The music of Malawi has historically been influenced by its triple cultural heritage of British, African, and American music. Malawians, known for their history as travelers and migrant workers, have contributed to the spread of their music across the African continent, blending it with various musical forms. A significant factor in this musical amalgamation was World War II, during which soldiers transported music to distant lands and brought it back, leading to the popularity of guitar and banjo duos as dance bands by the war's end. Both instruments were imported. Additionally, Malawians working in mines in South Africa and Mozambique influenced the fusion of music styles, giving rise to genres such as Kwela.
"Dreams" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written by singer Stevie Nicks for the band's eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). In the United States, "Dreams" was released as the second single from Rumours in March 1977, while in the United Kingdom, the song was released as the third single in June 1977. A stage performance of "Dreams" was used as the promotional music video.
Wambali Mkandawire, popularly known as Mtebeti Wambali Mkandawire was a Malawian jazz singer and activist.
Thabani Ndlovu, known professionally as Buffalo Souljah, is a South Africa-based Zimbabwean reggae recording artist and songwriter. He won ten times at the Channel O Africa Music Video Awards, Soundcity Music Awards, and Zimdancehall Awards and Nominated for Afrimma, Afrima ,IRAWMA. He owns the record label U.N.A..
"Buss It" is a song recorded by American rapper Erica Banks. Written by Banks and produced by Sgt. J, the song was released on May 15, 2020, through 1501 Certified Entertainment and later through Warner Records as the lead single from Banks's self-titled fourth mixtape. It became popular on the video-sharing platform TikTok in early 2021 and peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A remix featuring American rapper and singer Travis Scott was released in February 2021.
"Savage" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on March 6, 2020, as part of her EP Suga and later sent to US contemporary hit radio on April 7, 2020, by 1501 Certified Entertainment and 300 Entertainment as the third single from the EP. The song was written by the artist with Bobby Sessions, Akeasha Boodie, and producer J. White Did It. It went viral on video-sharing app TikTok, with people performing the "Savage" dance challenge during the song's chorus.
Larri Merritt, professionally known as Larray, is an American YouTuber and social media influencer. He produces comedic video content on his YouTube channel, and was part of the collaborative TikTok collective known as The Hype House. After initially gaining prominence on Vine, he started uploading videos onto YouTube after the former became defunct.
Ratatouille the Musical is an Internet meme and crowdsourced musical based on the 2007 Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille. TikTok user Emily Jacobsen created a short comedic song in tribute to Remy, a rat with a talent for cooking and the main character of the film, in August 2020. This led to another TikTok user, Daniel Mertzlufft, arranging Jacobsen's tribute as if it were a finale to a Disney musical. From there, additional TikTok users continued to add to Mertzlufft's video to envision a full musical, including a playbill, scenic design, choreography, and more songs. In December 2020, Seaview Productions announced a charity benefit concert presentation of the musical. The benefit concert was streamed for 72 hours beginning on January 1, 2021, followed by an encore presentation on January 10, 2021. In total, the production raised $2 million for The Actors Fund and had 350,000 total viewers.
Nathan Evans is a Scottish songwriter from Airdrie, Scotland. Evans first gained fame in 2020 by posting videos of himself singing sea shanties on social media service TikTok. In 2021, he released a cover of the folk song "Wellerman", which peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart and also charted in several other countries.
Elliott Ferrous-Martin Platt, known professionally as ElyOtto, is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his song "SugarCrash!", which went viral on TikTok in early 2021.
Hitesh Sharma, known professionally as Tesher, is a Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter and producer. He is best known for his singles "Young Shahrukh" and "Jalebi Baby", both released in 2020. A remix version of "Jalebi Baby" was released in 2021 with Jason Derulo.
Oluwafisayo Isa, known by her stage name Darkoo, is a Nigerian-born British rapper and singer. She came to prominence following the release of her single "Gangsta", featuring One Acen, which peaked at number 22 on the Official Singles Chart, and peaked at number one, on the UK Afrobeats Chart of 2020.
Charley Yang, known professionally as BoyWithUke, is a Korean-American singer, musician and internet personality. Yang first gained popularity on the online platform TikTok with his single "Two Moons" and later releases "Toxic" and "Understand". He kept his face hidden until October 10, 2023, shortly after the release of his fourth album Lucid Dreams, at the end of his "Homesick" music video. This was not confirmed until he officially announced the face reveal on his Instagram page also revealing his name. He is currently independent after leaving Mercury Records.
Raphael Camidoh Kofi Attachie known by the stage name Camidoh is a Ghanaian Afropop, R&B and Afrobeats songwriter and musician. He was nominated in the 2023 BET Awards.
"Sugarcane" is a song by Ghanaian singer and songwriter Camidoh, featuring the Nigerian record producer Phantom, released in 2021 by Grind Don't Stop Records, through Crux Global, and MOVES Recordings. A remix, with Mayorkun, and Darkoo, featuring the Ghanaian singer King Promise, was released in 2022. The song gained popularity across TikTok, following the release of the remix.
Kelvin Khuzumba popularly known as Nesnes is a Malawian rnb artist and song writer. He became popular after releasing songs such as Chidodo and It’s not fair in early 2010s. He featured Conel Chyoon and Lap T in the album which has songs like Chibwelele, Kadya Ubwelele, Sionse, Ndinjoye and Mundilanditse.
Patience Namadingo is a Malawian gospel singer and songwriter. In 2010, he released his second studio album titled Tili ndi Yesu that included the hit “Mtendere”, which became the number one selling gospel album between 2010 and 2012 in Malawi.
Joy Nathu is a Malawian radio DJ, producer, broadcaster and presenter. He won his first UMP Award in 2016 as the DJ of the year. In 2017 and 2018, Nathu also won the same awards and category. He won Radio DJ and Personality of the Year in 2019.
Mizaya Princess Chitsulo, best known as Princess Chitsulo, is a Malawian gospel singer, activist and businesswoman. In 2001, she was honored an award for Best Female Vocalist in the Malawi Gin Competition. In 2014, she also got awarded as best female artist and her song titled Ndidzayimba Nyimbo was voted as the best song of the year.
Maso Awards are Malawian music award show that was established in early 2019 to celebrate entertainers and other minorities in music, film, philanthropy and fashion. The event takes place in Malawian major cities and it is featured by performances from artists. They are one of the major Malawi's local music industry awards. The awards recognizes Malawian music from all genres, including gospel. The awards also promote culture and encourages people to showcase their talents. The awards categories are split into male and female.
