Afro-soul is a genre of music that blends elements of soul music with African rhythms and instrumentation.[1] It combines emotive vocal styles and lyrical themes characteristic of soul with traditional African musical elements, including indigenous rhythms, percussion instruments such as drums and shakers, and local languages or dialects.
| Afro-soul | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | Afro-pop[citation needed] |
| Local scenes | |
While artists such as South African singer Miriam Makeba helped popularize soul-influenced African music in the 1950s and 1960s, the term "Afro-soul" has been more commonly used in later decades to describe a range of contemporary artists across Africa. The genre has since grown in popularity across the continent and internationally, often overlapping with styles like Afrobeat, neo-soul, and R&B.
Notable musicians
edit- Brymo, Nigerian singer[2]
- Miriam Makeba,[3] a Grammy Award-winning South African singer and civil rights activist[4]
- Zahara, South African singer[5]
- Efya, Ghanaian singer
- Amanda Black,[6] multi award-winning songstress from South Africa
- Simphiwe Dana,[7] praised as "the best thing to happen to Afro-soul music since Miriam Makeba"[3]
- Nathi Mankayi[8]
- Libianca, Cameroonian-American singer[9]
- Lira (singer)[10]
- Muma Gee, Nigerian singer
- Scelo Gowane, South African singer
- Siphokazi, a South African artist[11]
- Les Nubians, the French born sisters who are Afropean music singers[12]
- The Budos Band[13]
- K'naan[citation needed]
- Ginger Johnson[citation needed]
- Doug Kazé, Nigerian singer-songwriter[14]
- Manu Dibango, from Cameroon[citation needed]
- Nomfusi, South African artist[15]
- Lekan Babalola[citation needed]
- Grace Matata, Tanzanian singer[16]
- Kumbie, Zimbabwean singer-songwriter
- Joe Nina, South Africa singer-Songwriter
- Jabulile Majola, South African singer-songwriter[17]
References
edit- ↑ "AfroSoul Music Genre History and Style Description| African Music Library". africanmusiclibrary.org. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ↑ "Annotations on Brymo's "Yellow' – Dami Ajayi". The Lagos Review. 12 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- 1 2 Robin Denselow (May 17, 2007). "Simphiwe Dana, Zandisile". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved Feb 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Miriam Makeba". sahistory.org.za. Retrieved Feb 2, 2015.
- ↑ Alex Rigotti (12 December 2023). "Afro-soul icon Zahara has died, age 36". NME. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ↑ "Amanda Black: Music lives in me and takes over when I perform". Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ↑ "ListeningTo: Renowned South African Afro-soul singer Simphiwe Dana". 98.4 Capital FM. Oct 28, 2014. Retrieved Feb 2, 2015.
- ↑ Nontsele, Chuma (12 October 2023). "Pollsmoor Prison Blues — Afro-soul singer and former convict Nathi Mankayi gives inmates a boost". Daily Maverick. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ↑ Mankaprr Conteh (January 20, 2023). "Libianca Is the Afro Soul Siren Who Can Do Everything". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ↑ "For artist Lira, South Africa is all Soul". NPR. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ↑ "Siphokazi with her golden voice". Music Industry Online. Jul 1, 2009. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved Feb 2, 2015.
- ↑ "New world news". CMJ New Music Report. Jun 21, 1999. p. 38. Retrieved Feb 2, 2015.
- ↑ Blistein, John (12 February 2019). "Budos Band Preview New Album With Rumbling 'Old Engine Oil'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ↑ "Success for me aren't the toys and awards - Kaze". February 11, 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-13 – via PressReader.
- ↑ "Nomfusi (South Africa)". music.org.za. Retrieved Feb 2, 2015.
- ↑ Matata, Grace (8 January 2020). "Learning And Relearning What Love Is Over Time". TEDx. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ↑ Chepape, Lesego (2025-04-24). "A song that breathes like the sea". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
 | This article about a music genre is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |