2025 in African music
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| List of years in African music |
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The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 2025 in African music.
Events
- February 2 – At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the award for Best African Music Performance goes to Tems for "Love Me JeJe".[1]
- July 10 – Burna Boy's new album, No Sign of Weakness, released today, features Travis Scott, Mick Jagger, Stromae, and Shaboozey.[2]
- September 8 – Tyla wins the Best Afrobeats category at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.[3]
- November – 31st Annual South African Music Awards[4]
Albums released
- Amaarae – Black Star[5]
- Black Sherif – Iron Boy[6]
- BNXN – Captain[7]
- Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness[8]
- Davido – 5ive[9]
- Gyakie – After Midnight[10]
- Qing Madi – I Am The Blueprint[11]
- Moonchild Sanelly – Full Moon[12]
Deaths
- January 9 (date death announced) – Doc Shebeleza, 51, South African kwaito musician[13]
- January 14 – Teddy Osei, 87, Ghanaian saxophone player, drummer and vocalist (Osibisa)[14]
- March 13 – Yallunder, 30, South African afro-soul singer-songwriter[15]
- April 4 – Amadou Bagayoko, 70, Malian musician (Amadou & Mariam)[16]
- May 16 – Dada KD (Nana Kwakye Duah), 56, Ghanaian highlife musician[17]
- May 25 – Foday Musa Suso, 75, Gambian musician and composer[18]
- June 6 – "Gentleman" Mike Ejeagha, 95, Nigerian folklorist, highlife musician and songwriter[19]
- June 13 – Louis Moholo, 85, South African jazz drummer (The Blue Notes, Brotherhood of Breath, Assagai)[20]
- July 26 – Daddy Lumba, 60, Ghanaian highlife singer-songwriter[21]
- August 13 – Rachid Ferhani, 80, Algerian Kabyle singer[22]
- August 24 – Khaled Louma, 70, Algerian musician and radio presenter[23]
- September 5 – Ras Sheehama, 59, Namibian reggae musician (suicide)[24]
- October 6 – Ray's Kim Edm, 36, Chadian rapper[25]
- October 8 – Pierre Moutouari, 75, Congolese singer[26]
- October 21 – Achille Mouebo, 54, Congolese singer-songwriter[27]
- November 3 (date death announced) – Akiin Shuga, 50, Nigerian singer[28]
- November 12 – Bereket Mengisteab, 86/7, Eritrean singer, songwriter and composer[29]
- November 25 – Biyouna, 73, Algerian singer and actress[30]
See also
References
- ^ Atkinson, Katie (2024-11-08). "Grammy Nominations 2025: See the Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ Akpoghene, Melony (2025-07-11). "With 'No Sign of Weakness,' Burna Boy Blazes A Tale Of Endurance, Ego & Grit". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ^ "MTV Video Music Awards 2025: All the winners". Music in Africa. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- ^ Oluthando Keteyi. "Black Motion and Kelvin Momo shine at Sama 2025 with multiple nominations". IOL. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ "Amaarae Reclaims the Dance Floor With Bold New Album Black Star". Indie Sound. August 8, 2025.
- ^ Nwaokolo, Nneamaka. "Black Sherif Is Honest on "Iron Boy" but Hesitates to Evolve". Unorthodox Reviews. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "BNXN New Album 'Captain': Most Vulnerable Afrobeats Release | OkayAfrica". www.okayafrica.com. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ^ Heran Mamo (17 December 2024). "Burna Boy Announces Eighth Album 'No Sign of Weakness' & New Single 'Bundle by Bundle'". Billboard. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Conteh, Mankaprr (2024-12-05). "Davido Announces New Album '5ive' With Single 'Funds': 'Isn't Just About Money'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ "Gyakie unveils her debut album 'After Midnight'". Ghanaweb. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ "Afrobeats icons and the rising stars set to redefine music in 2025". rain. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (8 October 2024). "Moonchild Sanelly announces new album Full Moon with single "Do My Dance" and 2025 UK and Ireland tour". NME. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
- ^ "Legendary kwaito star Doc Shebeleza has died". TimesLive. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Mark Wilberforce (16 January 2025). "Ghanaian music legend who founded Afro-rock band Osibisa dies". BBC News. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Hlalane, Reabetswe (15 March 2025). "Singer-Songwriter Yolanda Yallunder Nyembezi Passes Away at 30". OkMzansi. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Des milliers de personnes réunies à Bamako pour les funérailles du chanteur Amadou Bagayoko". francetvinfo.fr (in French). 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ Ofori, Jonathan (17 May 2025). "Ghanaian highlife star Dada KD passes away at 56". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "A tribute to Jali Foday Susso: Custodian of the Kora, voice of Manding, pride of The Gambia". Standard. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Highlife maestro Mike Ejeagha dies at 95". Vanguard. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ "Louis Moholo-Moholo, legendary drummer, dies aged 85". Timeslive. 2025-06-13.
- ^ "Ghanaian icon Daddy Lumba Passes Away at 60". Ghana Music. July 26, 2025.
- ^ Benmokhtar, ouamar (14 August 2025). "L'artiste Rachid Ferhani n'est plus". L'Algérie Aujourd'hui (in French). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Khaled Louma, pionnier du rock algérien, est mort". Le Monde (in French). 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ "Namibia mourns reggae legend Ras Sheehama". The Namibian. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ^ "Tchad: émotion après le décès de Ray's Kim EDM, figure de la scène musicale et politique". Radio France Internationale (in French). 8 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "Auteur compositeur de la célèbre chanson Misengué, Pierre Moutouari est décédé en France". factuel.cd (in French).
- ^ "Musique : Achille Mouebo fête ses 25 ans de carrière !". Le Courrier de Kinshasa (in French). 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ^ Ayorinde Oluokun. "Ace Nigerian singer Akin Shuga is dead". PM News. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Eritrean music legend Bereket Mengisteab dies aged 89". Ethiopia Observer. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
- ^ "La star de la comédie algérienne Biyouna tire sa révérence". www.echoroukonline.com/ (in French). 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.