Kenya’s Polaris Pauline named Apple Music Up Next artist

The recognition will see Polaris Pauline’s songs featured on Apple Music’s Up Next playlist, elevating her music to parts of the world that have not heard of her before.

Curated by Apple Music’s global editors, the Up Next playlist features a dynamic class of new and emerging artists. The playlist is genre-agnostic and represents a line-up of artists Apple Music’s editors are passionate about and eager to expose to a larger audience.

“I’m so honoured to be highlighted on Apple Music’s Up Next programme,” Polaris Pauline said. “I am still taking it in. To be included on a platform that has had so many of my favourite artists is surreal and I am grateful to be recognised for making a worthwhile contribution to East African music culture.”

The artist says that sharing her music with fans across the region and beyond is a dream come true.

Whether she is collaborating with industry giants or performing as a soloist, her honeyed R&B-soaked vocals are a delight to her fans. Her selection comes weeks after she dropped her EP Tufanye? – meaning ‘what do we do?’ in Swahili – which oscillates between various emotions in romantic relationships like love, anger, pride and lust. The EP is Polaris Pauline’s take on Afro-R&B featuring warm and atmospheric production from Kenyan beatsmiths Dillie and Wuod Omollo Beats.

Polaris has been building her discography through collaborations with artists such as celebrated South African DJ and music producer Prince Kaybee and Central African Republic’s ancestral soul pioneer Boddhi Satva. Others are Kenyan music makers Mayonde and Muthoni Drummer Queen.

“With the mission to amplify the voices of women and girls in Kenya and beyond, Polaris Pauline uses her melodies and everyday happenings to craft stories,” the artist’s team said. “For millennials navigating the labyrinth of life, Polaris Pauline’s compositions serve as a refuge – a space where authenticity, emotion and expression intertwine. Her artistic vision is a dedicated effort to amplify the voices of women and girls, weaving tales of everyday life that uplift, challenge, and inspire. Through her melodies, Polaris has become a catalyst for love and comfort, a narrative she is committed to perpetuating throughout her enduring career.”

Up Next was established in 2017 with the aim of shining a spotlight on the next wave of creative talent, with subsequent Nigerian Grammy Award-winning superstars Burna Boy and Tems the first two African artists to be spotlighted on a global scale in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Other East African artists to be featured in the programme are Abigail Chams, Maya Amolo and Ssaru.