Emma'a and Juliah
Emma'a is the biggest name in Gabonese music right now, while Juliah is striking a chord with songs about infidelity in Seychelles
Emma’a, the stage name of Emmanuella Issembe, is based in France, but Gabon is in her veins, and her sound is heavily influenced by Afrobeats greats including Aya Nakamura, Wizkid and Rema. Emma’a is topping Gabon’s charts, and she’s winning fans internationally thanks to her romantic lyrics and velvety singing voice.
She was snapped up by Sony Music soon after her breakthrough song, Encré, went viral on TikTok. The song dropped three years ago when Emma’a was just 19, and has now racked up 16 million views on YouTube and 19 million Spotify streams.
Emma’a tells This Is Africa that it’s a lot of pressure being the highest profile artist from Gabon right now!
Juliah is a dancehall artist from Seychelles who has discovered that songs about infidelity strike a particular chord with her audience. Her hits, with lyrics in Seychellois Creole, French and English, include Pa Sa Een and Koupe.
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