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Afro Nation, the world’s biggest Afrobeats festival has announced the first headliner and more for its highly anticipated Nigerian debut today.
Returning home to Africa on 19th & 20th of December, the show promises to be a historic celebration of culture, music, and unity, set against the vibrant backdrop of Lagos, the beating heart and cultural powerhouse of West Africa. Dominating the lineup are none other than Nigeria’s own reigning sensation, Burna Boy and the UK’s pioneering Afroswing star J Hus.
Known for his genre-defying sound and magnetic stage presence, Burna Boy’s performance promises an unforgettable experience for fans in Lagos. With roots deeply embedded in Nigeria, Burna Boy’s homecoming will be a monumental highlight of Afro Nation Nigeria.
As a sign of his rapid global growth in recent years, the African Giant has now become the first-ever international Afrobeats artist to top the UK Album Chart with the release of his acclaimed 7th album ‘I Told Them…’, after being a fixture in the Official UK Afrobeats Chart since its inception in 2020.
Having headlined Afro Nation festivals around the world since the first event in 2019, this full circle moment holds even more significance, and sees the unstoppable talent round off a victory lap of a year at home in Lagos.
Riding high off the back of his Mercury Prize shortlist record ‘Beautiful and Brutal Yard’, the pioneering British Afroswing artist J Hus is set to make a huge return to Afro Nation this December.
Marking his first show for the global festival brand since the 2019 debut in Portugal, Hus has since cultivated the profile of a leading cultural icon through his ability to bring together everything from grime, dancehall, R&B and Afrobeats in a versatile and invigorating fashion.
Fans already aware of his electrifying live shows in Lagos will welcome the return of an artist on a high, as The Bouff Daddy dispatches some of the biggest hits of the last decade, from ‘Lean & Bop’ and ‘Did You See’ to recent Drake collaboration ‘Who Told You’ and multiple tracks together with the first ANN23 headliner Burna Boy like ‘Play Play’ and ‘Masculine’.
The star-studded two-day show also welcomes Nigerian talents today, such as world-renowned Igbo singer Flavour, and neo fuji torch bearer Seyi Vibez, alongside the breakout Ghanaian Highlife rapper Black Sherif.
More line up announcements are still to come as anticipation builds for the landmark show. The event is set to draw tens of thousands of fans to Tafawa Balewa Square in the heart of Lagos Island, a venue that serves as a symbol of Nigerian unity. Its blend of tradition and modernity mirrors the festival’s celebration of diversity within African music.
Official Afro Nation Host and Afrobeats historian Adesope Olajide, a.k.a Shopsydoo adds: “Afro Nation is the biggest festival celebrating Afrobeats and Afropop culture in the world and to have two of the biggest acts in Burna & J Hus performing in its first edition in Lagos, Nigeria (the home of AFROBEATS) will surely make ANN2023 a one of kind experience not to be missed”.
