Ahmed Ololade, famously known by his stage name Asake is having an undoubtably groundbreaking year so far in his musical career.

Emerging into the commercial side of the music scene after the release of single ‘Sungba‘ which later was remixed with a feature from ‘African Giant‘ himself Burna Boy. This inevitably widened Asake’s reach to a more global scale.

Afro-beats has been steadily growing as a genre and increasing in popularity year after year. 2022 is the year the world has arguably given the most recognition to this, with many of the worlds biggest artists from the likes of Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Selena Gomez and Ed Sheehan collaborating with the genre’s biggest talents opened the door for Afro-beats being recognised and awarded for it’s success.

Asake has managed to reach international heights of success without watering down his music, maintaining the heavy use of his traditional language Yoruba in his lyrics. With a year of non stop hits and collaborations from ‘Palazzo‘, classic ‘Peace Be Unto You‘ to the release of his chart topping debut album ‘Mr. Money with the Vibe‘, it’s no surprise he has sold out 4 UK venues for his upcoming tour after under estimating his fanbase.

As the anticipation for Asake’s oncoming tour rises it is no doubt 2022 has been a unforgettable year for Asake already and it isn’t over yet. His popularity has grown extremely quick but he proved that his far from a one hit wonder by continuously bringing us hit after hit this year, I believe his consistency, artistry and talent is commendable. Asake deserves the title of break-through artist of 2022, coming from a non-nigerian who doesn’t even understand the lyrics along with many others because his talent in music is that undeniable.

Words by Tatenda Madubeko