‘Rebel Queen’ is Yemi Alade's tenth body of work. The album title is a testament to Yemi’s reign as Africa’s Queen of AfroPop and her unapologetic love for her originality, heritage, and the African continent.
She explained that to be a rebel is to travel the path less traveled. "To rebel is to continuously be true to oneself even when one's personal choices are not regarded as popular opinion," she said.
The second single off the new album, “Peace & Love,” features eight-time GRAMMY-winning Jamaican musician Ziggy Marley.
It is a powerful reggae-infused duet imagining a borderless Africa in a utopia where war, disease, and injustice do not exist, but peace and love prevail.
This release follows “Tomorrow,” the first single off ‘Rebel Queen,’ which has already amassed over 7.5 million YouTube views in just a month since its release. The timeless piece honors the aspirations of the future and the ongoing pursuit of turning them into achievements.
The 16-track album also features collaborations with Konshens & Femi One in “Baddie Remix,” Angelique Kidjo in “African Woman,” and Innoss'B in “Lipeka.”
From AfroPop, Dancehall, Amapiano, Lingala, Afrobeats to Reggae and R&B, ‘Rebel Queen’ is a cocktail of different genres with multiple flavors that will appeal to every music lover from any corner of the world.
Yemi Alade says, “I was inspired by the core African music of Highlife and different genres that got us excited as Africans.
I created this album with the sole purpose of making music I grew up loving and the variety I have grown to love now.” ‘Rebel Queen’ also speaks of Yemi Alade’s bold spirit and global domination to a great degree.
She says, “I am a true rebel in words and in action. I have always charted my own course and walked the path less traveled.
A lot of albums tend to have monotony in genre and style, which bores me easily. This album has something new, old, and borrowed.
Every song is unique and a capsule of my thoughts, melodies, and a truckload of nostalgia,” adding, “All the collaborations excite me! I couldn’t wait to share, especially because I am a fan of these artists.”
Yemi started 2024 on a big note by performing at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) opening ceremony. ‘Rebel Queen’ adds to Yemi’s global domination.
She has already joined her fans and industry stakeholders in celebrating the album at release parties across the globe in Paris, London, New York, and Lagos.
This year, she will embark on her ‘Rebel Queen Tour,’ following a successful ‘African Baddie’ world tour alongside her African Train Band that stopped in 22 countries across Africa, America, and Europe in 2023.
Yemi Alade sums up, “Growing up, African pop music was a mixture of music that carried messages and helped us through different situations in life.
This album is a blend of what my playlist consists of right now: the new and old pop music that cuts across generations and boundaries.”
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