Young Lunya & Abigail flying high with new Sony deals

The days of only a few African acts dominating the entertainment industry are slowly fading with the rise of musicians from the continent’s eastern angle.
Bongo Flava artistes are in the meantime flying East Africa’s flag high with songs, thrill music videos and epic performances that many people have fallen in love with across the globe.
This week, multi-talented songstress Abigail became the latest member of the Sony Music Entertainment.

Abigail, a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, who sings in Kiswahili, English and French inked her first major deal on June 8.
“I feel blessed, honoured, and fortunate to be one of the performing female artistes to represent Africa on a major label! This is a dream come true, a manifestation of sorts and the constant pursuit to be better each day. It is a testament to my faith and hard work, the world is about to get the Abigail experience!” says the young artiste.
The 17-year-old has mastered four musical instruments; the violin, piano, guitar and drums. Abigail, who has dreamt of becoming a global superstar since the age of 5, is a Unicef Youth Advocate for Mental Health and Gender-Based Violence and has been hosted on the popular American show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Musically, she has already begun garnering a steady audience with collaborations with some of the biggest artistes in Africa like Rayvanny and Blackie.
Welcoming Abigaila to leading global music label, Christine ‘Seven’ Mosha, head of Sony Music East Africa, notes, “Abigail is truly a multi-faceted artiste with a powerful voice, look and energy that captivate audiences. We believe that Abigail has the kind of standout talent that will take her into different markets across Africa and globally, we are thrilled to welcome her to the Sony Music family.”
She is also the youngest entrepreneur in Tanzania to become the CEO and founder of “Abby Chams School of Music” and a clothing line, “Jean’d up”, also the ambassador of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.
On the other hand, the award-winning Hip Hop artiste Young Lunya, like Abigail, on Friday, June 3 officially joined the Sony Music Entertainment Africa family.
The deal makes him the first hip-hop artiste from Tanzania to be signed on the label which has its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Speaking with The Beat about his latest milestone, Young Lunya says signing the deal is a dream come true.
“I come from a part of the region where even talking about major labels was a myth and a dream, but I have always kept this dream and hope alive. So, to see one of my biggest dreams come true has just been such a blessing and an honour,” says Lunya.
He is excited to be part of the Sony Music Entertainment, a family to big artistes in the globe including ASAP Rocky, Future, Travis Scott and many others.
Young Lunya is set to release his first single on the label today, Friday June 10. The song titled ‘Vitu Vingi’.
The ‘Vitu Vingi’ track showcases his talent and how he curates rap music using Swahili in a way that keeps crowds captivated at his gifts.
“He stands as an idol and inspiration to many, other hip-hop artistes in the country now have a lot to learn from him after becoming the first hip-hop artiste to sign with major international music label,” notes Frank Musiq,  manager for Ben Pol and Frida Aman
Lunya grew up covering songs by artistes such as Prof Jay, Chidi Benz and Nikki Mbishi and was a member of the popular group OMG before embarking on a solo career in 2019.
Since then, he has been consistently releasing freestyles that earned him street credibility and eventually a spot as a rapper to watch in East Africa and beyond.
He is currently working on his first album and has already secured features with top African artistes such as Diamond Platnumz, Khaligraph Jones, Sho Madjozi and others who are set to be unveiled in the future.