a sparse melody that swells with each verse. 

Wherever in the world we are — the group's latest album begins with silence, then explodes with a speaker-breaking bang designed to disorient — is irrelevant. Peter Cat Recording Co. may be based in  New Delhi, India, but the quintet's sonic locale reflects a global interest. Their latest album, BETA, melds guitar-driven rock with jazz, Indian pop, and psychedelia. 

"Making something new now is this concerted process you have to take," Sawhney tells GRAMMY.com. "You mix your own culture with what you learned outside your own culture, and you start making these new mutants sort of songs." 

These musical mutations appear and evolve through Peter Cat Recording Co.'s catalog. Over multiple studio albums and a compilation, the group has tackled big band ("Portrait Of A Time"), dance music ("Love Demons") and, more recently, surrealist disco on BETA's "21c." But BETA offers more than simply scratching the genre-bending itches of its members; it delivers "stories about the future told 50 years in the past, to make sense of the present, on our only home, planet Earth,” per a press release on the largely songwriting-based project. 

The self-produced album tackles themes of marriage, childbirth and beyond. In fact, a child was crucial in the name of their record: Members put five potential album titles in a hat and let drummer Karan Singh's 6-month-old son pick one. BETA — a Hindi word for "child" — was the winner. 

On Aug. 14, the group will kick off a 77-date tour through the U.S., Europe, and India, featuring both headlining sets and support for Khruangbin. Suryakant Sawhney and multi-instrumentalist Kartik Sundareshan Pillai spoke with GRAMMY.com about creating BETA, the state of rock bands in India, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity.  

Tell us a bit about the seeds that were planted that led to this new record.

Suryakant Sawhney: We had a specific recording session, which I think really jumpstarted the whole process. We all lived in Goa for the last few years, and there was this one little house we rented out; this old, 2-300-year old little cottage, which was owned by a priest. I was trying to do a film shoot or a music video shoot or something, and it just sounded great and looked beautiful.

So we decided to rent it from the church. We landed up there at 2, 3 a.m., set up for a few hours, and I think recorded a bunch of music for five, six hours 'til the dawn.

Kartik Sundareshan Pillai: I think it's that recording space. Later on, [we went to] Joshua Tree and there's another recording studio over there that we worked at for two weeks. Plus, just having a bunch of songs that we knew were going to fit together.

How was the vibe out in Joshua Tree?

Pillai: Yeah, that was pretty incredible. Rabbits and cherries. It was a very, very, very pretty place.

And take us into the writing of the record a little bit. How does that work with you guys?

Sawhney: There's basically three different ways we go about writing a song. One will be, one of the songwriters — in most cases, it's me right now — I'll bring a song which is more than half finished in terms of arrangement, writing lyrics, where the song space is. Then the rest of the band joins in and we try to finish it.

Then there's something which is far more spare, and then everybody just takes a go at it, like adding parts. And then the third variation, there's almost nothing, which is rarer. We’re very much a songwriter-driven project.

Then it takes years to just come to terms with it, make our peace with it, because we also produce it ourselves. We get into this unholy cycle of making it, hating it, wasting our time, then re-recording it, then looking back and being like, "Oh, that was good enough. Why dont it again?" Finally, at the end of the day, you settle with what you have.

I was reading a 'Variety' interview with you guys last year and they called you “One of the last few remaining bands in India.” That was a year ago. What's the landscape in your slice of the country right now as far as indie and guitar music?

Pillai: I think it's more electronic [music happening], but there are lots of bands now slowly coming back. There was one period of time where there was almost nothing, and then now they're starting to kind of pop up here and there, like Donraj,  All Parks Are Green. Pacifist.

Then there's some friends of ours who also have makeshift bands. There's another band called Nigambodh.

Sawhney: Who makes a living off being a band? I would say at this point, [there are] very few left. 

Kind of the same in America, to be honest. What precipitated interest kicking up, or the number of bands kicking up in the last year or so?

Pillai: Boredom, I guess.

Sawhney: I think it's just that every new generation has to make the same mistake and figure out this is not a very economically viable process. They don't realize it because being a band is initially so cool, or it feels good, then it gets complicated.

There's a lot of hip-hop being made right now in India. It's finally caught up here. And there's little electronic music. I think people who make bands always will definitely for a while be more marginal in the music scene, just because it's such a labor-intensive process, as compared to the other forms of music.

Read more: The Evolution Of Bollywood Music In 10 Songs: From "Awaara Hoon" To "Naatu Naatu"

I also perform as an electronic musician, and I can tell you that's just easier. I go on stage with my mic and my DJ console and everything, and I'm basically doing karaoke. All of that is just so simple compared to being in a band, which is a labor-intensive, economic-intensive life-intensive process. It's a real gamble. 

What has Peter Cat Recording Co. done to engender that resilience, as a band, but also a business?

Sawhney: I think we've definitely had moments where it looked really bleak and difficult, and something lucky happens. We also persevered. We did a lot of it ourselves initially and we still do, in terms of learning how to record ourselves, make our own videos, produce ourselves, managing the whole thing. We learned how to produce the music ourselves at a very early stage, and that made us self-sufficient.

Pillai: Songwriting to recording, to producing, mixing, mastering, artwork — literally everything we did learn. Eventually we got management and we also got lucky with labels and people approaching us.

Can you talk about crafting the sound of the new record, or how you wanted it to come across from a production standpoint?

Sawhney: At least in the production aspect, I think there's a bit more experimentation in terms of bringing in non-classically band sounds, moving away from just a guitar-driven thing. There's a lot more sample electronic music, hip-hop related elements. That just comes from the fact that we make multiple kinds of music individually. The band is sort of just one of our things and it becomes something we bring to the band and it adds up slowly.

Some songs just take on a life of their own that way. From my angle, there was definitely a concerted effort to move away from the older sound of Bismillah. I was hoping that there are some instances in the new album where you could sit down and be like, I'm not sure what this is, and still preserve the fact that it's enjoyable and accessible at some point.

Making something new now is this concerted process you have to take. You mix your own culture with what you learned outside your own culture, and you start making these new mutants sort of songs. [The trick is] how to make them sound sincere in a way, without just forcing it. 

Pillai: In the songs that I ended up writing, they just come in some kind of burst. For one of the songs, how we actually ended up composing it was [keyboard/trumpet player Rohit] Gupta played the keyboard separately. I went in an hour later when I had woken up and I just sang to what he had already played; that's pretty much already 70 percent the song. I mostly just tend to go with that first moment of inspiration, just follow it through.

Any MVP moments from your bandmates that you'd like to shout out on the record?

Sawhney: Some of them were in Joshua Tree. I think after the last tour we did in America, we had some great moments of [working] on something on the spot.

Pillai: [On "Just Another Love Song"], Suryakant and [bassist Dhruv] Bhola, just played it through. I think we took one take of this  song. It was completely fine and we just kept it.

Awesome. And what do you guys have coming up? What would you like to plug?

Sawhney: We have that new album apparently. And then we have a tour coming up, an elaborate, long, drawn-out tour. We'll go to America, we'll go to Europe and we'll end in India in December. And I think in the meantime, we'll be making some more videos. We'll be doing the standard stuff right now and hopefully by the end we'll twist into something more unnecessary.

Where do you see your regional scene going in the next five, 10 years? What trajectory is it on?

Pillai: Not really a cohort. It's just a bunch of bands. The indie scene by itself has been getting bigger ever since 2007, or the '90s even. [I'd expect] more festivals, just more stuff happening in general. Five, 10 years, it should just be bigger,

Sawhney: Bands I don't see going anywhere. I think hip-hop will reach some sort of crescendo. Electronic music is always going to do okay because I think rich people really enjoy it in India. I don't know if that's pessimistic, but that's kind how it works.

Pillai: I think everything's going to be fine.

Do you have a favorite song on 'BETA'?

Pillai: I believe it was the third song, "Suddenly." But it all flows nicely. What's your favorite song?

Sawhney: "Beautiful Life," because I hate my life. [Chuckles lightly.] So it's nice to write a song about a better life.

With reporting by Morgan Enos and Jessica Lipsky

To say that the past year has been an eventful one in the dynamic world of Afrobeats would be, at best, a gross understatement. The genre's list of global accolades has continued to swell in size, including multiple nominations at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards, expansive cross-border collaborations, and inaugural appearances on some of the world’s most coveted stages.

Simultaneously, Afrobeats has been undergoing something of an identity crisis, in which listeners have criticized sonic monotony and Western pandering of some artists. In the immediate wake of this criticism, as though on cue, came a slew of forward-thinking projects from the genre’s biggest stars, igniting the mainstream scene’s creative progression. Among these stars is 23-year-old Afrobeats sensation Anthony Ebuka Victor, known widely as Victony.

His debut album, Stubborn, is barely two months old yet has already received high acclaim from top Afrobeats pundits and laymen alike. Therein, Victony tells his life story for the first time, complete with vivid songwriting that delves into themes of childhood, romance, and dogged resilience. With features from Nigeria’s Asake and Shallipopi, as well as American acts Teezo Touchdown and Saint JHN, Stubborn's sonic meter explores Afrobeats with unending - and unmatched - innovation.

Victony, however, is no novice when it comes to putting out pristine bodies of work. His 2020 EP Saturn sounded nothing like a 19-year-old’s debut; singles “Jo Riddim” and “Space and Time” revealed serious sonic maturity. His subsequent EP Outlaw, which followed his breakout as the feature on Mayorkun’s “Holy Father,” included addictive hits “Apollo,” “Jolene,” and “Soweto.” The latter, of course, took the world by storm and led to a remix featuring Don Toliver and Rema, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Afrobeats chart.

Between this, his debut on the ColorsxStudios platform, his assist on Burna Boy’s “Different Size,” and his record deal with the L.A.-based Encore Records, it is difficult to tell just when this young boy from Ojo, Lagos became a continental and global star. What’s more, he’s soon to push his story outside of Nigerian borders, kicking off his Stubborn North American tour on Aug. 6. 

Ahead of this tour, Victony sat down with GRAMMY.com to discuss his creative process, the importance of telling his story, and all things Stubborn.

'Stubborn' features excellent songwriting about your life experiences, though it's not the first time you've done so. What makes 'Stubborn' different from the other work in your discography?

Stubborn has my story; it’s where I get to properly introduce myself. The [Outlaw] EP is like Yeah, this guy can sing, he knows all this Afrobeats stuff. Let’s put a good body of work together for people to enjoy. The Stubborn album is saying, This is Victony. This is where he’s from. This is what he’s about.

You’ve mentioned before that veteran Nigerian rapper Olamide encouraged you to make 'Stubborn' a full-length album as opposed to an EP. Had you been ready for an era shift at the time that you spoke to him?

I was prepared for an era shift, but my mind was just stuck on an EP because that was the plan since last year. Sometimes, you can’t even see what everything looks like when you’re really in it. You have to extract yourself from the situation and really look at it. But speaking to Olamide, once he mentioned the album, it felt possible. I was like, Why am I not even thinking about an album? 

'Stubborn' is an incredible testament to resilience, but you also explore other themes like love and betrayal. What is the overarching message that you wanted the project to convey?

Resilience is the boldest statement that the project has. But within all that, there are other things that I’ve been through, like the stuff that you mentioned, that didn’t change me as a person.

I still have the ability to love, and I still have the ability to receive love. So obviously, that reflected in a few songs on the project because I still go through those emotions. I’m still human regardless of everything I've been through.

Your feature list is quite expansive — we have Shorae Moore, Shallipoppi, Saint JHN, Teezo Touchdown, and Asake. Did you have an idea of who you wanted on the project beforehand, or was your feature selection process more organic?

I’m always curious to see what this and this will sound like, or what doing this and this will look like. So I just make songs and think about who will be perfect on those songs. I didn’t think of it as, I want an album, who are the guest features? 

One thing that the features all have is authenticity. These people have a voice, they have a style, they have something that they stand for. And that is something that Stubborn is also preaching — authenticity. So collaborating with these people helped to bring very interesting ideas to life. Because one wouldn’t ordinarily imagine a Victony and Asake feature, or a Victony and Teezo feature. But when somebody who is authentic collaborates with somebody who is authentic, something has to happen. We were just trying to create something, and I love creating. 

Learn more: Meet The Latest Wave Of Rising Afrobeats Stars: AMAARAE, BNXN, Oladapo & More

You have a U.S. tour coming up which is extremely exciting. You’ve toured with Rema before, but this will be your first-ever solo tour. How are you feeling? 

I’m actually very excited. We’ve been planning what we want the tour to feel like, because it’s important to think about the feeling that you want to leave people with. I think that this tour is the biggest opportunity to showcase what the album is really about. Having to go on stage, perform for an hour plus. I don’t think I've ever done that nine times in a row in nine cities. So we’re planning everything to make that all come to life.

What do you want your U.S. audience to take away from your tour?

I want my U.S. audience to feel the essence of my journey and connect with my music. This tour is a journey through my experiences and my evolution as an artist. You'll get the party anthems as well as the soul-stirring ballads. I want them to leave each show thinking, This is what that Victony guy is about: raw talent, authenticity, and a sound that resonates deeply.

Give us your Afrobeats predictions for the year — what should we expect from the scene?

I just feel like it’s about to be a madhouse. Tems just dropped, Ayra Starr just dropped, Ruger & BNXN just dropped. And Wizkid is yet to drop, Davido is yet to drop, Fireboy DML is yet to drop. I don’t think we’ve had a year like this. Ever. It’s like everybody is dropping a project this year.

Read more: Tems On How 'Born In The Wild' Represents Her Story Of "Survival" & Embracing Every Part Of Herself

My prediction is that this is the start of something for Afrobeats. Before now, what people would tell you is that Afrobeats artists all share one fanbase. But everything is about to change because of the volume of music coming out. It’s going to really push structure with the fans.

Looking back from your debut EP to the present day, what comes to mind? Did you foresee yourself becoming what you are now?

I always knew that everything that’s currently happening would happen. I just didn’t know what was going to make it happen. I didn’t know that this was the direction. It’s been interesting because at one point, you just have life experiences that influence your art, and then the direction changes. That’s what it’s been for me because I like my art to reflect who I am at any given time.

So, who knows what’s going to happen next? After Saturn, I didn't foresee my story changing. And now new experiences have come, and those have also changed me. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but one thing’s for sure, the journey is just beginning. I’m excited to see where this path leads and to continue sharing my story with the world.

Before Afrobeats icons Burna Boy, WizKid, and Tyla became globally recognized household names, Yemi Alade was the continent’s biggest pop star. On July 26, she will release her sixth studio album, Rebel Queen, which expands her repertoire with a world of adventurous pop sounds.  

The Nigerian singer/songwriter burst onto the African pop music scene in 2014 with "Johnny," a now-classic tune that gained acclaim by its iconic video featuring a TV news reporter tracking the titular womanizer. The video made her the first Nigerian female artist to hit 100 million views on YouTube.  

Since then, Alade has had an illustrious career, collaborating with artists including Rick Ross, earning another 100 million-view video for "Oh My Gosh," and featuring alongside fellow Africans Mr. Eazi and Tekno on the Beyoncé-curated soundtrack for The Lion King.

Her latest album, Rebel Queen, includes high-profile collaborations with Angélique Kidjo, Ziggy Marley, and dancehall star Konshens. The album promises a genre-jumping journey across the globe, incorporating amapiano ("Soweto to Ibiza"), highlife ("Chairman"), and even reggae ("Peace and Love") and dancehall ("Bop’).

Ahead of Rebel Queen’s release, GRAMMY.com caught up with Alade about her progression as an artist, what it was like to work with Beyoncé and her team, and bridging international success.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Your new album, 'Rebel Queen', contains influences from all over Africa and beyond. Was that intentional?

Yes, you're correct that I wanted to make sure that the album had sounds that I actually genuinely love, from the amapiano influence to dancehall. And also, I personally wanted to go back to the foundation of Afrobeats, which are sounds and genres that I listened to growing up as a kid. When my parents took me to family parties, there were certain melodies and guitar strums that I fell in love with. And I wanted to revisit those nostalgic moments and put it all in this album.

There are a lot of high-profile collaborations on this record, such as Anjélique Kidjo and Ziggy Marley. How did you decide who to work with on 'Rebel Queen'?

Honestly my life is a roller coaster, same for every touring artist. We try to gather as much as we can while being in motion. Anjélique Kidjo is like my music mum, I love her. And when I made the record, "African Woman," who else would I feature on such a song if not Anjélique? And as for Ziggy, he and I have a song that we did previously ("Look Who’s Dancing Now"), which was his song, and he featured me. And I wanted a tit-for-tat moment. So I sent the song to him. I felt like, who else but him? Every feature was necessary to complete the melody for each song, they are such a huge part of each one, not just in the fresh vibe that they bring. 

Learn more: Watch Yemi Alade's Enchanting Performance Of "Tomorrow" | Global Spin

It’s been ten years since you broke out with the massive hit "Johnny." Back then, African pop music was relatively unknown in America. Since then, African artists have gained global recognition. Do you see yourself as a pioneer for the current Afropop movement?

I agree with you 100 percent, there is no way you authentically go through the history of, you know, building a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world via music without mentioning a song like "Johnny." It's definitely an honor for me to be the vessel that delivers such amazing music to the world. Of course, there were people way before me who also did the same thing. We're talking about Fela [Kuti]. We're talking about King Sunny Ade. At the end of the day, yes, music is metamorphosing into so much more. And definitely, I'm a pioneer [laughs].

You have a strong sense of storytelling, especially in your music videos. "Johnny" has an entire storyline about a news reporter investigating a womanizer. How important is that kind of storytelling to your music?

Storytelling is a big part of my artistry, because I feel everybody loves a good story. I find that even when I'm writing most times in the studio, there's always a picture I'm trying to paint, and it only makes sense for the visuals to kind of match that most of the time. Except sometimes we decide to make it a performance video because I just feel like dancing.

What’s the most memorable video you’ve ever done?

Every one of my videos has taken a lot of pain, sweat, and even some tears. But I think "Johnny" is such a masterpiece, because it resonated with the entire world, and Africa especially. And it pretty much helped me to stay on my way through the industry, because it became my identity. That song and that video was the platform for the brand and everything that I am today. you know, so that is definitely the most memorable, in a good way.

You've traveled to and performed in America several times in your career. What's your overall impression?

I think I've done four or five American tours. And yo, America is so big [laughs]. My first American tour had me in shambles, because of the flights. I didn't realize that to go from one city to another, I might have to connect once or twice depending on how far I'm going. So the flights had me in shambles, but the energy of the people? Oh my days, lit! America is definitely one of my favorite places. I’m always reminding my agents to make sure that they include American cities on my tours, which is why even for the album listening parties for Rebel Queen, we did the first one in Paris, then London, and then we had to come to New York as well. And then just yesterday, we had one in Lagos as well.  

Since you first became popular, a lot of Afrobeats artists have gained a following abroad like Burna Boy and WizKid. It seems as though, at least looking at the artists that break outside of Africa, that the genre is still very male-dominated. Do you agree with that? And do you think there’s potential for more female artists to break out internationally?

Honestly, when I started out, the odds were really way more against women than they are right now, in that, there were female artists sprouting maybe once every two years, or once every year, and barely hanging around long enough. But now, the story is different. And I give kudos to all the women before me and all the women with me. Yes, in a male dominated society, it seems as though my male counterparts get their roses and their flowers for a second. And you know, once in a while someone comes back and remembers, "Oh, there's Yemi Alade." Do you know what I mean? 

I was speaking to someone earlier today and I was saying, I think what surprises me the most is that, I feel like there are no expectations of female artists. So like, if we do or we don't, people are just moving on. But I'm not the one to play victim, never. Despite the odds, you see that the females continue to be resilient, because we know. I know deep within that my existence is definitely of value to so many people out there.

What do you think of the upcoming generation of talent like Tems and Ayra Starr and Tyla, who recently won the first GRAMMY Award for Best African Music Performance for "Water?"

Exceptional, exceptional artists. As you just mentioned, they're doing amazingly well. And, you know, these women are unique in their own ways. And I want to just say that I believe it's just the starting point for them. There's so much to come. And there's so many other females that are still en route to greatness.

How have you seen the music industry in Africa evolve? And what sorts of challenges do you think African musicians face today?

I personally feel like, with all the momentum that Afrobeats has got, we need authentic platforms that can actually check the streaming numbers that are coming in for music, especially within Africa. Because at the moment it’s mostly Apple, Spotify, etc. But there are other platforms here in Africa that most Africans use, and they have more of a database compared to Apple and Spotify. We've come to a point where we need to have more credible numbers, because there's millions of people streaming music in Africa that are not on those platforms.

So you think that these local platforms need to be counted alongside Apple and Spotify?

100 percent. In Nigeria there’s two: Audiomack and Boomplay. Boomplay is a big deal.

You’re going on a decade in the industry. In all that time, what's one moment or one achievement that gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment? What are you most proud of in your career?

That’s a big question…I think I have an idea, because there've been so many moments in my life and in my career that have aligned with my dreams coming true. Number one is each time that I'm approached by a complete stranger and the stranger tells me "Oh my God, Yemi. You don't know what your music has done for me. Your music has gotten me through so much grief." Some people walk up to me and tell me that they just had the biggest struggle in their life and they listen to my music, and it always sends them into a realm of joy and happiness. Honestly, I feel accomplished in those moments, because when I record my music, I always say, the thing I'm trying to spread through my music the most is love, joy and happiness. So to have people testify to that, it means to me that the magic is complete, that my job is actually effective. So that makes me feel very accomplished. 

On a personal note, an accomplishment that I am most grateful to is the fact that I'm always able to comfortably take care of my family. It's something that I would never play down. You know, I'm just grateful to God for that. 

And lastly, aside from winning a GRAMMY through Angelique Kidjo — you know, I've met a lot of amazing people, and Beyoncé is one of them. So at the end of the day, it's a full circle moment for me. I'm just enjoying the ride.

You know, it’s funny you mentioned Beyoncé, I was just about to ask you what it was like to work with her. 

Oh my days — wow, working with her, it was such an experience for myself and my team. It was like, we're literally awake, walking in the dreams that we have dreamt for so long.The process of her team contacting us was a bit weird, because my management didn't realize that Parkwood [Entertainment] was a real company, that they were emailing them and talking about Beyoncé. They assumed that it was some kind of scam artist. But when they had sent it to me, I was like "What? Parkwood? Who doesn’t know Parkwood is Beyoncé?" 

So it turned out that it was for real, and we went to L.A. where the studio was, and I lost my voice for 24 hours — I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t sing. I just soaked up all the vitamin C's and hot teas and Throat Coats I could get. I managed to regain a little bit of my voice back and that's what I was able to record that day. That was a miracle for me. But one of the most memorable moments was actually meeting her in person. After the album, Lion King, came out, the movie was being premiered in London, and I happened to be in London at that time. We had met her in person, we met Jay Z. It was such a full circle moment. Honestly, that lady has really touched my life in a way that I will never forget. Because she could have lived her life without doing what she did, but she decided to reach out to people she felt were pillars of African music and pay homage to Africa. And I'm happy to have been part of that moment.