Wiyaala

Known as ‘The Lioness of Africa’ Wiyaala grew up in a small village in the Upper West region of Ghana. She sings primarily in the Sissala language, and achieved comparative fame as a member of the group Black N Peach, who won the Vodaphone Icons reality show in Ghana. This, her first solo recording, was made in South Africa and musically bears similarities to internationally successful African artists such as Angélique Kidjo and the late Brenda Fassie. Wiyaala has a strong voice and the commercial musical arrangements make this a very likeable record – albeit one without any clear African identity.

She is an outspoken activist, campaigning for women's rights and against forced marriage, which makes her an ideal candidate for international exposure. The only possible obstacle is that this album is mostly sung in a language little understood outside of northern Ghana. This may hinder her progress and potentially stand in the way of her obvious significant talent.