6 surprising international collaborations in Afrobeats

Afrobeats is on a speedy ascension with Nigerian artists collaborating with their international counterparts to connect with listeners around the world.

Over the years, Afrobeats has seen some interesting international collaborations with Nigerian artists going beyond their familiar sonic territories to partner up with international stars and explore other genres.

Here are 6 international Afrobeats collaborations fans never saw coming.

1. KCEE feat OneRepublic - Ojapiano remix

In 2023, KCEE made a remarkable mainstream comeback with the release of his hit single 'Ojapiano' which is an industrious combination of the Igbo Oja flute and Amapiano log drum-driven music.

For the remix of his hit single, KCEE combined with OneRepublic for an interesting partnership that had the multi-platinum-selling band bringing their Country/Pop style to Afrobeats.

2. Skepta feat Portable - Tony Montona

Street pop sensation Portable is a mainstay in the Nigerian media circle both for his coarse music and his antics. The singer recently made the news for scoring a surprising collaboration with British-Nigerian superstar rapper Skepta.

Portable stunned listeners as he ran circles around Skepta on a smooth blend of hip-hop and Afrobeats.

3. Clean Bandit feat Davido & Love Ssega - Beautiful

Electronic Pop group Clean Bandit shocked fans when they collaborated with Nigerian hitmaker Davido on 'Beautiful'.

The Grammy-nominated superstar was impressed on the single as he showed his range and the elasticity of Afrobeats.

4. Fireboy feat Ed Sheeran - Peru remix

Not many fans could have predicted that Fireboy would recruit Grammy-winning British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran for the remix of his party starter 'Peru'.

While the link-up was surprising, the result was not as Ed Sheeran showed his remarkable versatility with a verse that elevated the single and rocketed it to international commercial success.

5. Burna Boy feat Chris Martin - Monsters You Made

In 2020, Global superstar Burna Boy set out to make a critically acclaimed album and for this, he recruited the assistance of multiple artists including Coldplay's lead vocalist Chris Martin.

The single, a commentary that captures the historic socioeconomic issues affecting South-South Nigeria added depth to this fifth album 'Twice As Tall' which earned Burna Boy his first Grammy award.

6. Adekunle Gold featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers - Falling Up

Multi-talented superstar, Adekunle Gold stretched his talent in his critically acclaimed fifth album 'Tequila Ever After' with a collection of exciting collaborations including one with Multi Grammy-winning American music icons Pharell Williams and Nile Rodgers.