At the end of 2022, just before Montreal was in the grips of winter, as she was warning up her audience at MTelus, Yemi Adaled promised to return when summer bloomed. The Nigerian star, known as “Lady aux jambes de feu” has blown America away, including Beyoncé who is determined to draw from her songs that have reached over 100 million views on YouTube.  Foremost Afropop performer on the African continent, her inventiveness is boundless. Her four hit records have assured her success, and how can anyone resist bopping to songs like “Shekere,”, “Oh my gosh,” “Ferrari,” and “Bum Bum”?

An actress on stage as in life, singer-songwriter Yemi Alade can get people moving like no one else. This “Yoruba-Ibo girl” captivates crowds throughout Europe and America with her precision moves and her sensual tribal passion. And she doesn’t mince her words when she chastises men who use women without taking responsibility. Her mega hit “Johnny” says it all. Keen observer of her country’s mores, the singer has nothing but praise for Fela Kuti flamboyance.  Every era has its problems, and singing about them helps us understand them, says this 21st century “Mama Africa.” Yemi also has a select following at the United Nations and even among the royal family.

Like a comet, Yemi Alade has left a bright trail that goes all the way back to 2015, with two BET Awards nominations for Africa’s best representative and has been immortalized by the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) and Rolling Stone Magazine. Glamorous and sensible, this young musical artist never overlooks the most vulnerable, especially the younger generation hungry for equality and a chance to live their dreams. In 2020, she became involved with the Helen and James Pathway Foundation, working with adolescents at the secondary level to show them that the world is within their reach.