Why Some African Artists Reach Global Audiences
What helped the music of artists like Burna Boy, Tems, Wizkid and Black Coffee travel, and what can Ghanaian artists learn from their journeys?
Whenever an African artist reaches a major international stage, I find myself asking what other artists can learn from the journey. What helped the music travel, and what gave new listeners a reason to stay?
For Ghanaian artists, those are useful questions. Talent matters, but a career also depends on the team, resources, relationships and release opportunities around the work. Branding, marketing and PR help connect that work to an audience.
The public careers of Burna Boy, Tems, Wizkid and Black Coffee offer lessons worth examining. We can learn from their work and public accounts of it without assuming that we know every decision behind their success.
Give audiences a clear sense of who you are
Burna Boy's African Giant positioning offers a useful example of an artist connecting music to a broader identity. In a 2019 interview with the Recording Academy, he described the album as a way to express who he was and draw attention to his people and experiences.
His Afro-fusion sound also draws from multiple musical traditions. For me, the lesson is to make your identity recognisable while leaving room for creative development.
For an emerging artist, that means being able to explain what distinguishes the work. The sound, visual choices, performances and public story should help listeners understand the artist they are encountering. A confident slogan needs music and a body of work that give it meaning.
Choose collaborations that create a useful connection
Collaborations can bring different audiences into contact, but the contribution and creative fit matter.
Drake's One Dance featured Wizkid and Kyla in 2016. Tems' credits include Wizkid's Essence, Future's Wait For U with Drake, and a songwriting contribution to Rihanna's Lift Me Up. Her Recording Academy profile records Grammy wins for Wait For U in 2023 and her own Love Me JeJe in 2025.
Black Coffee's relevant musical context is house and Afro house. His work includes collaborations with Usher and a feature on Drake's More Life. His album Subconsciously won Best Dance/Electronic Music Album at the 2022 Grammys.
These examples involve different kinds of contribution. Before pursuing a collaboration, ask what each person brings, which listeners could find it relevant and how both sides will support the release. Agree credits, permissions and promotional responsibilities. A famous name alone does not answer those questions.
Build visibility around substantive work
Angélique Kidjo's public profile includes music and sustained advocacy. UNICEF appointed her a Goodwill Ambassador in 2002, and documents her work on children's rights and girls' education.
That gives us a useful lesson about substance behind visibility. An artist's story can extend beyond a release when it reflects actual commitments, experience or work. Attaching a cause to a campaign for attention is a much weaker proposition.
Media outreach also needs a relevant story. A strong interview pitch should explain why the artist's work matters to that publication's audience. Prepare accurate information, useful assets and a spokesperson ready to discuss the work. Editorial coverage remains the publisher's decision.
Make your public presence deliberate
Posting less does not automatically make an artist more desirable. Nor does constant posting guarantee a stronger connection with listeners.
Decide what your public presence needs to achieve. An emerging artist may need regular introductions to the music, reliable release information and opportunities for people to experience the performance. Choose a rhythm the team can sustain and content that supports those needs.
An established artist may make different choices about access or appearances. Those choices should fit the career, audience and current objective. We should be careful about treating a celebrity's quiet periods as proof of a deliberate scarcity strategy.
Let cultural identity support experimentation
Ghanaian artists have room to draw from their heritage and develop sounds that cross familiar boundaries. We should examine individual choices rather than explain national differences through assumptions about confidence.
Ghanaian American artist Amaarae offers a relevant example. In her 2025 interview about Black Star, she discussed Ghanaian identity, musical influences from different places and the relationship between her music and fashion. The interview followed performances at Coachella and Lollapalooza.
Her work gives us a useful starting point for discussing cultural identity alongside experimentation. Artists can make their roots part of the story while choosing how those roots appear in the music, language, visuals and performance.
For Ghanaian artists, I would start with a practical question: what is distinctive about your work, and how can someone encountering it for the first time recognise that?
Turn the lessons into a working plan
An artist and their team should be able to answer five questions:
- Which audience are we trying to reach next, and where can we realistically reach them?
- What should people understand about the artist and the current work?
- Which releases, performances or other assets can support that story?
- Which collaborators, communities or media outlets have a relevant connection?
- What evidence will show that attention is becoming listening, repeat engagement or attendance?
The same discipline can help an entrepreneur explain a distinctive offer and choose partnerships. A broader cultural narrative can add meaning when there is real work behind it.
International growth requires sustained work beyond publicity. For artists, the immediate task is to give the music a clear introduction, create relevant opportunities to encounter it and build a relationship with the listeners who respond.
Work with PR369 Communications
PR369 Communications helps artists and entertainment businesses develop marketing campaigns and talent PR around their work and ambitions.
To discuss your next stage, email business@pr369.com with your music, current audience, intended opportunities, timeline and available budget. We will begin with a strategy conversation about what you want to achieve and the support required.
