The world’s music pulse is changing, and its heartbeat is African.
Once considered niche, African genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano have taken over global playlists. What’s exciting is that this movement isn’t being led by men alone. A new wave of women are not just joining the stage, they are changing the sound of the decade.
These artists are fearless. They mix styles without hesitation and carry a bold, feminine energy that’s impossible to ignore. They blend genres, speak truth in their lyrics, and bring fierce feminine energy to stages everywhere.
From Grammy wins to viral hits, their influence is reshaping how the world listens to Africa.
Here are eight women whose voices are defining the 2020s.
1. Tems
Afrobeats’ rise didn’t happen overnight. Pioneers like Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade paved the way, but a younger generation is now taking it to new heights with Tems leading the charge.
It is impossible to talk about modern African music without mentioning Tems. Her distinct voice is smoky, raw, and unmistakably her own. The 30-year-old songstress blends Afrobeats, R&B, and Alté influences into something both soulful and intimate.
With two Grammy awards to her name, Tems is easily one of the greatest Nigerian singers of her generation. She first captured global ears with Wizkid’s “Essence” — the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Then came collaborations with Drake and Future, and soon after, a Grammy win for “Wait for U.”
Tems has now already crossed four billion streams on Spotify, a huge milestone for any African artist. Her debut album, Born in the Wild, proved she’s not just a feature artist, she’s a movement. Tems is redefining what it means to be a global African star: confident, creative, and completely herself.
2. Ayra Starr
At 23, Ayra Starr is already shaping the future of Afrobeats.
The Celestial Being has built a sound that’s young, catchy, and bursting with attitude. Her voice glides between English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin. But it’s always vibrant, always bold.
Ayra Starr’s voice has a texture that’s instantly recognisable. It’s warm and a little gritty in the best possible way. It’s the kind of tone that draws you in from the first note.
Ayra is known for her effortless use of melisma, those quick, flowing runs where she glides across several notes on a single syllable. You can hear this most clearly in the choruses and bridges of her songs, where her voice feels both powerful and emotional.
Though completely self-taught, Ayra shows impressive vocal control and confidence. These qualities make her really stand out, especially for someone still early in their career.
Her 2021 single “Rush” became a global anthem, landing on charts in the UK and earning a Grammy nomination. With over five million Spotify followers and nearly 20 million monthly listeners, she’s now one of Africa’s most streamed female artists.
Her 2024 album, The Year I Turned 21, showed real growth, revealing her maturity and range. She was able to mix vibrant pop hooks with raw emotion. It’s no surprise she’s already been dubbed the ‘princess of Afropop’.
3. Tyla
Tyla’s rise was pure lightning. The South African singer turned “Water” into a worldwide obsession, winning the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance in 2024.
Tyla has a warm, silky voice that she can control with ease. Her sound, which combines pop and Amapiano, is rhythmic and dreamy, and it fits in perfectly with that.
Her voice is hypnotic and easy to listen to because she concentrates more on mood and groove than on large vocal tricks. Instead of using the rasp or grit that some singers do, her tone is smooth and clear. It has a crisp quality that complements her lively, dance-based production flawlessly.
Her music blends smooth pop with Amapiano’s signature bounce. With her self-titled debut album, the 23-year-old became a global ambassador for the sound, showing how far South African music can go.
From Johannesburg to New York, everyone’s dancing to her rhythm and it’s safe to call her the global face of Amapiano.
4. Shekhinah
For nearly a decade, Shekhinah has been a staple of South African pop and R&B. Her evolution in the 2020s has been remarkable. Shekhinah’s voice is smooth, soulful, and unmistakably airy. Her unique vocals perfectly bridge R&B with pop and neo-soul.
She is also one of South Africa’s most consistent, authentic voices. The 31-year-old pairs her light, emotional delivery with honest, and relatable lyrics about modern love, heartbreak, and self-discovery, making her an effective storyteller.
Her iconic debut album, Rose Gold (2017), highly impacted South Africa’s new generation of Pop/R&B artists. Her 2021 album Trouble In Paradise , marked a turning point, tackling themes of heartbreak and healing with honesty and grace. In 2024, she returned with “Risk,” an Afro-pop collaboration that showed her continued relevance and versatility.
Her music thrives on melody and emotion. Shekhinah is without a doubt, one of the most important and influential African female Pop/R&B singers of her generation.
5. Niniola
While Niniola Apata‘s major breakthrough occurred in the mid-2010s, her presence on this list is essential due to her role as an Afro-House architect whose influence solidified and peaked at the start of the decade.
She is widely hailed as the “Queen of Afro-House,” successfully fusing Nigerian highlife/Afrobeats elements with the rhythms of South African House and Amapiano. This unique blend constitutes one of the most clearly defined and enduring “signature sounds” in contemporary African music.
Niniola is the foundational artist who paved the way for that fusion and is still releasing projects that drive the sound forward.
Niniola paved the way for the broader acceptance of the Afro-House and Amapiano sound in West Africa. By the time Amapiano exploded globally in the 2020s, the blueprint for the fusion was already established by artists like her.
Her impact was irrevocably stamped on the world stage when her 2017 hit “Maradona” was sampled by Beyoncé for her 2019/2020 project, The Lion King: The Gift. This direct contribution earned Niniola a Grammy nomination certificate and validated her pioneering sound on a global scale at the very beginning of the new decade.
She virtually created a sub-genre’s mainstream presence in Nigeria and West Africa, which stretched beyond local radio dominance.
6. Gyakie
From Ghana, Gyakie has become one of the continent’s most beloved Afro-Soul voices. The daughter of Highlife legend Nana Acheampong, the 25-year-old honours her roots while carving her own space in modern music.
Her 2020 hit “Forever” dominated charts across West Africa, with its Omah Lay remix expanding her reach globally. Gyakie’s mix of English, Twi, and Pidgin gives her songs a fluid, borderless feel. Gyakie’s sound is characterized by emotive vocals and a fusion of Highlife, R&B, and Afrobeats rhythms.
With her debut album After Midnight, the ‘Songbird’ continues to embody her moniker, translating personal truths into music that resonates globally.
7. Libianca
Cameroonian-American singer Libianca, broke through with “People,” a song about loneliness and mental health. It hit global charts and touched millions who saw themselves in her lyrics.
