Qing Madi – Ole | Vevo DSCVR Artists To Watch 2024 It was rare for big-time artists to hit town when Qing Madi was growing up in Nigeria. Instead, her Benin City street corners were the makeshift venues, and tickets weren’t required to listen to rap booming from apartment windows and portable speakers. Otherwise, it was talent shows and the church choir that sparked young Chimamanda Pearl Chukwuma’s creativity. At one point, she fell in love with Kendrick Lamar’s music. “He convinced me that I was born to be an artist,” she told us during her DSCVR Artists To Watch 2024 shoot. Although we captured performances of this year’s “Ole” and “Vision,” this Michael Jackson fan advises new listeners to start with last year’s “See Finish.” Wise choice. Not only is it her first release, it’s one that demonstrates what QM is all about; stuttering hi-hats hint at her hip-hop beginnings, while a plucked acoustic guitar and pidgin vocal intonation flies the flag for her roots. As for her name? “Qing” and “Madi” translate to “feminine” and “heaven,” respectively. Fitting adjectives indeed. This year, the singer united with BNXN on “Ole,” a moody Afrofusion ballad that rose to the top of Apple Music’s Uganda and Nigeria charts. Thanks to a sped up version on TikTok, the collaboration has gone global. So much so that Madi joined BNXN on his US tour, the first time she had been to the States. How exciting is that? Safe to say we’re catching this songstress right as the rocket is gaining velocity. Especially with the release of her debut EP, which arrived the same week as these performances. Her 2024 plans hinge on equal parts determination and manifestation: “I’m going to come full force,” she said, “and it’s going to be beautiful.” Soon it’ll be time to give the kids back in Benin City a sold-out show.
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Qing Madi
