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Nigerian singer and songwriter Teni is known for uplifting, stylistically eclectic songs that stand apart from her Afro-pop contemporaries. She first rose to prominence in 2018, when a series of songs including "Case" found a streaming audience numbering in the millions. Her debut EP, Billionaire, followed in 2019, ahead of her 2021 full-length debut, WONDALAND. She established her own label for the release of her sophomore album, 2023's TEARS OF THE SUN.

Teniola Apata was born into a family that stressed education and encouraged music from a young age. Her older sister is Afro-house singer Niniola. Teni attended a school in Lagos run by her parents, then studied business administration at American Intercontinental University in Atlanta before devoting her attention to music.

She signed with Magic Fingers Records to release her first song, "Amen," in 2016. Moving to Dr Dolor Entertainment the following year, her second track, "Fargin," found a broader audience, and the year 2018 brought mainstream hits like "Case" and "Uyo Meyo." She presented her first EP, Billionaire, in 2019 and was nominated for a BET Award for Best New International Act and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act. Still with Dr Dolor, Teni teamed up with DJ Neptune on the next year's The Quarantine Playlist EP.

Teni's full-length debut was recorded with over a half-dozen producers in such far-flung capitals as New York City, London, and Abuja, among other international locales. Titled WONDALAND, it arrived on Dr Dolor in March of 2021. One of its hit singles, "For You," was a duet with Davido. Featuring collaborations with rapper ODUMODUBLVCK and Made Kuti (grandson of Fela), her second album, TEARS OF THE SUN, followed in late 2023 on her own Sugar Mummy Records. ~ Marcy Donelson

Philadelphia-based singer and rapper Francis Leblanc (aka Fridayy) ties his religious background into his music. After racking up various feature and songwriting credits in the early 2020s, he released his self-titled debut album in 2023 and landed a hit with its single "When It Comes to You." Numerous singles followed including 2024's "Baddest in the Room."

His father was a pastor who regularly involved Leblanc in the church band, and by age six he had learned to play piano, bass, and guitar. Some early tracks were released in 2014, but it wasn't until signing to Def Jam in the early 2020s that his music started to take off. His name kept appearing in 2022, with production credits on Chris Brown's Breezy and DJ Khaled's God Did, a collaboration with Lil Baby on "Forever," and his debut EP, Lost in Melody. Fridayy, his self-titled debut, arrived in 2023, and yielded a hit in "When It Comes to You," a platinum-selling single that cracked Billboard's Hot 100. Fridayy was prolific in 2024, collaborating with artists ranging from Chainsmokers to A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and releasing singles of his own like "Without You" and "Baddest in the Room." ~ Liam Martin