Afrocritik’s weekly music spotlight: zouk party.
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Hello again, my esteemed music adventurers!
I hope your Valentine’s weekend was filled with love and romance in all the best ways! Unfortunately, we cannot ignore the reality that not everyone was so lucky. So, for those who went un-Valentine-d, we hope our Valentine’s spotlight kept you company and brought you comfort through the cold, lonely nights.
For your sake, I’m back with this week’s Music Spotlight, which will hopefully continue to bring a smile to your face!
This week’s edition was a bit tricky to put together. Major releases were few and far between, but there was a bevy of cross-continental EPs and singles released for the weekend of love. At some point, a slight pattern emerged—it seems the continent was in the mood for some Zouk and Zouk-adjacent tunes. As such, today’s Spotlight is themed in that direction, and this might just be something we stick with.
Make sure to follow us on our socials @Afrocritik to stay up to date with such changes and other Spotlight-related updates.
If you or anyone you know is releasing music that deserves to be discovered by the musically adventurous, don’t hesitate to drop me a line at yinoluu@afrocritik.com for details on how to get your music considered!
And now, without further ado, let’s dive right into this week’s Zouk Party, which plays host to:
ZOUK FOR YOUR WAIST: I mean, It goes without saying that Zouk and its cousins would be the focus of the list titled Zouk Party. We have the Cameroonian singer, Kotto Boy’s Love Makossa II album to check out, represented here by “Ndolami”, “Nga Mbembe” and “Mama”. Kenyan singer Atemi gives us “Wivu” and “Stay” from her new album Mahaba Hewani. Mr. Drew’s Lova Boy Era gives us the Afrobeats-tinged “Collabo” with Camidoh and “End of the Day” with KOJO BLAK. BRUME also kicks us off with the Highlife-leaning “Your Woman”.
SOME EMOTIONAL FUSIONS: There’s no escaping the emotions here in the aftermath of the Valentine’s season. PholaPreye gives us her new single “Fatal Attraction”, while Dmarley teams up with EMJAYY for “Shalewa” off his new Dmarley Szn project. Njerae gives us a strong selection in “Hypnotise”, “Fight For You” and “Beg For It” off of her new Four Letter Word EP. Toye Aru and Derrick UGC combine wonderfully on their joint album Just When You Thought It Was Over, giving us “We Belong Together”, “Let Me Know” and “Middle of the Night”, and German-based Cameroonian artiste, Ronis Goliath, impresses with his unique style on “Too Soon”, “Ndangti” and “Berlin/West Africa” from his Berlin/West Africa project.
SOUTH AFRICAN GEMS: As is typical for us here, we have to swing by the prolific nation of South Africa for a few hits. This week, we enjoy cuts from Shaunmusiq’s new TOKOLLO album in “Funa Lo” and “Yimi Lo”, KMAT assembles a powerful ensemble for “MLB”, DJ Stoks does the same for “Mamazala”, and Drega feeds us his Kharnju II project from which we get the groovy “AmaGroovist” and “Nqaba Nami Nkosi”.
Remember, this is just a glimpse of the musical wonders awaiting you in our playlist. Hopefully, you’ll stumble upon something that feels right at home in your own collection. Be sure to explore each featured artiste and album fully—you never know what hidden gems you might uncover.
And if you’re a budding musician with a sound worth sharing, don’t hesitate to message us to find out how to get your songs considered for the Spotlight.
Now, let the music envelop you in its embrace, and may each melody carry you to new heights of joy and inspiration. Enjoy the journey, and may your week be filled with sweet musical bliss.
Warm regards,
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.