2024 in African music explained

See also: Timeline of musical events.

The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 2024 in African music.

Events

• January 19  - Rwandan singer Bruce Melodie and his manager announce his investment in United Generation Basketball.^[1]
• February 4  - At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, the Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance are awarded for the first time. Nominees are Asake & Olamide – "Amapiano"; Burna Boy – "City Boys"; Davido ft. Musa Keys – "Unavailable"; Ayra Starr – "Rush"; and Tyla – "Water"^[2] The winner of the African Music category is Tyla.^[3] Burna Boy, who is nominated for the Best Melodic Rap Performance, also performs live during the ceremony.^[4]
• March 23  - AFRIMA President Mike Dada announces the launch of BridgeAfric Southern Africa.^[5]
• November 7  - The Feather Awards winners, announced in Johannesburg, South Africa, include Zoë Modiga as Best Musician.^[6]

Albums released in 2024

Release date	Artist	Album	Genre	Label	Ref
February 16	Les Amazones d'Afrique	Musow Danse	Mande Music/Electropop	Real World Records	^[7]
February 23	Aziza Brahim	Mawja		Glitterbeat	^[8]
February 23	The Soil	Reimagined	Kasi soul		^[9]
March 22	Tyla	Tyla	amapiano and fusion of Western pop, hip hop and R&B	Fax and Epic Records	^[10] ^[11]
June 7	Tems	Born in the Wild			^[12]
September 20	Seether	The Surface Seems So Far	Heavy metal / Hard rock	Fantasy Records	^[13]
November 15	Khuzani	Angidlali Nezingane	Maskandi		^[14]

Deaths

• January 29  - Tony Cedras, 71, South African jazz musician^[15]
• February 21  - Getachew Kassa, 79, Ethiopian percussionist and singer^[16]
• March 3  - Félix Sabal Lecco, 64/5, Cameroonian drummer^[17]
• March 5  - Brahim Fribgane, Moroccan oud player and percussionist^[18] (death announced on this date)
• March 8  - Abdou Cherif, 52, Moroccan singer (heart attack)^[19]
• April 9  - Muluken Melesse, 65-70, Ethiopian singer and drummer^[20]
• April 21  - KODA, 45, Ghanaian gospel singer.^[21]
• May 1  - Hasna El-Bacharia, 74, Algerian singer and multi-instrumentalist^[22]
• May 5  - Belgacem Bouguenna, 61, Tunisian singer^[23]
• May 15  - Ahmed Piro, 92, Moroccan singer of Andalusi classical music^[24]
• May 29  - Mansour Seck, 69, Senegalese singer^[25]
• June 30  - Lucius Banda, 53, Malawian musician and former MP^[26]
• July 19  - Toumani Diabaté, 58, Malian kora player^[27]
• August 27  - Makaya Ntshoko, 84, South African jazz drummer^[28]
• September 6 (death announced)  - Mapaputsi (Sandile Ngwenya), 45, South African Kwaito musician^[29]
• September 17  - Rise Kagona, 62, Zimbabwean musician (Bhundu Boys)^[30]
• October 2  - Arbogaste Mbella Ntone, 82, Cameroonian singer^[31]

See also

• 2024 in music

Notes and References

1. Web site: It's a 'forever' deal, investor coach Gael on Bruce Melodie's partnership with UGB. January 19, 2024. The New Times. Emmanuel Gatera. April 11, 2024.
2. Web site: 2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List GRAMMY.com . 2023-11-11 . www.grammy.com.
3. Web site: Retief . Chanel . 5 February 2024 . South African Singer Tyla Wins Her First Grammy, Making Her The Youngest From Africa To Hold The Gong . 10 November 2023 . Forbes Africa.
4. Web site: Grein . Paul . Travis Scott, Luke Combs & Burna Boy Added to 2024 Grammys Performers Lineup . . January 22, 2024 . January 21, 2024 . January 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240122032537/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/grammy-awards-2024-performers-travis-scott-luke-combs-burna-boy-1235585966/ . live .
5. Web site: All Africa Music Awards,(AFRIMA) President speaks on fostering collaboration within African music community as BridgeAfric launches in Malawi. 21 March 2024. African Business. 9 November 2024.
6. Web site: Feather Awards 2024 in SA: All the winners. 8 November 2024. Music in Africa. 9 November 2024.
7. Les Amazones d'Afrique – Musow Danse. Mojo. 87. March 2024.
8. Web site: Mawja. Joyzine. 8 March 2024.
9. Web site: WATCH: The Soil returns to the music scene after seven-year hiatus . Independent Online . 2024-01-26 . 2024-01-30. Lutho. Pasiya.
10. Web site: 2023-11-30 . Tyla Announced Her Self-Titled Debut Album By Revealing Three New Songs From Its Tracklist . 2023-12-02 . . en-US . 2 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231202063620/https://uproxx.com/music/tyla-debut-album-announce/ . live .
11. Web site: 2023-12-05 . When Does Tyla's Debut Album Come Out? . 2023-12-06 . UPROXX . en-US . 6 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231206111844/https://uproxx.com/music/when-does-tyla-debut-album-come-out/ . live .
12. Web site: Smith . Niall . 2024-06-07 . Tems – ‘Born In The Wild’ album review: soulful, spiritual and self-assured . 2024-09-09 . NME . en-GB.
13. Web site: SEETHER Announces 'The Surface Seems So Far' Album, Shares New Single 'Judas Mind'. Blabbermouth.net. July 10, 2024. July 10, 2024.
14. Web site: Angidlali Nezingane. Deezer. November 22, 2024. November 15, 2024.
15. Web site: Jazz musician Tony Cedras dies. Times Live. 1 February 2024.
16. News: 2024 . Ethiopia’s Iconic Singer, Getachew Kassa, Dies at 80 .
17. Web site: Le batteur franco-camerounais Félix Sabal-Lecco est décédé. RFI. 6 March 2024. Radio France International. 6 March 2024.
18. Web site: Club d’Elf collaborator Brahim Fribgane has died. Jambase. 8 March 2024.
19. News: Moroccan Singer Abdou Cherif Dies Due to Heart Attack . 8 March 2024 . Morocco World News . 8 March 2024.
20. Web site: Ethiopian singer Muluken Melese has died, according to reports. National News. 11 April 2024.
21. Web site: 2024-04-21 . Gospel musician KODA reported dead - MyJoyOnline . 2024-04-21 . www.myjoyonline.com . en-US.
22. News: Lamiss. Kahina. 1 May 2024. La chanteuse Hasna El-Bacharia n’est plus. French. L'Express DZ. 3 May 2024.
23. Web site: Décès de l'artiste Belgacem Bouguenna. Business News. 6 May 2024.
24. News: Tabet. Marouane. 16 May 2024. Haj Ahmed Piro, grand maître du gharnati, nous a quittés. French. H24info. 19 May 2024.
25. News: Décès de Mansour Seck, choriste et cofondateur du Dandé Léñol (Baba Maal) . Agence de Presse Senegalaise . Fr.
26. Web site: 1 July 2024. Malawi mourns veteran reggae singer Lucius Banda. Music in Africa. 2 July 2024.
27. Web site: Nécrologie : l'artiste Toumani Diabaté est décédé à l'âge de 58 ans. journal du mali. fr. 20 July 2024.
28. Web site: Jazz community mourns death of renowned SA drummer Makaya Ntshoko. Citizen.za. 5 September 2024.
29. Web site: Kwaito legend Mapaputsi passes on at 45. 6 September 2024. YFM. October 2, 2024.
30. Web site: Bhundu Boys member Rise Kagona dies. September 19, 2024. The Herald, Zimbabwe. October 2, 2024.
31. News: 2 October 2024. Nécrologie : décès de l’instrumentiste camerounais Arbogaste Mbella Ntone. French. Actu Cameroun. 2 October 2024.