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showreel music

SHOWREEL MUSIC: HOW TO FIND MUSIC FOR SHOWREELS

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    How to Find Music for Showreels

    Putting together a well-constructed showreel/demo reel with the best examples of your work is key to landing a job. Your showreel needs to showcase your talent and stand out in a very crowded market – and fast. So, apart from brilliant content and editing, what else makes a difference? Here are our tips for creating that killer reel – how do you pick good showreel music, and should you use royalty-free, or pay to license a track?

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    Showreel Music – Things to Consider

    1.    Keep Your Showreel Short

    ‘Because we have to look at so many reels, we would recommend for them to be roughly one-and-a-half to two minutes in length,’ says Claire Anderson of The Mill. ‘We don’t even always get all the way through, so I’d also say to put your best work at the beginning.’ Many industry experts advise finishing with your second-best piece, to avoid starting with a bang and ending with a whimper. Think of it like a super short film.

    2.    Showreel Music Ideas

    With a short run-time, should you use music throughout, or just to ‘bookend’ the reel?

    Usually, there are two types of demo – the rapidly edited ‘collage’ type, or a more ‘scene’-based reel of, say, 20-second clips cut together. For a collage, you might want to use one track throughout, to unify the reel. For scene-based reels, especially if they contain dialogue, it may make sense to bookend with music, which is an effective way to hook the viewer at the start and create a satisfying finish, or to choose a couple of tracks to suit the different scenes. Just ensure that the clips you’re using don’t already have music underneath them.

    3.    What Style, or Genre of Music Should I Use?

    Experiment with different genres and styles – would a hip hop track grab attention and provide drive? Or would a classical piece work better? Does the music give your viewer an insight about who you are as a creative? What story are you telling through the music?

    Whichever approach you favour, don’t just pick a track and add it on. You’ll ensure a professional result by cutting to the music and using it to drive your reel.

    4.    Should I Use Royalty-Free Music?

    Don’t make the mistake of thinking that, just because music’s available to stream for free on sites like Spotify, you can use it for your showreel. To avoid violating copyright, you need to pay to license music.

    Royalty-free means that you pay for a one-off licence to use the music and you don’t have to pay a fee to the copyright owner. As an example, let’s say you’ve purchased a royalty-free licence for your showreel. You’ll pay one, unique price, whether the video has 100 views, or 100,000 – and you can use the music for a day, or ten years. If you upload a demo reel with copyright music on it which you haven’t licensed, then YouTube, Vimeo and other sites can block it or take it down.

    5.    What Are the Advantages of Paid-for Music?

    If you’re a filmmaker or video editor, you’re in the business of intellectual property. You want to be properly credited for your work, so why wouldn’t you apply that to the music you’re using?

    As your showreel’s also acting, in effect, as your business card, if potential clients see that you’re using uncredited music, or music which you don’t have permission to use, it can make you look unprofessional and undermine your credibility. If you’re willing to cut corners with unlicensed music, then will your potential client’s work be at risk?

    The other pros of paying for music are:

    • You won’t fall foul of YouTube or Vimeo’s ContentID system
    • You’ll know that all the licensing has been done for you
    • You’ll have a unique track, rather than one which other creatives might have already used
    • There is much greater choice – enabling you to find the perfect tracks for your demo reel: demonstrate your creativity through music

    The Best Music for Showreels

    If this isn’t a general showreel, but a pitch for a potential job, then bear in mind that you might need to amend the content and the music to put yourself in pole position.

    What mood are you going for – action, with plenty of energy, or maybe you’re looking to create a specific emotion? What skills are you demonstrating? Is this for a broadcast client or a commercial one? If you have enough footage to cover off a variety of options, then you can put together relevant reels, with different music choices. And remember – keep your showreel current. Styles change, brands adapt, cameras and software are updated – and you want to include your most recent work. Look to produce a new showreel every year.

    Our catalogue contains everything you need in terms of music or production styles, from ambient to world music and to suit content from wildlife to children’s.

    Check out these albums for inspiration:

    Alex Arcoleo - Juna

    A heartfelt and uplifting set encompassing experimental breakbeat, ambient house, downtempo chill and quirky electro. Hewn from hypnotic synth arps, piano, bass, hand claps, electronic drums and sampled breaks.

    juna

    Matt Goodman - Juicier 

    Renowned for their energetic sound, Matthew Bento and Matt Goodman bring the funk with fun, upbeat, uplifting dance pop songs, showcasing confident male and female vocals, funky basslines, groovy slap bass and four four drums.

    JUICIER

    Molly Moore - So Sick

    Indie pop songwriter Aidan Hogg joins forces with vocalist Molly Moore for swagger-filled, upbeat rock/alt-rock inspired by strong female artists like K.Flay and Grouplove. Saturated lead guitar, bass and punchy drums round out the sound.

    so sick

    Debbie Wiseman - Forgotten Lands

    Atmospheric, emotional moods from orchestral expert and Grammy/Ivor Awards nominee Debbie Wiseman OBE. Melancholy piano and ominous orchestral join wistful clarinet and chamber strings, rumbling percussion and heartrending cello.

    forgotten lands

    Need a Music Track for Showreels?

    Turn your showreel into one of the best showreel examples with Audio Network and prepare to impress your prospective clients. We have a huge collection of great music for showreels so you're guaranteed to find the perfect track.

    At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

    SIGN UP

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    what is zouk music

    WHAT IS ZOUK MUSIC?

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    What is Zouk Music?

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      Zouk music became prominent in the 1980s and has become popular around the world. What are Zouk’s origins, and who are some of its biggest stars? We take you through its place on the current dance scene, influences, subgenres and history.

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      What Is Zouk Music?

      The actual word has its roots in French Antillean Creole and means ‘to party’ – but there’s also a school of thought that it’s a creolised version of the Polish ‘mazurka’, which means ‘dance’.

      What Defines Zouk Music?

      The main elements of Zouk include its use of French Antillean Creole for its lyrics, prominent use of synths and drum machines alongside Afro-Caribbean rhythms and percussion.

      Zouk’s fusion of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and French /Creole lyrics also features call-and-response vocals, infectious basslines and a combination of traditional and modern instruments.

      Zouk Music and Dance

      Over time, Zouk dancers have experimented and incorporated other music styles, such as R&B, pop, hip hop and contemporary.

      Zouk’s Gone Global

      Zouk has spread around the world, and as with any genre, it’s developed a number of sub-genres, such as Zouk love. As you’d expect from its name, the lyrics often talk about love – check out Ophelia Marie and French West Indian artists such as Edith Lefel or African artist Kaysha to dive into the genre.

      Aya Nakamura is the most listened-to French-speaking artist in the world (since its 2018 release, her album Nakamura has passed the billion streams mark on Spotify). Born in Mali, she grew up in Seine-Saint-Denis and has become a huge Zouk love star, with a succession of massive hits across Europe. Her fourth studio album, DNK, mixes American R&B with West Indian music, and on ‘T’as peur’, she’s joined forces with Puerto Rican Myke Towers, which is sure to get some reggaeton crossover amongst music fans.

      Other Zouk Genres to Look Out For

      Brazilian Zouk is more of a dance style than a music genre, rooted in and influenced by the lambada. The difference between Zouk and lambada is that the latter is much faster, which makes it harder for students to pick up. Brazilians discovered Zouk rhythms, which were similar, and started to adapt their lambada moves.

      Zouk Béton – aka hard, or ‘concrete’ Zouk – is faster-paced.

      Who Are the Top Zouk Artists?

      • Fanny J
      • Zouk Machine
      • Francky Vincent
      • Kaysha
      • T-Vice
      • Thierry MBaloula
      • DJ Kakah
      • Mafie Zouker
      • Lord Feifer
      • Arkkanjo
      • DJ Amigo

      Some of the other key artists who have propelled Zouk onto the global stage include Fanny J, Zouk Machine, Francky Vincent, Kaysha and T-Vice.

      Zouk Machine are an all-female group from Guadeloupe, whose single, ‘Maldòn’ in 1990 sold over 1 million copies.

      Kaysha, a musician and producer, hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and blends Zouk with kizomba, Zouk love, calypso, R&B and hip hop.

      Multi-award-winner Fanny J has not only had a successful recording career, but in 2012 she formed the UM Music label, which has signed Zouk artists including Thayna and Axelle Benth.

      The artists involved in the Audio Network Zouk Sensations album include Thierry MBaloula, producer and composer Thierry Doumergue, Stevy Mahy, Khady Ba, Da Mogueez and Juliana Parnasse – plus you’ll definitely pick up some influences from Aya Nakamura.

      Brazilian Zouk stars include DJs such as DJ Kakah, Mafie Zouker, Lord Feifer, Arkkanjo and DJ Amigo.

      Zouk Festivals

      There are Zouk festivals everywhere from Denver, Colorado (the Elevation Zouk Festival in December) to January’s Rio Zouk Congress in Rio De Janeiro and festivals in Taiwan, Mexico, BDF Holland in Amsterdam and the Poland Lambada Congress.

      Look out for the Zouk World Congress in Barcelona in April, or get your dance on in Ibiza in May for their Zouk festival. Toronto, Cologne, Dallas, LA and Prague are all hosting Zouk gatherings in 2024.

      What’s the History of Zouk?

      ‘Zouk’ as a term was first used on the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique – referring to all-night dance parties which brought together folk music – particularly Martinican chouval bwa and Guadeloupan gwo ka, the Haitian styles compas and cadence with beguine from Martinique and Guadeloupe (a carnival-type style) and cadence-lypso, a hybrid of cadence and calypso in the 1970s.

      There was also French influence – in the 60s and 70s there was a wave of migration between France and Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion, encouraging workers to move to France. Mainly settling in Paris, they brought their music traditions with them into clubs that were primarily (pre-DJs in the early 80s) soundtracked by live bands.

      The Evolution of Zouk and Its Influences

      In 1979, Pierre-Edouard Décimus, a bass player from Guadeloupe, joined forces with Paris-based guitarist Jacob Desvarieux to form Kassav’. They integrated all these diverse styles and put a contemporary, studio-produced gloss over the top, marketing it as Zouk. They had a huge hit in 1984 with infectious anthem ‘Zouk-la sé sèl médikaman nou ni’ (‘Zouk Is the Only Medicine We Have’) and a new dance genre was born.

      Want More Zouk?

      That was our article about Zouk music! Hopefully we've answered all your questions such as what is ‘zouk’ and what does it mean, but if there is anything we haven't covered drop it in the comments below.

      For more, discover Zouk on the stunning Zouk Sensation album, or dive into our Global Latin Series for more rhythm-driven tracks.

      Explore more about music’s roots and influences with our guide to the history of Latin music, and how Black music has influenced genres around the world.

      Need Music for Your Project?

      At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

      SIGN UP

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      How to License Music for YouTube

      HOW TO LICENSE MUSIC FOR YOUTUBE

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      YouTube Audio Library Alternatives - How to License Music for YouTube

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        How do you reach half the world’s social media users? YouTube. According to the 2024 Global Overview Report, YouTube’s potential ad reach totals 2.49 billion users – and 100 million paying subscribers. That’s a vast amount of available eyeballs for your content.

        According to research, music and jingles can aid brand recall by up to 90%, so it’s vital to have the right music for your content. Creators use background music in YouTube videos to spark emotion, give you a sense of place, add atmosphere, help to tell a story… There are loads of different reasons to use music and it definitely helps to make your content both unique and memorable. But you can do better than the YouTube Audio Library...

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        However, selecting music for YouTube isn’t always straightforward – the ins and outs of music licensing can be challenging to navigate – so we’re here to talk you through it. Plus we’ll provide ideas on getting the best, fully licensed music to really make your content stand out.

        Discover everything you need to know about using music in YouTube videos, and then make sure you check out our hand-picked YouTube playlists to get you started.

        Can I Use Music for YouTube Videos?

        The short answer is yes, but the longer answer is that you must have a licence for your chosen track to use it in a YouTube video. Ie, if you’re thinking of using, say, a track that’s been a huge hit, you need to obtain a licence from those who wrote and recorded the song. More often than not, you can find the contact information for a track like this through ASCAP, SESAC and/or BMI – but be warned, this can potentially cost a lot.

        Understanding Music Licensing for YouTube

        YouTube wants to ensure its content creators are abiding by copyright law, so their Content ID system allows copyright holders to identify YouTube videos featuring their track.

        YouTube allows them to decide how, if at all, they want their music to be used on the platform – and pays the music industry more than $4 billion a year. They can choose from three options: monetise, block worldwide and block in some countries.

        If the copyright holder opts for the ‘monetise’ option, ads will be attached to any videos that feature their music. On some occasions, the copyright holder may decide to share their revenue with the content creator.

        With the ‘block worldwide’ option, any video featuring the track runs the risk of being muted or made unavailable to the public. Finally, if the copyright holder chooses to ‘block in some countries’ , the content creator’s video will be unavailable in certain regions.

        It’s crucial for YouTube creators to obtain proper music licences, because if the copyright holder discovers a content creator using their music without permission, they’re encouraged to take action, which can lead to you either being fined, or having your content taken down. YouTube’s music licensing is big business for artists: its content ID system has helped identify and distribute over $2 billion to music rights holders.

        Want to avoid the hassle of using copyright music? You can take advantage of YouTube’s audio library, or, you can pay a small amount for high quality, unique tracks from our catalogue of production music tracks – they’re all fully licensed for YouTube.

        Wondering where YouTubers get their music from? Check out our article for the lowdown and our YouTube FAQs is a deep dive into everything from AdSense to claim notices.

        Still Confused about Copyright?

        Here are the basics:

        • The copyright holder of a music piece – often called the ‘author’ – is the person who created the song. Usually, this is a composer or a lyricist.
        • The author possesses the right to ensure others are not reproducing, distributing, utilising, performing or playing the song in public without their permission.
        • Regardless of the genre, the author automatically gains copyright protection when they create a musical composition.
        • A musical piece is protected under copyright law for the author’s entire lifetime, plus 70 years. After this, the music becomes part of the public domain.

        The complexities of music licensing can make many content creators anxious, but here at Audio Network we’re doing everything in our power to prove that music licensing can be straightforward.

        In our catalogue of music tracks, we have hand-picked playlists to suit any type of YouTube project – from beauty vlogs to gameplay streams to travel docs. Want more inspiration for background music for YouTube videos? Explore our 200,000+ tracks using our filterable search bar.

        Once you’ve found your ideal track, head to our music licensing page, where you’ll find out about the different licences we offer.

        How to Get a Music License for YouTube through Audio Network:

        Audio Network is trusted by brands – from Shell to FIFA, Nike to Vodafone – and creatives worldwide working on a huge variety – and size – of projects. Our extensive library has over 200,000 tracks, covering every genre from trap to classical and with new releases every fortnight.

        Plus, our platform is incredibly easy to use, with numerous different search functions, together with hand-picked playlists for inspiration.

        When you’ve found some tracks you like, simply add them to the ‘My Projects’ feature in your account. Once you’ve decided on your final track(s), you’re ready to purchase – along with a licence for use in your project – and proceed to download it/them to your desktop. It really is that simple.

        Wondering how to buy music license for YouTube? Find out more about our music licensing options and contact us for custom pricing and watch our explainer video for more information:

        Need Music for Your Project?

        At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

        SIGN UP

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        music for japan

        TV MUSIC FOR JAPAN: JAPANESE SYNCS

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        TV Music for Japan

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          What are the best Japanese TV shows at the moment? From web manga to comedy drama, asadora (morning serialised drama) to a true story based on a struggling high school baseball team, viewers are spoiled for choice. When it comes to Japanese TV music, the music supervisors’ choices have been equally varied. We’re proud to showcase some of the recent series that have used music from our extensive catalogue.

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          The Woman Who Wants to Cook and the Woman Who Wants to Eat Season 2

          Cooking is how Yuki Nomoto de-stresses, but one day, she finds herself making way more than she can eat by herself. And so, she invites her neighbor Totoko Kasuga, who also lives alone. What will come out of this impromptu dinner invitation...?

          This Japanese web manga series is written and illustrated by Sakaomi Yuzaki, and the first series of 10 episodes premiered on NHK General TV in December 2022. The second season has double the number of episodes, and features two of our tracks, ‘Past Recollections 2’, a beautiful, pastoral string and piano piece and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, ‘P.A.R.T.Y. 2’, a fun, Latin-style hip hop instrumental with big Mariachi horns.

          The original manga series has not only led to this TV adaptation, but also to a dedicated shop selling merchandise with original art, whose proceeds go to Marriage for All Japan, an organization that advocates for same-sex marriage equality in the country.

          Want to read the manga in English? It’s published through Yen Press.

          Read more about the show here.

          music for japan
          Photo Credit: NHK.JP

          My Neighbour Nurse Aide

          NTV’s new comedy drama – which is also full of suspense - debuted in January, and is based on the book Tonari no Nurse Aid by Mikito Chinen. Our heroine is Sakuraba Mio, a newcomer who’s assigned to the Department of General Surgery at the prestigious Seirei Medical University Hospital. She’s not a doctor or nurse, but her job as a ‘nurse aide’ makes her the closest person to the patients, and one of the hospital’s unsung heroes.

          Mio’s a caring person, but also a medical geek, so she’s curious about what’s going on, especially with skilled, handsome ‘lone wolf’ surgeon, Ryuzaki Taiga. Full of unpredictable twists and turns, this is a funny, touching drama series about hospital life.

          Paul Mottram’s ‘Misfit 2’ is perfectly suited to the show’s mysterious, quirky feel, with its unusual cello pizzicato.

          Read more about the show here.

          music for japan
          Photo Credit: NTV JP

          Boogie Woogie

          NHK’s new asadora (morning serialized drama) features jazz singer/actress Shizuko Kasagi (Shuri Mizutani) and songwriter Ryōichi Hattori (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi).

          Based on the life of the inspirational pre- and post-war jazz singer and actress Shizuko Kasagi (1914-1985), this series has been an important vehicle for educating a general television audience on the lives of relatively unknown Meiji, Taisho, and Shōwa-era female pioneers for over six decades.

          The fictionalized story of Kasagi’s life features music by Takayuki Hattori, the grandson of Ryōichi Hattori, who was the singer's principal mentor and songwriter.

          Asadora narratives typically see the heroine moving from a rural town to either Tokyo or Osaka to pursue a dream, often against the backdrop of war and occupation. Kasagi was a member of a dance troupe, getting her big break in 1938 when she was selected to join a new, experimental male-female variety theatre troupe based in Tokyo, the Shōchiku Gakugekidan (SGD), where she met up and coming composer Ryōichi Hattori. Her powerful voice made her a muse for his dream of creating a Japanese version of the new (at the time) African-American swing jazz style. The media proclaimed Kasagi the ‘Queen of Swing’.

          After the war, Hattori wrote ‘Tokyo Boogie’ for Kasagi, which became her biggest hit in 1948. The singer subsequently reinvented herself as a comedic actress, appearing in several movies and TV shows, even becoming a judge on a popular TV singing show in the 1970s.

          In terms of the series, as JapanForward.com says, ‘Boogie Woogie will not only be about how Shizuko Kasagi was the Queen of Boogie Woogie and cheerleader for postwar Japan. It will also be the story of how post-war Japan, and especially its female half was able to reimagine and rebuild itself so successfully.’

          A lilting version of the ‘Valse’ from Swan Lake is one of the featured tracks on the show.

          Read more about the show here.

          music for japan
          Photo Credit: NHK.JP

          Aibou – Season 22

          Tokyo detective duo Ukyō Sugishita and Kameyama Kaoru are back for season 22 of Aibou. The members of the First Investigative Division are exploring a case where a man fell to his death from his apartment. What does it have to do with religious group ‘Paradise of Smiles’ and is it connected to a terrorist incident from a decade ago?

          Igor Dvorkin and Duncan Pittock’s ‘Tympanum’s developing deep drum groove adds to the tension.

          Read more about the show here.

          music for japan
          Photo Credit: TV ASAHI

          Gekokujo Kyuji

          Inspired by a real story, Gekokujo Kyuji, aka Worst to First: A Teen Baseball Miracle, is centred around a local school baseball team, which has lost its first game in the prefectural tournament for the past 10 years. The drama focuses on Nagumo Shuji, a man who played baseball all his life until an injury in college forced him to retire. Shuji is now a social studies teacher and his daily life changes drastically after he is put in charge of the school's weak baseball team.

          The show features Terry Devine-King and Tom Jenkins’ ‘Fire Comet’, a slice of dreamy, building piano and guitar-led indie rock.

          Looking for music to soundtrack the best sporting moments? Our Summer of Sport collection has you covered, for highs, lows and everything in between.

          Read more about the show here.

          music for japan
          Photo Credit: TBS JP

          Japanese Music – Everything You Need to Know

          Want to learn about Japanese music? Take a deep dive into our history of the country’s different genres, its traditional and contemporary music and the instruments that are synonymous with the Japanese sound.

          Plus, if you’re looking for music to license for a TV show, then we’ve got all tips you need on selecting the right music, plus hand-picked playlists and fortnightly new releases for almost unlimited choice when it comes to genre and mood.

          Need Music for Your Project?

          At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

          SIGN UP

          TV MUSIC FOR JAPAN: JAPANESE SYNCS Read More »

          MUSIC LICENSING ROI

          UNLOCKING MUSIC LICENSING’S ROI

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          Unlocking Music Licensing's ROI

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            The possibilities to ‘get your brand heard’ are more plentiful than ever before, with the rise in podcast advertising, YouTube’s global reach and platforms such as TikTok centering on ‘sound on’ content. 

             What do you need to think about when it comes to crafting a music strategy for brand differentiation? Strategic selection of music in ad campaigns can unlock impressive returns on investment (ROI), through brand perception, recall and emotional engagement. We’re here to show you how… 

            Music Psychology in Advertising

            ‘When people hear a piece of music they like, they share the content that’s associated with it. The true impact that it should have on any ad is not, “Does it tell the story?” but, “Does it get you more ‘likes’ and shares and views?”’ - Daniel Jackson, CEO, Cord Worldwide 

            When it comes to music and advertising, the two go hand in hand, and each can enhance the other. Plus, science shows that the right soundtrack can enhance brand recall and memorability. Industry bible The Drum quotes a report by Spotify that shows that audio ads caused a 24% higher brand recall than visual ads (which is also great news for radio ads). 

            Watch our Music Makes It video to see exactly what we mean: 

            A study by Man Made Music suggests that music can improve brand recognition by 46%, with another by PHMG finding that 74% of young adults develop a better understanding of a company’s personality through music – showing the massive impact of music on brand identity. 

            Music Branding Strategies

            Look at Netflix if you want an example of successfully aligning a brand logo with a sound – that ‘Tu Dummm’ is now so recognisable that ‘Tudum’ is the official Netflix site that takes you behind the scenes of all your favourite shows. Plus, because of all those ‘must watch’ binge shows on Netflix, such as Stranger Things, Black Mirror and Bridgerton – not to mention the streamer’s true crime hits - the audio logo creates a jolt of subliminal emotion too: from excitement to dread and anticipation. It’s the sound that says, ‘you’re not going anywhere for the next few hours: make sure you’ve got enough snacks.’ 

            Netflix built a whole campaign – ‘Sounds like a good story is about to start’ – around the brand recognition for ‘Tudum’: 

            The Apple TV+ audio logo is even simpler – which is impressive when the visual logo is black and white and in lower case; the audio is arguably having to work even harder to make an impact: 

            So, in terms of brand perception, audio can really help to get you across the line.  

            Beyond brand recall, music can obviously be used to generate emotions – UC Berkeley scientists have identified at least 13 fundamental emotions, including joy, amusement, relaxation, anxiety, sadness, triumph, scariness, defiance and feeling pumped up, in a survey of over 2,500 people. They recorded their emotional response to songs from genres as varied as jazz, rock, classical, folk, heavy metal and even marching bands.  

            Whether you’re using Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ to spark joy, or a national anthem to stir pride, bear in mind if you’re a global brand that people from different cultures might have a different emotional reaction to a track. 

            The study showed that Vivaldi’s Four Seasons made people feel energised; ‘Rock the Casbah’ by The Clash pumped them up. Heavy metal is largely viewed as being defiant; everyone agreed that Psycho’s screeching violins triggered an almost primal fear.  

            When it comes to music selection, bear in mind what you want your audience to do, as well as how you want them to feel. If the music is prominent and it’s driving the creative and the message, this aids audience involvement, whilst more discreet music can be better at conveying news – think of new product or service announcements.  

            Whether you want your music in the foreground or the background, we have an unparalleled selection, covering every mood and genre. Check out our collections and playlists for masses of inspiration.  

            Maximising ROI through Music Licensing

            Music might be a universal language, but we don’t always pay enough attention to what it’s saying and how it’s being understood. 

            The UC Berkeley researchers translated their data into an interactive audio map – you can move your cursor to listen to thousands of music snippets to find out if your emotional reactions match how others respond to the music.  

            Music can fast-track or slow down your story, not to mention inspiring the desired action from consumers. It’s a vital connecting link between the audience and the screen, making your commercials dynamic and compelling. 

            Target Audience Analysis for Music Selection

            How do you pick music that resonates with consumers to maximise your ROI? First things first: identify your target audience. It’s vital to conduct thorough audience analysis to establish who they are and their preferences and values, in order to then select the music that will appeal to them and amplify your brand identity. 

            Make sure they know the music you’re using, that it’s emotionally congruent and culturally relevant – especially if you’re targeting Gen Z.  

            Sir John Hegarty, founder of ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (who forged a 28-year partnership with Levi’s and created some truly iconic ads in the process, such as Nick Kamen’s 80s ‘Launderette’ and the phenomenon that was Flat Eric), maintains that, ‘The selection of music for advertising campaigns is and should remain driven by the creative idea.’ 

            BBH chose a number of classic 50s and 60s tracks for their Levi’s ads in the mid-80s. Whilst familiar to older customers who had always bought Levi’s (thus capitalising on nostalgia), these tracks sounded completely new to the teen and 20s audience that Levi’s were targeting at the time. BBH then moved to breaking new artists in their 90s ads for the brand – licensing music that hasn’t been widely used before avoids the risk of ‘brand misattribution’. 

            So, there are a few tactics at play here: 

            • Use a pre-existing track that you can present as a ‘new’ find to a younger generation (think Kate Bush’s ‘Running up that Hill’ in Stranger Things) 
            • License a track that’s currently hugely popular with your target audience 
            • Commission a new track, or license music from Audio Network, to get something unique 

            Measuring ROI

            In terms of working out the Return on Investment (ROI) of the money you’re spending on music licensing – or on creating unique tracks – there are a few ways to go about it.  

            When it comes to measuring the effectiveness of music in ads, you can: 

            • Track brand recognition through surveys or focus groups 
            • Monitor sales data – for example a study in the Journal of Marketing found that shoppers who heard music in a shop spend up to 38% more money. Track your sales data before and after using a track to get a picture of how music is impacting your bottom line 
            • Measure customer loyalty and retention rates before and after implementing any kind of sonic branding 
            • Analyse social media engagement – tracking likes, comments and shares on social media posts can all be useful in terms of sensing how well your music is resonating with your audience 

            Whilst you might think it’s worth a large proportion of your budget to license a hugely popular track to resonate with your target audience, this isn’t necessarily the case.  

            Immersion is a measurement of a person’s neurologic connection to an experience or piece of content, which is captured via a heart reading measurement device (such as an Apple Watch) and transferred into a score based on an algorithm. 

            To measure whether familiar or unfamiliar music had the best result, Immersion took three ads with no dialogue, from Kuhl outdoor clothing, Stance socks and Nivea spray sunblock. They then tested the ads with brand-appropriate, familiar Top 20 songs (from pre-2000) and songs which had fewer than 13,000 Spotify streams for ‘less popular’ music.  

            Choosing songs from pre-2000 – i.e. before the rise of digital streaming – meant that the songs chosen had a greater chance of being familiar to the audience. Pre-streaming, music was more of a ‘monoculture’, with most of us finding our music through listening to the radio and, crucially, listening to the whole track. No ‘skip’ option back then.  

            The Immersion scores were analysed both individually for each ad and grouped as ‘popular’ and ‘less popular’ music. The researchers were surprised to find that in both instances, the less popular music outperformed the popular music.   

            The takeaway from this is that a) you probably don’t need to spend thousands trying to license a global hit and b) testing your ad with different music selections to see which resonates most is definitely a good use of time and money. The data proves that the popularity of a song doesn’t significantly drive immersion or future action in your audience. 

            For example, Nike created a custom track for their Emmy award-winning ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ spot, which was created to foster a spirit of hope after the pandemic.  

            Nike worked with Cowboys in Japan to re-record a portion of their track ‘Daylight’ in order to complement the edit perfectly. 

            However, let’s look at another global brand: Coca-Cola, who are one of the renowned experts at choosing music for advertising (think of their classic 70s, ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing’ campaigns). 

            With the average American listening to more than four hours of music each day, multi-million dollar deals with artists can still be worthwhile when forging a connection to hundreds of millions worldwide. 

            An artist’s bond with their fan base can both keep the company current, and lead to cross-marketing opportunities. As a heritage brand, Coke needs to target children and teens in order to refresh its image with a younger audience.  

            Check out this ad featuring Taylor Swift for Coca-Cola, which also plugs her album: 

            This spot puts Taylor’s music and fans centre-stage: 

            Coca-Cola has taken this a step further with its Coke Studio music platform, complete with a Europe-wide ‘Summer of music’ promotion; a digital-first, always-on platform acting as a global stage for breakthrough artists and hosting its own festival in Madrid.  

            A Coke spokesperson flagged the importance of music for one of their key demographics as a driver for their music partnerships: 

            ‘We know the power of music to unite and uplift people and particularly to evoke emotions, aid self-expression and create memorable experiences. For many, it is the beating heart of magical shared experiences, and of course, we know it is a key passion point for our Gen Z audience. Our renewed music partnerships across Europe will allow us to deliver “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences that we believe will ignite a truly memorable summer of events.’

            Coke also partnered with Lollapalooza Stockholm, Untold in Romania and Tomorrowland in Belgium to create immersive, access all areas programmes to drive engagement.  

            Betty Alekou, Brand Director at The Coca-Cola Company, added, ‘Gen Z are redefining creativity… they’re first on trends and connect with music both physically and virtually.’ 

            Coke Studio launched in 2022, working with artists from a range of backgrounds to create original songs. Josh Burke, Global Head of Music and Culture Marketing at Coca-Cola, said that, ‘we’re looking at music more holistically than just the song in the ad… We really strive to create a music culture through our brand that enables this connection to happen authentically, leveraging artists, of course, but also by creating music experiences that make the programme richer.’ 

            This Coke Studio collab brings together Imagine Dragons with the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles for a performance of ‘Symphony’ that fuses rock with classical to create a ‘Real Magic’ moment courtesy of the brand: 

            By strategically bringing together two diverse music audiences, Coke have expanded their brand message even further. It’s a highly successful way of enhancing brand messaging with music.  

            Dialling up the Emotion

            As well as creating experiences, you can also forge an emotional connection through music selection. Just think of all those John Lewis Christmas campaigns, where the tracks are carefully chosen to reinforce the feelings of the ad – generally covers of well-known songs that go alongside a heartwarming storyline.  

            Lily Allen’s cover of ‘Somewhere Only We Know’, soundtracked the gorgeous animation for ‘The Bear and the Hare’: 

            The combination of the ad and the track not only took the song to No. 1 in the charts, but also helped to generate over 53 million YouTube views for this video – which cannily shows a behind the scenes of the artistry used to create the ad, for an added brand boost:  

            It’s the perfect example of brand storytelling through music – the tracks they pick are very familiar, but the versions that John Lewis use are different. It makes you listen to the track in a new way, and suggests that it’s unique to the ad. By often using younger artists, they appeal to a wider demographic who’ll be drawn to engage with the ad because they’re a fan.  

            Reportedly costing £1 million to make, ‘The Bear and the Hare’ resulted in online sales increasing by nearly 23% for John Lewis and overall seasonal sales that totalled £734 million. Like for like sales compared with Christmas two years previously were up 20.5% - it’s pretty stellar in terms of ROI. 

            What other tips can we give you? Well, apart from choosing the right track and artist, making sure the music works with the structure and tone of your ad is also crucial; are you bringing the drama, music-wise, at the right moments to create your desired emotional effect? 

            Adapting Music to Different Media Platforms

            Industry experts Kantar say that 84% of the ads that they test globally have music. However, if you’re licensing music to increase your ROI, then think carefully about where you’re placing your ad: sound is much less likely to be on in some platforms. While subtitles are commonplace, if your ad doesn’t work without the music, then avoid these environments or platforms.  

            Kantar’s Link ad testing database shows that 50% of Facebook ads contain music – but behavioural metrics suggest that around 85% of viewing on Facebook is done with the sound off. That’s potentially a lot of unjustified expense. YouTube and TikTok? Very much ‘sound on’ platforms, with TikTok in particular having music at its heart.  

            Best Practices for Effective Music Licensing

            On average, music is around 4% of an ad’s production budget. However, there are ways in which you can use music licensing to save you money. By re-using the same creative, but setting it to new music, you can save on production costs and give an already successful ad a longer lifespan. 

            Mercedes’ adorable ‘Snow Date’ ad, for example, used two different tracks – ‘Feel My Love’ and ‘Don’t Ever Lose Your Innocence’: 

            When you’re looking for ad music, you need to be across copyright. It’s easy to fall foul of licensing on platforms such as YouTube (which can take down your channel if you’re found to be flouting the rules.) 

            Here are the basics of copyright music: 

            • The copyright holder of a music piece – often called the ‘author’ – is the person who created the song. Usually, this is a composer or a lyricist. 
            • The author possesses the right to ensure others are not reproducing, distributing, utilising, performing or playing the song in public without their permission.  
            • Regardless of the genre, the author automatically gains copyright protection when they create a musical composition. 
            • A musical piece is protected under copyright law for the author’s entire lifetime, plus 70 years. After this, the music becomes part of the public domain.  

            Licensing popular tracks can be expensive, so if your brand doesn’t have a big budget for music, then look to a reputable music licensing platform like Audio Network. Thousands of original, high-quality tracks are at your fingertips, with all the licensing pre-cleared for global use.  

            Using pre-cleared music ensures that you’re adhering to all compliance rules and avoiding any potential legal issues. Find out more about licensing by reading Audio Network’s FAQs. 

            Find out more about licensing with our explainer: 

            Copyright for Artists, Composers and Specific Recordings

            What about if you’re an artist, or own the rights to a specific recording of a piece of music? Usually, the author or composer of a track (whether it’s the music or lyrics) assigns the copyright to a publisher to license for them. The piece stays under copyright for the duration of the author’s life, plus an additional 70 years. For sound recordings, in most countries it’s 70 years from the end of the calendar year of release (if it was first released after 1963), and sound recordings are usually licensed by the record label.  

            The Musicians’ Union has an in-depth explainer if you need more information as a copyright owner. 

            Helping Brands to Tell Their Stories

            Here at Audio Network, we’ve been fortunate enough to contribute music to enthralling brand stories from LEGO to Durex, BP to Lipton Tea.   

            If you’re interested in using one of our syncs, submit a music brief and our expert in-house teams can curate a selection of tracks, carefully tailored to your project, for more help in licensing music that’s going to maximise your ROI and develop effective music curation for brand consistency. 

            SUBMIT A BRIEF

            Need Music for Your Project?

            At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

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            what is production music

            WHAT IS PRODUCTION MUSIC?

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            What is Production Music?

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              You need to buy music for video production! Imagine a horror film with the sound off. It’s less scary, isn’t it? Music is responsible for guiding and driving so much of the emotion you feel when you’re watching a film or TV programme, an advert or a video game.

              It can tell you who’s the hero or the villainess – and give depth to both. You can even use it to misdirect the audience. Your hero? Actually, he’s been the villain pulling the strings from the start… However, not all the music that is being used has necessarily been composed specifically for the film or programme that you’re watching.

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              What Is Production Music?

              Production music (aka library or stock music) has been specifically composed for sync, but not for a specific production – it can be used anywhere from TV to ads, films or for video content.

              To find out more, check out our Music For Production Guide.

              Why Use Production Music?

              • It’s all cleared; there’s no need to get further copyright permissions
              • Straightforward licensing costs make budgeting easier
              • It’s a simple, quick and cost-effective way of securing original, high-quality music
              • The music is available in a variety of moods, lengths and mixes

              How Do You Choose the Best Production Music?

              Production music is a convenient resource, as most libraries offer a broad range of musical styles and genres. It can be challenging to know where to start, though, and choosing your music has the potential to be an enormously time-consuming process.

              So, here are our top tips:

              1. What Mood or Emotion Are You Looking To Create?

              Planet Earth II’s astonishing ‘Iguana vs Snakes’ sequence is brilliantly shot and edited. But would we have had our hearts in our mouths, and been on the edge of our seats, willing a lizard to run for its life and escape that mass of snakes without its expertly-selected and crafted soundtrack? It’s a story of tension – stay stock still or run, literally for your life – and repeated peril for the iguana, and triumph then failure for the snakes. The music creates the atmosphere, and helps to tell the story, whilst ramping up the viewer’s emotion.

              The production music you choose doesn’t only enhance the viewer’s feelings. It can also be used to indicate tone and speed up, or slow down a scene. As a first step, you need to define the genre, feeling or atmosphere that you’re looking to create, and the pace. This will cut down the amount of time you spend trawling through endless tracks on music libraries.

              1. What Are the Keywords That Will Give You the Best Search Results?

              Do you want your audience to feel scared or sombre? Joyful or giddy with love? When you’ve decided on the feeling or tone – action, creeping dread, nostalgia, romance, yearning – draw up a list of keywords to help you to narrow down your search. Write down as many as you can think of off the top of your head, and then refine them.

              Searching for action? That’s easy on Audio Network – look under the ‘Production Genre’ tab, and it’s right at the top. Then you could also put in search terms such as ‘exhilarating’, ‘heroic’ and ‘energy’. Or, you can search via particular musical genres, instruments, or bpm.

              1. Create a Playlist

              When you’ve nailed your search terms and are ready to dive in, create a playlist. This will enable you to compare and contrast – and also allows you to see which particular genres or instruments speak to you. Is it the dramatic drums that will ramp up the tension? Or, should you look for some more haunting strings for that nostalgic sequence?

              You could create a collection of go-to playlists for a variety of projects. Perhaps one for epic trailer music, or nature documentaries? Happy, celebratory music for wedding videos, or tracks rooted in emotion?

              1. Make Sure You’ve Got the Rights to Your Chosen Music

              Despite the plethora of music you can download for free on Spotify, you can’t just put any music into your production – you can find yourself in hot water, legally. So, your options are to hire a composer or musician, or find music that you can license. Yes, there are plenty of royalty-free sites available, but your project is unique and your music should be too.

              Audio Network has a catalogue of over 200,000 tracks, which are ideal for film or video productions, and a team of music specialists on hand to advise you. Every track has a variety of cut-downs and mixes, making it easy to find exactly the right piece, at the right length. We work with over 1,000 composers, artists and musicians and record in the world’s most renowned studios, including Abbey Road.

              Production Music Types

              Whether you’re creating a documentary, short feature or blockbuster trailer, choosing the correct production music for your piece is crucial. Here we’ve broken down some of the most common queries and searches for production music types.

              1. Orchestral Production Music

              What’s unique about Audio Network’s Classical Collection? We’ve arranged, recorded and edited all the pieces of music specifically for media use. The iconic compositions tell universal, timeless stories of romance, yearning, celebration, war, temptation, lust, wrath, death and grief. Even humour features in Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals.

              Each collection of tracks includes a huge variety of edits and cut-downs. Want an aria without the vocal? Done. Need to heighten emotion? There’ll be a version which ramps up the harmonies, strings or percussion. We’ve looked at the classical canon through an editor’s eye, to make it easier than ever to incorporate fantastic classical production music to tell your story.

              1. Production Music for Trailers

              Successful trailer music delivers an intense emotional backdrop, grabbing the audience’s attention. It can evoke an ominous sense of expectation, or deliver an assault on the senses.  Working with world-renowned composers to produce music of the highest level, our Maximum Impact collection spans all genres from stirring emotional drama, through to blistering apocalyptic action and everything in-between.

              The collection is music composed, recorded and produced specifically for trailers. Showcasing epic emotion, it is designed to create unrivalled reaction for blockbuster movies and television.

              Our diverse roster of award-winning composers, including Lorne Balfe (Mission Impossible, Top Gun: Maverick), Mark Petrie (Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Endgame), Luke Richards (Transformers: The Last Knight and videogame Call of Duty) and Mark Denis (X-Men: Apocalypse and Zero Dark Thirty), are at the top of their field. They are experts in creating music to drive powerful emotions and know how to maximise intensity to thrill an audience.

              Check out The Lorne Balfe Collection and discover the real sound of Hollywood.

              lorne balfe collection

              1. Corporate Production Music

              Looking for music to motivate, inspire and engage your audience? Whether it’s for explainer videos or brand presentations, or a soundtrack to your annual conference sizzle reel, we have a mass of pumping, powerful, uplifting tracks. Check out our Business & Brands playlist:

              1. Cartoon Production Music

              For cartoon capers, we have everything from crazy free form jazz to comedy chases and, if you want something vintage, even a melodramatic steam train getaway. Check out this selection:

              1. American Production Music

              The US is home to a huge range of music styles, from the Blues to Nashville-based, pedal steel-infused Country Rock. Go back to the dawn of rock and roll to sample some Rockabilly, or jump on your Harley and embrace your inner rebel with our Rock list.

              1. Hip Hop Production Music

              The Beats Series is your go-to source for the ultimate collection of hip hop – from the East Coast to the West Coast, trap to UK grime. Divided into six different playlists, the series expertly covers production types such as ‘Sports’ and ‘Party’, together with staples from sub-genres including UK hip hop and grime, trap and classic sounds.

              hip hop beats

              1. Indie Production Music

              From indie rock to indie reggae, fresh cuts to old favourites, catchy hooks, guitars and vocals all feature on this eclectic playlist.

              indie music

              Summer Production Music

              Looking for a track to create that Route 66 road trip vibe? Or the ideal backdrop to a poolside scene? Or maybe to give the stifling feel of summer in the city or the dry heat of the desert. Check out our hand-picked playlist of sun-drenched sounds.

              summer

              Christmas Production Music

              Bring festive cheer to your projects with our Christmas collections. Innocent nostalgia, heart-warming big band, stunning orchestral arrangements of traditional classics, rock & roll to RnB, traditional and contemporary. Our Christmas catalogue has a full spectrum of sounds and songs for the holiday period.

              christmas

              1. Different Eras

              50s Production Music

              The 1950s encompass everything from the early Rockabilly days to full-throttle Rock and Roll. Or you could return to the classic days of cool jazz and big band, or some boogie-woogie swing.

              70s Production Music

              Travel back to the era of flares and the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War and women’s rights with retro rock, glam and funky floor fillers.. We have everything you need to set the soundtrack for the 70s.

              80s Production Music

              The 80s were synonymous with synths – take your pick from uplifting to dark and mysterious.

               Join Audio Network today - the best production music library UK and find your ideal soundtrack.

              DISCOVER MORE

              Need Music for Your Project?

              At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

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              women in hip hop

              WOMEN IN HIP HOP

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              Women in Hip Hop

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                It hasn’t always been an easy road to rise up as a female MC in the rap landscape; often, hip hop culture itself has been accused of misogyny. However, hip hop has always been home to strong female trailblazers, lending their voices to the movement and carving out their own destinies on the mic.

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                We all have women who inspire us – let’s take a look at some of the greatest women in hip hop.

                Who Are the Women Who Changed Hip-Hop?

                • Cardi B
                • Megan Thee Stallion
                • Nicki Minaj
                • Princess Nokia
                • MIA
                • Rapsody
                • Lizzo
                • Tierra Whack
                • Iggy Azalea
                • Lady Leshurr
                • Eve
                • Tink
                • Stefflon Don
                • Lauryn Hill
                • Lil’ Kim
                • Missy Elliott
                • MC Lyte
                • Salt-N-Pepa
                • Queen Latifah
                • Foxy Brown

                2000s Female Rappers

                • Cardi B
                • Megan Thee Stallion
                • Nicki Minaj
                • Princess Nokia
                • MIA
                • Rapsody
                • Lizzo
                • Tierra Whack
                • Iggy Azalea
                • Lady Leshurr
                • Eve
                • Tink
                • Stefflon Don

                Cardi B

                Bronx native Cardi B first gained notoriety as a regular on Love & Hip Hop: New York. She released mixtapes Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 before signing with Atlantic Records in early 2017. Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), went straight in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, went gold within 24 hours and was named as the top female rap album of the 2010s by Billboard. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making Cardi B the only woman to win the award as a solo artist. ‘WAP’, the lead single from her second album, confirmed her position as the female rapper with the most Hot 100 No. 1 singles.

                In a recent chat with fellow diva Mariah Carey for Interview Magazine, Cardi reflected on the pressures placed on women in the business, saying, ‘people always have crazy expectations, especially when it comes to female rap. It’s not like it’s a competition, but people are always comparing and comparing and comparing. It’s almost like they want to see you fail.’ As Billboard honoured her as their Woman of the Year in 2020, we think it’s fair to say that Cardi B’s in no danger of failing.

                The ‘Bodak Yellow’ video sees Cardi bossing it in Dubai and New York, accompanied by a cheetah…

                Megan Thee Stallion

                Megan Thee Stallion’s name comes from the Southern term ‘stallion’: a tall woman with long legs and a fit body. And she comes from a line of rappers – her mother, Holly-Wood was also a rapper, and was her daughter’s manager. Her debut studio album, Good News, was released in November 2020, and went straight in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums.

                Megan is now managed by Jay-Z’s company, Roc Nation and has been listed as one of the Forbes 2020 ‘30 under 30’ – plus, in 2020, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list. Her hypersexualised style sees her rapping about her body, and being in control of men. She scored her first No. 1 on the Billboard Rhythmic Songs chart with ‘Hot Girl Summer’, featuring Nicki Minaj. As regards being a Hot Girl, she tweeted that it’s ‘about being unapologetically YOU, having fun, being confident, living YOUR truth, being the life of the party, etc.’

                Nicki Minaj

                In 2010, Nicki Minaj became the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. With Pink Friday, her first solo studio album in 2010, she was certified triple platinum. Despite only six years in the spotlight, she landed on Time’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ list.

                She’s the only woman to be featured on Forbes’ ‘Hip Hop Cash Kings’ list, rising as high as number 4, plus, she’s won six American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards and been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards.

                Most recently, her feature on the remix of Doja Cat’s ‘Say So’ and her 6ix9ine collaboration ‘Trollz’, both released in 2020, marked her first and second No. 1 singles on the Hot 100, having sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide during her career to date.

                ‘Anaconda’ been viewed over 900 million times – it might be a bit NSFW (her visuals are as raunchy as her lyrics), but it shows Nicki in full effect, working it as only she can.

                Princess Nokia

                Destiny Nicole Frasqueri, aka Princess Nokia, is a strong supporter of intersectional feminism and the gay community and she continues to shine a spotlight on colonial history as well.

                She really rose to prominence when her album 1992 was revamped by Rough Trade Records and released in 2017 as 1992 Deluxe. The album talks about her journey growing up in the Bronx, her heritage and goth culture. Her 2018 EP, A Girl Cried Red, blends emo and goth culture with trap production.

                The video for ‘I Like Him’ has a sci-fi plotline in which Princess Nokia uses virtual reality to find her ideal match, appearing as a cyborg, ordering up men on demand.

                MIA

                MIA became one of the most talked-about hip hop artists of the 2000s. The British-Sri Lankan’s music brings together elements from hip hop, world music, dance and electronic with political and philosophical commentary. She released her first album in 2005, Arular, and ‘Paper Planes’ from her second album, Kala, reached No. 4 in the Billboard Hot 100. She’s the first person of South Asian descent to be nominated for an Academy Award and a Grammy Award in the same year, and was named one of the defining artists of the decade by Rolling Stone.

                ‘Bad Girls’ is taken from her fourth studio album, Matangi. In 2012, the NME decided that the Romain Gavras-directed video was ‘the best video of the 21st Century’ after it won the top prize at the UK Music Video Awards. It’s got a bold, technicolour vibe, and has a political element – taking on Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving.

                Rapsody

                Rapsody is one of only six females to be nominated for the Grammy’s Best Rap Album (alongside Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Eve, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea and Cardi B). She bridges the gap between old school female rapper (Queen Latifah features on her track ‘Hatshepsut’) and the newer kids on the block; when it dropped in 2017, Busta Rhymes said her album Laila’s Wisdom was probably the best album he’d heard in the past 10 years.

                She’s got a style all her own – there aren’t many other artists who’d sample Herbie Hancock and Phil Collins - and her concept album Eve’s tracks are each named after an iconic Black woman. Her lyrics cover everything from gender politics to Black women’s bodies, self-determination and the murder of Black men.

                Lizzo

                She may have appeared to shoot to fame from nowhere, but actually, Lizzo released her debut album Lizzobangers on a Minneapolis indie label back in 2013. You’d have to say Lizzo’s unique, though - she spans not only the hip hop press, but also ClassicFM.com, owing to the fact that she’s a professionally-trained flautist. She stormed the charts with Cuz I Love You in 2019, and was named Time’s Entertainer of the Year. Not content with that, she boosted beginner flute sales while she was at it. (In an interview with FOX Business, the Flute Center of New York claimed they’d risen by 30%, owing to ‘the Lizzo effect’.)

                Her infectious energy and messages of self-love, body positivity and self-care have made her a cultural icon, and her music marks her out as a total one-off, blending hip hop with soul, R&B and funk-pop. Want to feel instantly uplifted? Grab yourself some ‘Juice’ and dance around to Lizzo’s 80s-inspired aerobics workout.

                Tierra Whack

                For a rapper as super-fast as she’s supa fly (she’s been referred to as the Missy Elliott of her generation), turn to unique star Tierra Whack, whose album Whack World (2018) is full of witty songs that are under a minute long. With inspirations from Dr. Seuss and Sesame Street, her tracks have a cartoony feel, tackling topics like heartbreak with a sharp humour that really cuts through. Whack released each track on Instagram, accompanied by a short film.

                Despite The Fader calling her, ‘the poster child of a kind of post-clout-era artist’, she’s hardly under the radar: she was Billboard’s artist of the year, she made the Forbes 2020 ‘30 under 30’ list, and this video for ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ received a Grammy nomination. It’s not the most reassuring depiction of dentistry for anyone with a phobia, but it definitely looks like absolutely no other video on our list, demonstrating Tierra Whack’s one-of-a-kind artistry and worldview.

                Iggy Azalea

                A white Australian who conquered US hip hop? Yes, it could be done. Azalea’s debut single, ‘Fancy’ saw her become only the fourth solo female rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100. Controversy followed in her wake, owing to Azalea’s appropriation of an accent that clearly wasn’t hers – rapper Jean Grae described it as ‘verbal blackface’. However, Azalea’s view (in a 2013 interview) was, ‘I don’t think the voice makes me fake; it makes me an artist. Voice is my medium. I should have creative rein to do whatever I want with it.’

                She released her debut mixtape Ignorant Art in 2011, and her debut studio album was The New Classic in 2014. When it hit the top of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, Azalea became the first non-American female rapper to reach the top of the chart.

                Her videos are often comedic and she’s paid homage to cult films including Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in ‘Work’; Showgirls in ‘Change your Life’ and Kill Bill in ‘Black Widow’.

                Lady Leshurr

                Birmingham rapper Lady Leshurr may currently be hitting up reality TV (she was on the 2020 series of Celebrity Masterchef, and has most recently been seen learning to skate on ITV’s Dancing on Ice), but she’s widely considered to be one of the most successful female grime artists.

                She started writing lyrics from the age of six, and released her first mixtape at fourteen. Best known for her Queen’s Speech series of freestyles (2016), she won a MOBO Award for Best Female Act that year. This video for ‘Queen’s Speech 4’ has clocked up over 62.5 million views and sees Lady L wandering down a fairly deserted road and offering a public service by reminding you to brush your teeth, amongst other things.

                Eve

                Coming up in the late 90s, you’d know Eve from her platinum buzz cut and paw-print tattoos on her chest. The choirgirl from west Philadelphia originally wanted to be a singer, but joined an all-female group called Dope Girl Posse and switched to rapping. She went to ‘hip hop bootcamp’ when she signed to the Bronx label Ruff Ryders, and her debut album, Let There Be Eve, hit No. 1 in the US in 1999.

                Hits such as ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’, ‘Who’s That Girl’, ‘Gangsta Lovin’’ and ‘Tambourine’ earned her a Grammy Award, a BET Award and she’s also had a successful daytime chatshow in the States and appeared in films.

                Revisit 2001 with ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’, which saw Eve teaming up with Gwen Stefani, and netted the pair a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. This video won the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, as the two gals get stuck in at a stuffy club and cause some low-key mayhem before being arrested – then bailed out with a big bag of cash by a mate.

                Tink

                Tink made a name for herself as a teenager in the early 2010s with numerous mixtapes, leading to a contract with Timbaland’s label. She also featured on tracks by Future Brown, Sleigh Bells, Kelela and Timbaland and collaborated with singer and producer Jeremih on ‘Don’t Tell Nobody’.

                Compared to Lauryn Hill, Ms. Jade and Da Brat, her second mixtape, Alter Ego, established her rapping skills, and lyrically, she’s taken on issues such as female empowerment and the Black Lives Matter movement.

                Stefflon Don

                Stephanie Victoria Allen is one of Britain’s biggest music exports, with nearly 6 billion streams globally and 1.4m subscribers on YouTube. She hit the scene with her debut mixtape, Real Ting, in 2016 and a year later was picked for the BBC’s newcomer list, Sound of 2017. Her breakout single, ‘Hurtin’ Me’, which featured US rapper French Montana, made the top 10 in the UK, and in 2018, she became the first British artist to make the legendary US hip hop magazine XXL’s Freshman List.

                90s Female Rappers

                • Lauryn Hill
                • Lil’ Kim
                • Missy Elliott
                • MC Lyte
                • Salt-N-Pepa
                • Queen Latifah
                • Foxy Brown

                90s hip hop has been referred to as the genre’s golden age, with style, creativity and innovation by the bucket load. The top female rappers and MCs of the 90s showcased their confidence, sexuality and lyrics.

                Lauryn Hill

                In terms of female hip hop artists of the 90s, Lauryn Hill became the first female rapper to have a No. 1 Billboard single with ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ in 1998. Her iconic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, won five Grammy Awards, was a global hit, and according to the Guardian, ‘channelled some precious learning for a generation or more of young women, black and white alike; one in which a ferociously talented artist preached self-determination and self-respect, self-knowledge and getting one’s due’ – they also acknowledge it as the ‘foremother’ to Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer.

                Lauryn Hill had previously driven the huge hits ‘Killing Me Softly’ and ‘Ready or Not’ with the Fugees on 1996 album The Score, making the trio into global stars – the album has been certified as seven times platinum, with an estimated 22 million copies sold worldwide. In 2020, it was ranked number 134 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

                Lil’ Kim

                Paving the way for Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion was the outrageous Lil’ Kim. She began rapping as a teenager, influenced by Diana Ross and fellow hip hop artists such as MC Lyte and The Lady of Rage.

                She kick-started her career after meeting The Notorious B.I.G. and joining his group Junior M.A.F.I.A. in 1994. Lil’ Kim’s debut album, Hard Core (1996) was certified double platinum and ‘No Time’, ‘Not Tonight’ and ‘Crush on You’ were all No. 1 rap hits - she’s the only female rapper besides Missy Elliott to have three platinum albums.

                The video for ‘Lady Marmalade’ brings together Missy Elliott, Lil’ Kim, Mya, P!nk and Christina Aguilera in a festival of feathers, fans, sequins, tons of bling and all the glamorous excess of the Moulin Rouge. Not to mention a killer rap from Kim. ‘Why spend mine, when I can spend yours?’ Well, exactly.

                Missy Elliott

                Missy launched her solo career in 1997 with debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, after a hugely successful career as a producer with her friend Timbaland. She’s now worth approximately $50 million, making her one of the richest female rappers in the world. Nominated 22 times, she’s won four Grammy awards, and sold over 30 million records worldwide; she’s also the first female hip hop artist to have been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

                Feeling like you’ve lost your fashion mojo after being stuck at home for so long? Channel some Missy and make a vast outfit out of black bin bags and you’re ready to take on the world. ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ features a quintessentially Missy look – futuristic, OTT and totally unlike anyone else.

                MC Lyte

                Lana Michelle Moorer, aka MC Lyte, began rapping at 12 and was the first solo female rapper to release a full album. Beyond influencing everyone from Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliott to Lauryn Hill and Eve, MC Lyte also collaborated with Sinead O’Connor, Janet Jackson, Brandy, P. Diddy, Will Smith and Beyoncé.

                ‘Ruffneck’ earned her the first gold certification by a female solo rap artist and was taken from her 1993 album, Ain’t No Other. The track was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Single – MC Lyte was also the first solo female rapper nominated for a Grammy.

                Salt-N-Pepa

                Cheryl James (Salt) and Sandra Denton (Pepa) formed their trio toward the beginning of the hip hop movement in 1985. One of the first all-female acts, they were initially accompanied by Latoya Hanson, but she was eventually replaced by Deidra Roper (DJ Spinderella).

                ‘Push It’ from their first album became a platinum single and earned their first Grammy nomination. Salt-N-Pepa went on to win the 1995 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for their track ‘None of Your Business’.

                The video’s had over 123 million views and sees the three girls in full gold chains, hoops and oversized letterman jackets.

                Queen Latifah

                Queen Latifah signed with Tommy Boy Records and released her debut album in 1989 at the age of 19. A feminist from the start, she came out of the gate with the hit single ‘Ladies First’ and took a firm stance against misogyny with the Grammy-winning single ‘U.N.I.T.Y’, (from her 1993 album Black Reign), which slapped down the harassment of women.

                She was the first female hip hop artist nominated for an Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton in Chicago) and counts a Grammy, a Golden Globe, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and an Emmy — not to mention a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – amongst her haul of accolades.

                Foxy Brown

                Foxy Brown was discovered at a local talent show by the hitmaking production duo Trackmasters (then working on LL Cool J’s Mr Smith album). Released in 1996 on Def Jam a week after Lil’ Kim’s debut, Foxy Brown’s album, Ill Na Na looped R&B into hip hop, creating a genre-shifting sound. It spawned her highest-charting hit to date, ‘I’ll Be’, featuring none other than Jay-Z.

                Her sex-positive image, confidence and lyrics set the standard for future artists such as Missy Elliott, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj. Minaj has said that without Foxy, she ‘may never even have started rapping’ and hailed Foxy as ‘the most influential female rapper.’ Havoc from Mobb Deep revealed that ‘Foxy was always passionate for what she did. She wanted to spit a hot rhyme. She wouldn’t just say anything; the bars had to be real hot. She was a little bit more savvy with her lyrics.’

                Need more hip hop history? Check out our dive into the five pillars of hip hop, and listen to our Beat series.

                Find out more about the most successful female artists, as you listen to our playlist packed with kick-ass women. Need to license female hip hop music? Discover Lady Sanity and Kelly Mac.

                Need Music for Your Project?

                At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

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                vlog music

                VLOG MUSIC: WHAT MUSIC DO VLOGGERS USE?

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                  'Vlog music' is such a generic term because, ultimately, the type of music you choose depends on the kind of video you're creating. Hence, we've sectioned our vlog music into seven distinct categories to help you find a track with ease. We know... we're too good to you.

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                  Vlog Background Music Types

                  • Reviews
                  • Pranks
                  • Travel
                  • Beauty, fashion & fitness
                  • Lifestyle
                  • Gamer
                  • Pop culture

                  From prank vlogs to beauty vlogs, fitness vlogs to gamer vlogs, the internet is awash with different types of videos that educate, entertain and inspire. Find a selection of appropriate tracks for each type of vlog, below.

                  Reviews Vlog Music

                  We all love a review vlog – especially those that involve an unboxing – but, the question is, what kind of music do you edit into one? Well, it has to be something that keeps the viewers engaged during those show-them-what-they-came-here-for scenes, but it also has to be something that doesn't distract from the product – or movie or book - you're reviewing. So, here are the upbeat songs for vlogs we're suggesting as a happy middle ground.

                  Pranks Vlog Music

                  A prank vlog calls for a very specific type of music piece that complements the main attraction. It needs to be novel; it needs to be mischievous and, last but not least, it needs to be comedic. Naturally, we've selected three happy vlog music tracks that tick each of these boxes.

                  Travel Vlog Music

                  A travel vlog's purpose is to open the viewer's eyes to the awe-inspiring beauty of the world ­– to rouse the travel bug inside of the individual. Therefore, a travel vlog's soundtrack needs to transport the viewer to destinations across the world. Find travel vlog music inspired by the four corners of the world, here.

                  Beauty, Fashion and Fitness Vlog Music

                  For the content creators hoping to influence the way others look and feel – AKA the beauty, fashion and fitness vloggers – we have a whole host of background music tracks to aid your content. Here are just three to help you get started.

                  Lifestyle Vlog Music

                  From home interior tours to wholesome food tutorials, some of the most popular videos available on the web are lifestyle-centric vlogs. Make sure yours stands out with one of our vlog background music tracks.

                  Gamer Vlog Music

                  Looking to score a winner with your latest gamer vlog? The key is to add a touch of captivating music (extra points if it’s aptly electronic). Immerse yourself in our carefully-collated pick of Youtube vlog background tracks below.

                  Pop Culture Vlog Music

                  When we think of pop culture, we think of all of the things we love – from Marvel's Cinematic Universe to Game of Thrones or Netflix’s Tiger King. Therefore, a pop culture vlog needs to incorporate tracks that are zestful and versatile. Fortunately, we have a range of upbeat songs for vlogs stored safely in our virtual catalogue.

                  Why Pick a Track from Audio Network?

                  Audio Network makes things hassle-free by providing vloggers with high-quality, licensed tracks that they can simply add to their latest masterpiece.

                  By purchasing music from us, you can rest assured knowing that your vlog is free of any legal restrictions, as our tracks are pre-cleared for use on any – and we mean ANY – platform across the world. Find whatever you need from our catalogue of 200,000+ tracks, from ambient to urban, electronic to classical favourites, to suit any style, mood or genre.

                  Need Music for Your Project?

                  At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!

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                  nigerian music

                  HISTORY OF NIGERIAN MUSIC: TUNDE KING, BURNA BOY & MORE

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                    Vibrant and energetic, Nigerian music includes genres such as Afrobeat, highlife and Jùjú. But what is its history, who have been its most successful and influential musicians, and who are the best Nigerian artists to listen to?

                    Traditional Nigerian music

                    When it comes to the history of Nigerian music, little is known about it prior to European contact - though bronze carvings dating back to the 16th century have been found, depicting musicians with their instruments.

                    Traditional music from Nigeria is almost always functional, to mark rituals such as weddings or funerals, together with work songs, sung in the fields, and by women, who use complex rhythms in tasks such as pounding yams.

                    Highlife

                    Highlife music originated in Ghana in the late 19th century, then spread to western Nigeria, where it flourished in the 1950s among the Igbo people. Originally primarily performed by brass bands along the Ghanaian coast, by the early 20th century, the bands had brought in a vocal component and stylistic elements of local music traditions and jazz.

                    In Nigeria, highlife was transformed with asymmetrical drum rhythms derived from the Yoruba people's drumming, and combined with syncopated guitar melodies. The songs were sung in either Yoruba or English. After the civil war in the 1960s, Igbo musicians were forced out of Lagos and returned to their homeland, with the result that highlife ceased to be a major part of mainstream Nigerian music.

                    Jùjú music emerged from highlife to take over as the most popular style. However, Umu Obiligbo - Igbo highlife musicians and brothers Chukwuebuka Akunwafor and Ifeanyichukwu Okpuozor - are still singing highlife in its original Igbo style, whilst also featuring Afropop musicians on some of their tracks.

                    Jùjú Music

                    Jùjú is another style of Yoruba music - the name comes from the Yoruba word ‘juju’ or ‘jiju’, meaning ‘throwing’ or ‘something being thrown’, and the lead instrument is the lya Ilu, or talking drum.

                    In the 1930s, early Nigerian fusion Jùjú music originated in Lagos. Jùjú has similarities with rap, as it mainly focuses on talking about people and things - the first recordings were made by Yoruba musician Tunde King in 1929. It was informal music played at parties or for friends; artists such as Irewole Denge, Ojoge Daniel and Ebenezer Obey popularised it in the 1930s, playing at concerts.

                    A Pioneer of Modern World Music

                    King Sunny Adé, born in 1946, is one of the most popular Nigerian Jùjú music artists and has been hailed as a pioneer of modern world music and is highly influential - he was the first to introduce the pedal steel guitar to Nigerian pop, and pioneered the use of synths, vibraphone and tenor guitar in the Jùjú repertoire.

                    In the 70s and 80s, Sunny Adé toured America and Europe, where he played to mixed audiences. Trey Anastasio, an American guitarist, explained Adé's musical approach, and why he admired his music so much:

                    ‘Sunny Adé's music is characterised by, among other instruments, the Talking drum - an instrument indigenous to his Yoruba roots, the guitar and his peculiar application to Jùjú music that would easily put him in the same class as guitar musicians like Santana. His music is in the age-old tradition of singing poetic lyrics, (“Ewi” in Yoruba) and praise of dignitaries as well as components of “Jùjú” (traditional African belief) called the “Ogede” - “casting a spell”. Hence, Adé's music constitutes a record of the oral tradition of his people for posterity.’

                    The release of Odu, a collection of traditional Yoruba songs, in 1998 saw Adé become the first African to be nominated twice for a Grammy, and in the 1980s, his music was featured in the Richard Gere film Breathless.

                    Afrobeat

                    Afrobeat is a fusion of jazz, funk, highlife, salsa, calypso, and traditional Nigerian Yoruba music, pioneered by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and activist Fela Kuti (1938–1997).

                    Kuti was the son of Nigerian women's rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s. He was known for his showmanship, but political meaning was always threaded through his music. In an interview in Hank Bordowitz's Noise of the World, he stated, ‘Music is supposed to have an effect. If you're playing music and people don't feel something, you're not doing shit. That's what African music is about. When you hear something, you must move. I want to move people to dance, but also to think. Music wants to dictate a better life, against a bad life. When you're listening to something that depicts having a better life, and you're not having a better life, it must have an effect on you.’

                    ‘Kannywood’

                    In the 1980s, Bollywood films began to be introduced to Nigeria, which were then translated and remade in the Hausa language, leading to a new music genre, wakokin fina-fina.

                    In the late 1990s, the Northern Nigerian film industry, known as Kannywood, developed, and this style of music, also called Nanaye, became widespread. It involves a call-and-response structure, and features both male and female vocalists.

                    One of the most prolific female composers, Maryam A Baba, has written more than 5,000 songs, including tracks for the film industry.

                    The Nigerian Music Industry

                    The Nigerian music industry is going from strength to strength. Burna Boy has become the most Grammy-nominated African artist ever, Wizkid remains the most-streamed African artist of all time on Spotify, and a new generation - Tems, Rema, Asake and Ayra Starr among them - has taken Afrobeats from a Nigerian success story to a genuinely global one.

                    Top 9 Nigerian Artists

                    • Burna Boy
                    • Wizkid
                    • Davido
                    • Tiwa Savage
                    • Olamide
                    • Tems
                    • Rema
                    • Asake
                    • Ayra Starr

                    Burna Boy

                    Damini Ogulu - aka Burna Boy - is a singer, songwriter and record producer, who rose to fame in 2012 after releasing ‘Like to Party’ from his debut studio album L.I.F.E. He describes his music as Afro-fusion - a blend of Afrobeats, R&B, hip hop, dancehall and reggae.

                    Burna Boy won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards - he's since become the first African artist to bag three nominations and win consecutively (in 2019, 2020 and 2021). His fourth studio album, African Giant, won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards.

                    Fifth studio album Twice as Tall debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard World Albums chart and won Best World Music Album at the Grammy Awards, making him the first Nigerian artist with back-to-back Grammy nominations. He's kept the streak going ever since - Love, Damini (2022), I Told Them… (2023) and No Sign of Weakness (2025) have all picked up nominations, taking his total to 13 across five albums - the most for any African artist. He also won Best International Act at the MOBO Awards, where he was up against industry heavyweights including Drake, Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Baby.

                    Burna Boy is also known for his collabs - he's featured on Justin Bieber's ‘Loved by You’ and Sam Smith's ‘My Oasis’, and appeared alongside Ed Sheeran on Stormzy's single ‘Own It’ from his Heavy is the Head album.

                    WizKid

                    2022 was the first year the Headies Awards came to America from Nigeria, marking the fact that Afrobeats is now truly global, and Wizkid led the charge, with ten nominations.

                    The Nigerian singer/songwriter became the first Afrobeats artist to feature in the Guinness World Records under ‘Most streamed song on Spotify’ for his contribution to the hit song ‘One Dance’ in the 2018 edition (as well as appearing on the track, he also co-wrote and co-produced it). The track also set a record for being the first to reach a billion streams on Spotify.

                    In 2021, Wizkid became the most-streamed African artist of all time on Spotify. He's kept extending that record ever since, passing 11 billion total streams across all credited appearances by 2024. He also became the first Nigerian musician to have over a million followers on Twitter.

                    Davido

                    Davido broke through in Africa in 2011, with hit single ‘Dami Duro’ from his debut album Omo Baba Olowo. His 2019 album, A Good Time, has earned over a billion streams, and his 2020 follow-up, A Better Time, featured everyone from Nicki Minaj to Nas, Lil Baby and Young Thug.

                    He followed those with Timeless (2023), an amapiano-leaning record featuring Skepta and Angelique Kidjo, and fifth album 5ive (2025), which brought in Chris Brown, Victoria Monét and Becky G.

                    Davido has always made a point of collaborating with up-and-coming African acts. His video for ‘La La’ features CKay and newer Nigerian musicians, such as Joeboy, Oxlade and Blaqbonez.

                    In a Rolling Stone interview, he explained his take on collaborations is that, ‘You can't just come and say, “Oh, I want to make a song with this guy because he's going to get a million views in one day.” I don't work like that. I work based on vibes. If I like the record, I'm probably going to do it. And that's how me and CKay linked up, because I love his sound, and then he ended up having the biggest Afrobeats record ever.’

                    Tiwa Savage, aka The Queen of Afrobeats

                    The ‘Somebody's Son’ singer received an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Kent in Canterbury. ‘Some call me queen, but it's Dr. Savage from now on,’ she joked in her acceptance speech.

                    Savage started her music career at just sixteen and became the first African woman to win an MTV Europe Music Award. Over the course of her career, Tiwa has released albums, singles and was the first African woman to sell out the Indigo O2. She was also the first African woman to be a Pepsi brand ambassador, and appeared on the front cover of Billboard's first issue devoted entirely to Africa.

                    The songwriter's collaborations have received significant acclaim, and in 2010, her collaboration with Fantasia led to the artists receiving a Grammy nomination. As a solo artist, Tiwa has forged a path that draws from her musical beginnings of mainstream pop and R&B to develop a fusion heavily based on Afrobeats, typically switching between English and Yoruba in her lyrics. She's said that, ‘There's beauty in bringing both markets together and I had the ability to do it.’

                    Her 2020 album, Celia, featured guest appearances from Davido, Sam Smith, Naira Marley and Stefflon Don. In 2024 she released the soundtrack for her own feature film Water & Garri, featuring Olamide and Ayra Starr, and in August 2025 - ending a five-year album hiatus - she returned with This One Is Personal, featuring Skepta and James Fauntleroy.

                    Olamide

                    Nigerian rapper Olamide is one of Africa's most influential artists, recording in both Yoruba and English, and with his own record label, YBNL Nation - now also home to breakout star Asake. He released debut studio album Rapsodi in 2011, followed by UY Scuti (2021) and, most recently, Unruly (2023), which brought together Rema, Asake, Fireboy DML and BNXN in one of the year's biggest Afrobeats collaborations.

                    He told Notion that, ‘the kind of music I make is really about moving ahead. Getting the people in a great mood, no matter what they're going through. A lot of my albums from way back are centered around motivation, liberation and good music for people to vibe with. People are going through a lot, but they just want to be happy. For so long now, I've been giving people feel-good music that they can vibe with and just forget their sorrow.’

                    Tems

                    Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, broke through with 2020's ‘Try Me’ before her feature on Wizkid's ‘Essence’ became a global crossover moment. In 2023, she became the first Nigerian woman to win a Grammy, taking Best Melodic Rap Performance for ‘Wait for U’ with Future and Drake.

                    Since then, she's become arguably the most globally influential Nigerian woman in music: she featured on Beyoncé's Renaissance, appeared on Rihanna's ‘Lift Me Up’ from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (which earned her Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy nominations), and released her debut album, Born in the Wild, in 2024.

                    Rema

                    Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, signed to Jonzing World and Mavin Records as a teenager and became one of Afrobeats' biggest global breakout stars with 2022 single ‘Calm Down’. The song - and its Selena Gomez remix - spent well over a year on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the longest-charting Afrobeats songs in the chart's history and helping push the genre into the American mainstream in a way few individual songs had managed before.

                    Asake

                    Ahmed Ogunlade, known as Asake, went from session singer to one of Nigeria's fastest-rising stars after signing to Olamide's YBNL Nation in 2022. His breakout singles ‘Sungba’ (remix featuring Burna Boy) and ‘Terminator’ turned his debut album, Mr. Money With The Vibe (2022), into one of the defining Afrobeats records of its era, and he's picked up Grammy and BET nominations since.

                    Ayra Starr

                    Signed to Don Jazzy's Mavin Records as a teenager, Ayra Starr broke through with 2021's ‘Bloody Samaritan’ and cemented herself as Afrobeats' leading young female star with hits including ‘Rush’ and ‘Commas’. She's retained her position as Nigeria's most-streamed female artist on Spotify for consecutive years running, picking up the mantle Tiwa Savage first carried for the genre's women.

                    Read More

                    We have an array of great articles on Black music – from jazz to hip hop, country to R&B, read about Black music history, or explore the best hip hop movie soundtracks and iconic hip hop movies.

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                    HISTORY OF NIGERIAN MUSIC: TUNDE KING, BURNA BOY & MORE Read More »

                    what is afrobeats

                    AN EXPERT GUIDE TO AFROBEATS MUSIC: REMA, TITI LOKEI & MORE

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                      What is Afrobeats music? How did it begin? Which countries does it originate from? And what are some of the different variations within the genre? In this guide, we give you the skinny on all things Afrobeats-associated, plus share some of our current favourite Afrobeats artists, including Audio Network songwriting sensation Titi Lokei.

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                      A Brief History of Afrobeats Music

                      There’s a lot of confusion around the differences between Afrobeat and Afrobeats, so allow us to explain.

                      Afrobeat

                      Afrobeat’s earliest roots were laid in Ghana in the early 20th century with the birth of highlife, a musical style which blended West African folk sounds with elements from Western jazz and calypso. By the late 1950s, Nigerian musician Fela Kuti had begun exploring the possibilities of this new genre, adding elements from soul, jazz, R&B and soca into the mix.

                      In 1976, Fela and his band, Africa 70, released their debut LP Zombie, and with it established the classic Afrobeat sound, which embellished the aforementioned musical fusion with elements from funk, psychedelic rock and reggae. Under Fela’s guidance, political commentary became a key component of the Afrobeat genre, with artists seeking to inspire listeners to take action against government corruption and societal injustice.

                      Fela continued to spearhead the Afrobeat movement until his death in the late 90s, when his sons Seun and Femi took up the mantle. Meanwhile, Fela’s drummer Tony Allen further explored the possibilities of Afrobeat by pioneering a hip hop, dub and electronica-influenced sub-genre dubbed Afrofunk.

                      Afrobeats

                      The name Afrobeats was first coined in the early 00s as an umbrella term to describe a vibrant wave of pop music largely emerging from Nigeria and Ghana. Though undoubtedly influenced by Afrobeat, Afrobeats largely eschews political content in favour of more uplifting subject matter, and incorporates a dizzying range of musical styles, including dancehall, bashment, juju, Naija beats, soca, house, hip hop and R&B. There are also a plethora of subgenres, including Afropop, Afrobashment, Afrorave and Afroswing (a fusion of rap, grime, dancehall, trap and R&B pioneered by British-Gambian rapper J Hus).

                      Afrobeats’ meteoric rise can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, MTV Base Africa launching in 2005, broadcasting indigenous sounds globally. Secondly, the gradual dissolution of rigid genre boundaries, meaning that it’s now the norm for musicians to interpolate elements from disparate musical styles into their songwriting. As a result, the parameters of pop music are being rapidly redefined, with elements like driving, African-inspired drum rhythms becoming commonplace in modern pop.

                      Another key factor in Afrobeats’ rise in popularity is the fact that the US is home to a thriving West African diaspora. As Rolling Stone report, “Between 2000 and 2015, the African-immigrant population in just the United States more than doubled, exceeding 2 million.”

                      Key Characteristics of Afrobeats Music

                      So what does Afrobeats music sound like? There’s no foolproof formula but here are some of the common characteristics of the genre:

                      • Uplifting melodies
                      • Complex rhythms and heavy percussion
                      • Hybrid languages
                      • Digital production

                      Uplifting Melodies

                      Synonymous with celebrations, Afrobeats songs favour bright vocal melodies and party-ready rhythms.

                      Complex Rhythms & Heavy Percussion

                      Drawing on the rich history of West African drumming, Afrobeats productions usually foreground syncopated, dancefloor-designed rhythms.

                      Hybrid Languages

                      Afrobeats artists typically mix English with the West African languages, including Naijá (Pidgin English) in the case of Nigerian Afrobeats stars.

                      Digital Production

                      Where Afrobeat songs are largely created with analogue production – both by virtue of the instrumentation used and the era in which the bulk of tracks were made – Afrobeats records are generally digitally produced.

                      Afrobeats Artists You Need To Know

                      • Tems
                      • Titi Lokei
                      • Rema
                      • Amaarae
                      • Obongjayar
                      • Naira Marley

                      Beyond Grammy-approved behemoths like Burna Boy and Wizkid, where do you begin with Afrobeats? Below, we round up some of our current favourite Afrobeats artists.

                      Tems

                      Hailing from Lagos, Temilade Openiyi has enjoyed an abundance of high profile support since the release of her debut EP, For Broken Ears, back in 2020. A-list collaborations so far include work with Wizkid on his Grammy-nominated, US top 10 single ‘Essence’, as well as cameos on Drake’s sixth album Certified Lover Boy and on Future’s 2022 single ‘Wait For U’.

                      Titi Lokei

                      Audio Network artist Titi Lokei is a songwriting sensation. Drawing on her Nigerian heritage, the Chicago-born star fuses Afrobeats with influences from hip hop and pop, and has previously opened for acts including Jeremih, Wizkid, Davido and Twista.

                      Want to learn more about Titi? Check out her Talking Change episode:

                      Rema

                      Pioneer of the self-styled Afrobeats subgenre Afrorave – a phrase adapted from Benin City slang – Rema counts Selena Gomez, FKA Twigs, Skepta and Barack Obama amongst his high-profile fans. In addition, the Lagos-based star’s debut album Rave and Roses features collaborations with AJ Tracey, 6LACK and Chris Brown.

                      Amaarae

                      Born in New York and raised between Accra, Atlanta and Hackettstown, Amaarae’s cross-cultural experience is the driving force behind her deeply experimental ethos. Embraced and endorsed by the exciting melting pot of exuberant creativity that is Nigeria’s Alté scene, Amaarae is all about female empowerment and puts her West African heritage and influences at the core of everything she does, while challenging views on gender norms, female sexuality, artistic self-expression and more.

                      Obongjayar

                      Calabar-born, London-based singer Steven Umoh released his brilliant debut album Some Nights I Dream Of Doors back in May of 2022 to widespread acclaim. A chameleonic talent blending Afrobeats with an eclectic array of other influences, you might also recognise his distinctive vocals from his work with Little Simz, Giggs, Danny Brown, Pa Salieu and Moses Boyd.

                      Naira Marley

                      Known for his outspoken, anti-authoritarian outlook, Lagos-raised star Naira Marley creates Afrobeats music that draws on Caribbean dancehall as well as UK road rap. A viral sensation in his native Nigeria, he also runs the wildly successful record label Marlian Music.

                      Last Last…

                      Enjoyed learning about Afrobeats, and want to find out more about other musical styles? Head over to our blog, The Edit, which offers a veritable wealth of inspiration, expertise and news.

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