2021 in African music

See also: Timeline of musical events

The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 2021 in African music.

Events

• 14 March – At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Nigerian musician Burna Boy wins the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album and is among the live performers. ^[1]
• 18 June – South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha wins the Song Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. ^[2]
• 9 August – In recognition of South African Women's Day, Apple Music launches the third part of its Visionary Women campaign, celebrating female artists such as Makhadzi. ^[3]
• October – CKay's "Love Nwantiti" becomes the most-watched music video on YouTube, the first song from Africa to achieve this. ^[4]
• 14 November – The 8th African Muzik Magazine Awards takes place in Dallas, Texas. ^[5]

Albums released in 2021

Release date	Artist	Album	Genre	Label	Ref
January 8	Monica Ogah	Different (EP)	Christian	Indie	[6]
January 22	Ayra Starr	Ayra Starr (EP)	Afropop, R&B, neo-soul	Mavin Records	[7]
January 29	KaniBeatz & Bella Alubo	Chrystical (EP)	Pop	Lightcastle Music Global	[8]
February 4	Joeboy	Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic	Afrobeats, Contemporary R&B	emPawa	[9]
February 5	Femi Kuti & Made Kuti	Legacy +	AfroBeat/Jazz	Partisan	[10]
April 9	Peruzzi	Rum & Boogie	Afrobeats	DMW	[11]
April 23	Osibisa	New Dawn	High Life/Jazz/FunkRock	Marquee Records	[12]
April 30	Laycon	Shall We Begin	Rap	Fierce Nation	[13]
May 16	Kpanto	Sound from the Xtreetz	Hipco	Indie	[14]
May 21	Mdou Moctar	Afrique Victime	Electronic	Matador	[15]
June 18	Olamide	UY Scuti	Afropop	YBNL Nation Empire Distribution	[16]
July 9	Les Filles de Illighadad	At Pioneer Works	Tuareg rock	Sahel Sounds	[12]
July 23	Obongjayar and Sarz	Sweetness	Afrobeat		[17]
August 6	Ayra Starr	19 & Dangerous	Afrobeat, R&B, trap, alté	Mavin Records	[18]
September 3	Big Zulu	Ichwane Lenyoka	Rap, Hip hop	Inkabi Records	[19]
September 3	Sarahmée	Poupée russe	Rap, Afropop	Ste=4 Musique	[20]
September 9	Brymo	9: Èsan	Alternative rock afro-soul sentimental ballad folk music	Indie	[21]
		9: Harmattan & Winter	Alternative rock afro-soul sentimental ballad folk music
September 15	Tems	If Orange Was a Place	alt-R&B, Soul	RCA/Since '93	[22]
October 26	Amerado	Patience (EP)	Hiphop/Afrobeat	MicBurnerz Music	[23]
November 5	Zlatan	Resan			[24]

Musical films

• Neptune Frost , with music by Saul Williams ^[25]

Deaths

• January 8 – Dorine Mokha, 31, Congolese dancer and choreographer (malaria) ^[26]
• January 22 – Guem, 73, Algerian singer, composer and dancer. ^[27]
• January 23
  • Jonas Gwangwa, 83, South African jazz musician ^[28]
  • Ahmed Achour, 75, Tunisian composer and conductor ^[29]
• January 28 – Sibongile Khumalo, 63, South African singer ^[30]
• January 31 – Wambali Mkandawire (Mtebeti Wambali Mkandawire), 68, Malawian jazz singer and activist. ^[31]
• February 5 – Abdoul Jabbar, 40–41, Guinean singer-songwriter ^[32]
• February 16 – Soul Jah Love, 31, Zimbabwean reggae/Zimdancehall musician (complications from diabetes) ^[33]
• March 7 – Josky Kiambukuta, 72, Congolese singer (TPOK Jazz). ^[34]
• March 14 – Thione Seck, 66, Senegalese mbalakh singer and musician ^[35]
• April 5 – Haja El Hamdaouia, 91, Moroccan singer and songwriter, known for Chaabi and Aita ^[36]
• April 18 – Naïma Ababsa, 51, Algerian singer ^[37]
• April 27 – Sammy Kasule, 69, Ugandan musician and singer ^[38]
• May 7 – Jamal Salameh, 75, Egyptian songwriter and composer
• June 21 – Mamady Keïta, 70, Guinean drummer ^[39]
• June 22 – Mzilikazi Khumalo, 89, South African composer and academic ^[40]
• June 25 – Wes Madiko, 57, Cameroonian singer ^[41]
• July 1 – Steve Kekana, 63, South African singer ^[42]
• July 11 – Sound Sultan (Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi), 44, Nigerian rapper and hip hop pioneer (angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma) ^[43]
• August 3 – Allan Stephenson, 71, British-born South African cellist, conductor and composer ^[44]
• August 9 (killed in car crash)
  • Khanya "The Voice" Hadebe, 20s, South African amapiano musician ^[45]
  • Killer Kau, 23, South African amapiano musician
  • Mpura, 20s South African amapiano musician
• August 28 – Victor Uwaifo, 80, Nigerian ogbonge musician and cultural figure ^[46]
• August 31 – Nobesuthu Mbadu, 76, South African mbaqanga singer ^[47]
• September 2 – Alemayehu Eshete, 80, Ethiopian singer ^[48]
• September 28 – Nana Ampadu, 76, Ghanaian musician ^[49]
• October 3 – Anouman Brou Félix, 86, Ivorian Akyé musician ^[50]
• October 8 – Rabah Driassa, 87, Algerian artist and folk singer ^[51]
• November 7 – Bopol Mansiamina, 72, Congolese guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer ^[52]
• November 17 – Theuns Jordaan, 50, South African singer-songwriter (leukaemia) ^[53]
• December 27 – Defao, 62, Congolese singer-songwriter, COVID-19. ^[54]

See also

• 2021 in music

References

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