Universal reaches for the stars in African push

UMG has big ambitions for taking its artists’ music to rapidly expanding audiences across the continent. Sipho Dlamini outlines the company’s plans. The post Universal reaches for the stars in African push appeared first on African Business.

Universal reaches for the stars in African push
Sipho Dlamini.
Sipho Dlamini, the newly appointed CEO of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Photo: Universal Music.

From a giant neon-pink billboard in Times Square celebrating Nigeria’s “Queen of Afrobeats” Tiwa Savage to the South African artists laying down the soundtrack to Hollywood juggernaut Black Panther, African music is increasingly flexing its commercial muscles on the global stage. 

Once relegated to the unfashionable world music section of record stores, hot new African sounds are dominating the mainstream, attracting the attention of major international labels and finding their way into movies, TV shows, adverts, and listeners’ headphones.  

One of the key players responsible for keeping the momentum alive and thrusting new stars into the spotlight is Sipho Dlamini, the newly appointed CEO of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Dlamini, who has been with the company since 2016, has been appointed to oversee all of UMG’s operations within English-speaking Africa and will help to bring the label’s most exciting artists to new continental and global audiences. 

With divisions in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, and a presence in French-speaking Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and Morocco, UMG, owned by French conglomerate Vivendi, has big plans for its African stars, including Tiwa Savage, South African rapper Nasty C, and Kenya’s Sauti Sol.