few years thanks to genres like afrobeats and amapiano drawing in international fans. Multiple African artists have had high international charting projects and singles, collaborations between Western artists and Nigerian artists have become the norm and the global international fan bases of these artists have been constantly growing and are now even rivalling those of international and Western stars. Across the past few months that have made up 2022, African artists across both amapiano and afrobeats have dropped several projects that have had fans talking about their musical prowess, ability to mix and fuse genres and create catchy anthems as well as club bangers. Once again proving that afrobeats aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. From a ColorsXStudios-fueled single that has catapulted to global charts to a collaboration with one of the world’s biggest pop stars Selena Gomez, here are the biggest and best African songs of 2022.
Rema Ft Selena Gomez – Calm Down
To say that Rema has been having a great couple of years would be putting it lightly. Counted among Nigeria’s first crop of true teen musical stars, Rema has been growing from strength to strength with every single and full-length project he dropped. In the past, he had garnered the interest of the former President of America, Barack Obama when he made it to the president’s summer playlist. His recent single ‘Calm Down’ was already a certified hit a few weeks after it was dropped, garnering the interest of Selena Gomez and before long, the duo had released a remix of the song alongside an accompanying video. Following the drop, the music video was trending at #on youtube and peaked at number 1 on the World Digital Songs Chart marking both Gomez and Rema’s first number one songs on the chart.
Konke and Musa Keys – Kancane
Much like afrobeats, amapiano has taken the world over by a storm and is not slowing down any time soon and as it further dominates the global music conversation and airwaves, new and veteran artists are getting even more popular. One amapiano artist that has grown to new heights of fame and demand is Musa Keys. His 2022 joint alongside Konke titled ‘Kancane’; is a reminder of exactly why Musa Keys is one of amapianos’ most in-demand artists.
Burna Boy – Jagele
High up there on the list of A-Lloststarts to have come from Africa this last decade is Burna Boy. The self-styled African Giant released his sixth studio album ‘Love Damini’ this year and amongst the album was the immediate stand-out track ‘Jagele’ which quickly became a fan favorite and has and is still making waves among fans for being a very trademark Burna Boy jam with an instantly catchy hook.
Kamo Mphela – Ghost (ft. Daliwonga and Felo Le Tee)
When it comes to female stars and amapiano leaders, a list without Kamo Mphela can easily be dismissed as an incomplete one. The artist has paid her dues and has firmly established as one of the most influential as well as the most exciting amapiano artists out in the game and her 2022 single ‘Ghost’ which came following a slight break from dipping singles to focus on touring is a reminder of exactly why she is one to watch. The music video of the single draws inspiration from King of pop, Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video and features Daliwonga and Felo Le Tee is a refreshing amapiano offering.
Oxlade – Ku Lo Sa
As is traditional for ColorsXStudios – a platform dedicated to uplifting musical creatives – Oxlade came on the show during their Nigerian 2022 summer leg dedicated to Nigerian artists and creatives and performed an original single for them titled ‘Ku Lo Sa’ – a spin on the word ‘Closer’. The single featured Oxlade in his traditional drawl singing about he wants to get closer to his love interest. The song quickly became a favorite among Oxlade fans, and within a few days, it was garnering global interest, charting on the global Spotify chart at number 163 and gaining the interest of singers Giveon and Justine – with the former sharing the song and the latter performing a cover – amongst others.
