Apple Music announces rising star Esoterica as the latest Up Next Artist in Nigeria

• Lagos-based alt-pop musician Esoterica has been announced as the latest spotlight act for Apple Music's Up Next artist development programme in Nigeria, featuring on their curated global playlist for emerging talent.

• Moving from London to Lagos in 2020, Esoterica is recognised for an experimental, genre-fluid sound that blends folk, soul, hip-hop, rock, pop, and Afro House to explore deeply personal themes of faith, identity, and self-discovery.

• Alongside her upcoming six-track EP Avant-God, Esoterica co-founded the indie music collective "Space" and runs "Existing For Free", a live performance platform dedicated to amplifying and supporting African women’s voices.

“I’ve worked and worked on myself and my craft for so long now. I’m at the point of just being content with the process of creation without expecting much in return. Then boom! That's the exact moment when everything starts pouring in,” Esoterica tells Apple Music. “It took me years to realise that I’d  been an artist all along, and that sharing my gift was a gift in itself.” 

Known for her experimental blend of folk, soul, hip-hop, rock, pop and Afro  House, Esoterica has steadily emerged as one of Nigeria’s most distinctive new voices. Her deeply personal songwriting explores faith, identity and emotional growth, transforming moments of heartbreak, introspection and self-discovery into raw, genre-fluid storytelling.  

After beginning her music journey in London in 2019, Esoterica relocated to  Lagos in 2020. Her growing presence within Nigeria’s alternative scene extends beyond the music. She is the co-founder of the indie music collective  Space, helping platform rising alternative artists including Braye and Rigo  Kamp. Following the release of her debut single 'Goldmine' in 2023, she continued building momentum through tracks including 'Think I Might,' 'Decisions,' 'She Said' and 'Time of My Life' from Peruzzi’s Sabali album.  Her latest single '4 Days' was released last month.  

This summer, Esoterica is set to release her six-track EP Avant-God, a project that reflects the experimental and emotionally expansive approach that has defined her artistry to date. Running parallel to the release is  “Existing For Free”, her live music platform dedicated to amplifying African women’s voices through intimate live showcases and community-driven experiences in Lagos and beyond.  

As the latest Up Next act to be spotlighted in Nigeria, Esoterica will be featured across Apple Music’s Up Next playlist. The curated Up Next playlist features a dynamic class of new and emerging artists, thoughtfully hand-picked by Apple Music editors from around the world. The playlist is genre agnostic and represents a line-up of artists our global editors are passionate about and eager to expose to a larger audience.