Based: Nigeria
Yemi Eberechi Alade (born 13 March 1989), known professionally as Yemi Alade, is a Nigerian Afropop singer and songwriter. She won the Peak Talent Show in 2009, and had a hit with her single “Johnny” in 2014. Her father was a police commissioner of Yoruba descent, while her mother is of Igbo descent.
Alade’s third studio album Black Magic was released on December 15, 2017. A follow-up to her 2017 EP Mama Afrique the album features guest appearances from Falz and Olamide. Black Magic was made available for pre-order in November 2017. Prior to disclosing the album’s title, Alade posted the acronym BM on social media and wanted her fans to guess its meaning. The album was produced by DJ Coublon, Vtek, Sarz, Krizbeatz, Young D, Sess, Fliptyce, IAmBeat, Philkeyz, 2Kriss and Echo.It was supported by the previously released singles “Knack Am”, “Single & Searching” and “Heart Robber”. The album received generally negative reviews from music critics, who panned its lyrics and Alade’s songwriting.
In July 2019, Alade became the first African female artist to reach one million subscribers on YouTube. Her song “Johnny” currently holds the YouTube record for the most watched African Female music video of all time. Alade was featured on “Don’t Jealous Me” a track from Beyoncé’s soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift. She appeared on the track alongside Mr Eazi and Tekno. Rolling Stone magazine revealed that Alade also recorded a verse for an earlier version of “My Power” in June.
Alade released her fourth studio album Woman of Steel on August 30, 2019. Alade describes the album as a “buffet with different kinds of meals and drinks”. She named the album Woman of Steel to reflect her tough veneer to command the same degree of respect as her male counterparts. Moreover, she derived the title after coming to the realization that she is her own superhero. Musically, Woman of Steel is an Afrobeats record that incorporates elements of R&B and highlife. The album primarily explores topics such as love, socio-politics and poverty. Alade spent three years recording the album and said it would be released on August 30, 2019. The album’s cover art features Alade wearing a headcap inspired by the Nefertiti Bust artwork. Artists featured on Woman of Steel include Rick Ross, Duncan Mighty, Angélique Kidjo and Funke Akindele. In an interview with The Star newspaper, Alade said some of the songs that made the album were recorded the previous year while others were recorded in August.
In September 2019, Alade signed a multi-year licensing deal with Universal Music Africa (UMA) and UMG France. UMA will serve as the exclusive worldwide record partner for Alade while UMG France will serve as the international rollout partner for all of her releases under the label.
