Every week, we highlight the very best of new music for your listening pleasure. In no particular order, check out our selection of the best new songs you need to hear featuring music from Team Salut, Lucianne, Mazy, Ronehi, NARA, AYLØ and more.
1. Team Salut – 400%
Popular producer-artist duo — Team Salut, which comprises Glenard Kojo Patnelli (GKP) and Gabriel Kweku Wood (Mr Wood), make good on their promise to release new music in 2022 with a new smash hit titled ’400%’, a follow up on their recently released viral song ‘Boom Bam’. Known for working behind the scenes producing hit singles such as Afro B’s ‘Drogba (Joanna)’ and Eugy & Mr Eazi’s ‘Dance For Me’, the duo has decided to once again share their vocal ability with the world.
According to GPK, 400% is symbolic of living and loving your life beyond full capacity; beyond your wildest imagination. “The production is simple but still has a lot of energy. I believe that life can be the same if we let it; simple and full of enjoyment, even in tough times. We wanted to be able to showcase our personalities to our listeners with some light-hearted danceable sounds. We even decided to go the extra mile and release it with the instrumental for all our artists out there to play about with; it just feels like no one really does that anymore.”
Mr Wood: “When we were vibing in the studio, we decided that a minimal Afrobeats club vibe would be refreshing. 400% has a really strong groove and bass presence, so we decided our vocals should be simple and complement this to keep the listener engaged. The process was pretty quick as we bounced ideas straight away; everything was completed on the same day.”
2. Lucianne – More
British-Nigerian songstress and actress Lucianne begins 2022 with ‘More’. The afro-influenced R&B earworm is a preview of what to expect from Lucianne’s forthcoming EP titled Becoming. Lucianne is no stranger to the entertainment industry. As an actress, she has featured in films such as ‘Three Thieves‘ (Netflix) and ‘Dark Room‘.
‘More’ is a song for hopeless romantics and it is based on the personal experiences of the multifaceted entertainer formerly known as Luci Monet. In the Majeek-produced song, Lucianne sings about wanting to finally meet her love interest after months or years of just virtual communication. “The song speaks about loving on someone from a distance for such a long time, that you now need more than that. It is one of my favorite songs and I hope it gives us all the courage to go for what we want”
3. Mazy – Like This, Like That
Austrian-based Nigerian producer and artist Mazy starts the year off right with his new song ‘Like This, Like That’. The self-produced jam is an uptempo song that bridges the gap between traditional Amapiano and contemporary Afro-Pop/Afro-Fusion. Officially, this is Mazy’s first attempt at singing over an instrumental with Amapiano influences.
On ’Like This, Like That’, Mazy delivers a very catchy yet brilliant chorus that makes the song very easy to sing along to making it appeal to a large audience. “I was just vibing in the studio. I wanted to create something that would make people dance & temporarily put their problems aside, as I was going through the same. As long as we keep grinding the money will come, that’s pretty much what the songs are about. In a nutshell, work hard, play hard ahah”
4. Ronehi ft AYLØ – Saudade
Nigerian producer Ronehi gets listeners feeling sentimental with his new song ‘Saudede’, an expressive song centered around lost love. The song title ‘Saudade’ is a Portuguese word that describes a deep emotional state of nostalgia or deep longing for something or someone that an individual loves or cares for.
The Nigerian producer tells this tale of love and melancholy with the assistance of AYLØ. As an artist dedicated to authentic expression, AYLØ’s lyrics force us to reminisce on lost loves and embrace the power of feeling. ‘Saudede’ evokes strong feelings of nostalgia, perhaps even tricking you to text your long-forgotten ex.
5. NARA – Deja Vu
On NARA’s new pop song ‘Deja Vu’ she sings about finally mustering the courage to let go and move on from an on and off relationship which obviously wasn’t working out. NARA has this unique ability to capture the attention of listeners from start to finish, her melodies hit as hard as her lyrics and have the ability to trigger some forgotten memories. Over subtle guitar riffs and piano progressions, the Berlin-based singer/songwriter reminisces about an unrequited love where she could see her love interest for who he actually was; an individual who didn’t want to invest in the relationship. Although it was a hard decision to make, NARA calls it quits and tries to move on from this one-sided relationship.
NARA, like many other gifted musicians, identified her talent at an early age. She became a student of an Opera teacher who only trained adults when she was just 8 years old. She was his student till she was 15 years old. Since then, she learned to play the piano and the rest, they say, is history.
6. Tiago Vega – Go
Tiago Vega’s new song ‘Go’ takes you on a sonic trip from start to finish. From Long Beach to Tokyo, Bali to Tulum, US-based entertainer Tiago Vega has had an extraordinary journey as an artiste that has spanned multiple regions around the world. He is as well-traveled as he is talented; his sound is influenced by his rich cultural heritage and his surroundings. His chilled vocal tones on this well-produced instrumental give listeners the push they needed to just go on a getaway with their lover and forget all about their problems and this is very well depicted in the music video shot in Acapulco, Mexico.
7. MLB Havoc – 3 A.M. IN D MØRNING
On MLB Havoc’s new song ‘3 A.M. IN D MØRNING’, he has sober reflections and reminisces about the times when things were harder as an artiste. On this dreamy production, he basically raps about when he resulted to addictions like drugs, alcohol and women as a coping mechanism during low moments in his life. “This song is about me coming to my house after getting wasted out my mind begging god to save me cause I was going through hard times and I was resulting to useless stuff to take the pain away. and I call it 3AM In D MORNING because I was going through this at that time so this is crazy me trying to be Heard.”
8. Lanor & Oddboyy – Nowadays
Lanor & Oddboyy’s ‘Nowadays’ tells the story of a man who’s losing focus on the priorities of life. “Nowadays, I’ve been thinking about love not the cash..need to get my mind on track” He is torn between acquiring riches and finding love. On this collaborative single, both artistes combine seamlessly to tell stories that evoke feelings or past memories and pain to create a great emo-afrobeat record.
9. Neneh Asta – Going Nowhere
US-based Sierra Leonean singer Nene Asta shares her new song “Going Nowhere”, a dreamy afropop love song detailing how it feels to have a partner who brings you a euphoric high that takes you to utopia. For an artiste who isn’t so conversant with afrobeat/afropop music, The Oasisxbeat-produced “Going Nowhere” is a brilliant start for many to come. In her lyrics, she paints a perfect picture with such apparent effortlessness.
10. Mukhy – Posh Life
British Nigerian afrofusion artiste Mukhy raises anticipation for his sophomore EP with the release of the new song ‘Posh Life’. The Ransom Beatz-produced song features burgeoning Nigerian crooners Babbz and Sasuk3. It is a feel-good catchy anthem that invites listeners to have a positive mindset to live a life of lavish. Speaking about the inspiration for ‘Posh Life’, Mukhy says, “I recorded ‘Posh Life’ after an ex attempted to make me feel jealous. I don’t really emit that type of energy, so instead I walked up to the guy next to her and said the opening line, ‘See the gyal on your shoulder, that’s my old spice’. Safe to say he did not take it well. The braggadocious feeling stuck with me when I got to the studio and ‘Posh Life’ was the result of that session. Essentially though, ‘Posh Life’ is all about having a good time and living a good life, staying away from envy, bad vibes and negative energy, and exuding positivity”.
11. Vance Eris – HOT FUDGE
As described by Vance Eris, his new song ‘Hot Fudge’ takes your hand and walks you from a spacious electric piano ballad to the nightclub within the first sixty seconds. The pop record sees Vance telling his side of a story on an aspect of his romantic relationship. His partner continually tries to mold him into her own creation, something he is very resistant to. She also longs for a bit of toxicity in their relationship – “You want a bad guy … get caught alone in bed with your best friend.” The 20-year old’s new song is certainly a song that warrants dancing, crying, and a call to your therapist.
12. Aileen x Florian Paetzold – Sola
On their latest collaborative single ‘Sola’, Florida-based Dominican-American singer-songwriter, dancer and actress Aileen connects with German house producer Florian Petzold. The hook, “So-so solaaa. Mejor sola que mal acompañada,” translates to English as “By-by myself. Better by myself than in bad company.” The feel-good House style, Latin club instrumental coupled with Aileen’s passionate vocals take listeners on a sonic cruise, prompting them to get on their feet. Aileen got her musical breakthrough as a contestant on the third season of Diddy’s ABC/MTV reality music competition “Making the Band”.
13. Larry Maluma – Aisha
Larry Maluma’s self-produced ‘Aisha’ is an easy-going song with a deep message. On the song, the Australian-based Zambian Reggae artiste is an advocate for people in the working force who put in effort fulfilling their daily quotas without getting the needed remuneration. He demands justice for the aforementioned group of people and asks that they be treated fairly and get paid on time in order for them to be able to cater to their families and pay their bills.
14. Eddy Cane – Everybody Wanna
On ‘Everybody Wanna’, 25-year-old Rapper/Singer Eddy Cane dives into the thin line between dreams and reality; wanting to be something and actually making moves towards accomplishing the set goals. Eddy Cane has a special ability to paint vivid pictures of the human condition in his songs with his lyrics being insightful, thought-provoking, and sometimes comical. ‘Everybody Wanna’ is one of many singles to expect from the multi-instrumentalist as he is currently working on new, original content.
