Romanian artist Leyqara has released “Burning In Your Hands,” a new single that combines Afro House and Afro Pop.
The track is built around a rhythmic electronic production with melodic vocals, exploring themes of attraction and romantic tension. Its arrangement moves between the steady pulse of Afro House and the melodic elements of Afro Pop.
“Burning In Your Hands” is available on streaming platforms.
Nigerian artist Zlato Queen has released “Paradise,” a new Afrobeats single featuring Deobi.
The song explores romantic attraction and the feeling of finding someone whose presence changes the way you experience the world. Zlato Queen uses Nigerian Pidgin alongside melodic vocals to frame the song’s themes of love, gratitude and desire.
“Paradise” combines Afrobeats rhythms with soulful melodies and contemporary pop elements, with Deobi contributing to the vocal performance.
The track was released through Zinnob Records and is accompanied by an official music video.
“Paradise” is available on streaming platforms.
Nigerian artist Lil Blinkz has released “Pray,” a new Afrobeats single produced, mixed and mastered by Bee-M.
The song explores themes of faith, struggle, isolation and perseverance, with Lil Blinkz reflecting on the pressures of pursuing his ambitions and the role of prayer in dealing with difficult periods.
“Pray” marks a return to Afrobeats for Lil Blinkz following his July hip-hop single “No Chills,” which features Simex and Talented. He previously released the Afropop single “Everyday” in March.
The track was independently released through Raven Vanguard, a Lagos-based entertainment company founded and managed by Lil Blinkz.
“Pray” is available on streaming platforms.
The NAACP Image Awards will introduce 10 new categories dedicated to African music, film and television at its 58th edition in 2027.
The new categories are:
The categories cover three areas of African entertainment: music, film and television. The recording categories give African artists dedicated recognition for albums, songs and emerging artists, while the film and television categories extend that recognition to productions and individual performers.
According to the NAACP, the new categories are part of an effort to build a cultural connection between Africa and the global Black diaspora and recognise the influence of African creative work across music, film and television. The 58th edition will have 108 categories in total.
The introduction is particularly notable for African music, where artists have increasingly appeared in the broader NAACP Image Awards categories. Tems, for example, is among the artists previously recognised by the awards.
For African creatives, the new categories could provide a more direct route to recognition within one of the longest-running awards programmes for Black entertainment. The bigger question will be how the new categories interact with the awards’ existing international and general categories, and whether African artists will continue to compete outside the Africa-specific fields as their work reaches wider audiences.
Submissions for the 58th NAACP Image Awards opened in August, with the 2027 ceremony date yet to be announced. Projects released between January 1 and December 31, 2026 are eligible for consideration.
Nigerian singer Ayra Starr attended LaQuan Smith’s Spring/Summer 2027 show during New York Fashion Week.
For the appearance, Ayra wore a sheer purple off-shoulder dress featuring a thigh-high slit, with her underwear visible beneath the see-through fabric.
The appearance comes during a busy period for Ayra in New York. The singer moved to the city in late 2025 and has incorporated New York into her latest musical era, including “Midnight in New York,” a track from her third album, “Starrgirl.”
Ayra has also maintained a connection to fashion, having made her runway debut at London Fashion Week in 2025 when she walked for Di Petsa.