Warner Music Africa Francophone (WM AFR) celebrates the first songwriting camp of its kind. Warner Music Camp Babi brought over 20 artists, producers and songwriters from all around the continent to launch of the new venture. The three-day event saw Black K, Herc Cut The Lights, Hyce, Kold AF, Kouz1, Paulo Chakal, and Yumbs come together to create new tracks and beats at Abidjan’s Villa Tahiba. Importantly, the camp also saw invited talents such as Akim, Ayanne, Beeztrap, Dorty, G6$, and Baggins to help connect artists from Côte d’Ivoire and the Francophone region with the rest of Africa.
The songwriting camp concluded in the official launch event for WM AFR. Warner Music Africa Managing Director Temi Adeniji, Africori CEO Yoel Kenan, and Warner Music France President Alain Veille attended. The event drew key political figures and external music industry figures from across West Africa. The special cohort was led by The Minister of Culture and Francophone of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Madame Françoise Remarck. In her remarks, the Minister discussed her ministry’s intention to work closely with the WMA FR team. Over the coming months, new innovative partnerships and opportunities will be established to help discover and grow local talent.
Marc-Andre Niang, Co-Director of Warner Music Africa Francophone, says: “The blueprint for Warner Music Africa Francophone was to connect the best French-speaking talent with the rest of Africa. So, I’m proud to see us do just this at our first songwriting camp. This was a truly pan-African experience and certainly the first of its kind in Francophone Africa.” Yoann Chapalain, Co-Director of Warner Music Africa Francophone, adds: “It’s been powerful to see such a wide mix of artists join us here in Abidjan. Warner Music Africa Francophone exists not just to sign talent. It connects artists from French-speaking regions to the rest of Africa. It’s in our DNA to take a pan-African approach with all of our artists. Thank you to Alain, Temi, and Yoel for trusting our creative vision.”
Streams of French-language tracks continued to rise in 2024. Surprisingly, over 83 million hours of French-language music were streamed in over 180 countries. This highlights its dynamism as Francophone music booms across Africa. As reported by Spotify, more than 100 million users worldwide listened to French audio content between August 2023 and July 2024.
Looking forward, Warner Music Africa’s footprint promises to spread its creative wealth across Africa’s subregions. Francophone’s music boom is an ode to persevering and expressing ourselves through music, no matter the language. Also, Warner Music Group is responsible for empowering Francophone artists. As much as they hope to benefit from their creativity, investing in its custodians is important. Nevertheless, music is now more accessible than ever. Therefore, even if it isn’t necessarily equitably profitable, this camp will spark the creative revolution that the region needs.
