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The Austin 100: Yemi Alade

Yemi Alade.
Courtesy of the artist
Yemi Alade.

Hometown:Lagos, Nigeria

Genre:Pop

Why We're Excited:Nigerian singer-songwriter Yemi Alade has become a major Afropop star in recent years, winning high-profile African music awards and topping 100 million YouTube views for her hit "Johnny." In 2019, her smooth and vibrant music crossed over to U.S. audiences with the help of Beyoncé, who gave Alade a feature in her song "Don't Jealous Me," from the Lion King-inspired companion-to-the-soundtrack The Lion King: The Gift.

Listen to Yemi Alade's "Vibe"

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Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)