African music goes global

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This is a big moment for African music on the global stage. African artists are winning international awards and embarking on tours to the US and Europe. And major record companies want a piece of the action. They’ve been busy doing deals to sign African stars with Warner Music buying a controlling stake in a Johannesburg business which bills itself as “the home of African music”. So what’s going on, and what does it all mean for a new generation of African artists? Mike Johnson talks to singers Nomcebo Zikode from South Africa and Mildred Ashong, aka Eazzy, from Ghana, Phiona Okumu, head of African music at the streaming service Spotify, Yoel Kenan, chief executive of music distribution company Africori and Temi Adeniji, MD of Warner Music South Africa. (Image: Nomcebo Zikode at the Nomcebo Zikode Foundation Launch at the Houghton Hotel on June 09, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Credit:Getty)