Essilfie wins AfroFuture Rising Star Challenge in Ghana

The result announced last week saw Essilfie edge fellow finalists including Sage the Rager, Romeo Swag, 99 Phaces and BigMoon. She now takes over from Afro-soul singer Bleau, who won last year's competition.

Essilfie’s prize package included a studio session with an acclaimed producer, and a performance slot on the TuneCore stage at the festival among others. 

“Big shoutout to Essilfie, the unstoppable force who conquered the Rising Star Challenge 2023,” AfroFuture said. “She didn’t just participate; she owned the stage, making it clear why she’s the undisputed winner.”

On her part, Essilfie expressed gratitude for the accolade. 

In November, Essilfie was among nine young West African musicians selected for the maiden OneBeat Ghana residency for socially engaged artist-entrepreneurs from Ghana, Nigeria and the US aged 19 to 35. A year before, she was awarded a grant by the British Council in Accra, as part of the maiden Creative Enterprise Support Programme.

She is behind records like ‘Aben Wo Ha’, ‘Prayed Up’, ‘Fake Love’ and ‘Let Me In’. She is also behind the 2022 collaborative EP Luv Lyf with local DJ-producer Dredw.

Meanwhile, UK-based DJ Tiannah was named the winner of the 2023 edition of the AfroFuture Rising DJ and Producer Challenge in Ghana. For her prize, she received airfare to Accra, Ghana, for a performance opportunity at TuneCore’s AfroFuture Mixer and a slot on the TuneCore Stage at the AfroFuture festival at El Wak stadium on 28 and 29 December. Additionally, she took home a special prize package furnished by Native Instruments and Splice, including a Kontrol S61 Keyboard, a Komplete 14 Collector’s Edition, a Traktor X1 DJ Controller and a free one-year subscription to Splice’s Creator.

AfroFuture 2023 was headlined by Nigeria’s Davido and Ghana’s Black Sherif.