Billboard magazine’s annual 21 Under 21 list spotlights the music industry’s brightest young stars, and this year, seventeen-year-old Nigerian singer-songwriter Qing Madi joins the ranks alongside rising talents like Tate McRae, NewJeans, and 4batz.
This diverse group of artists, representing various genres and stages in their careers, share a common thread: they’re primed for breakout success. Many have already begun making waves online and pushing boundaries within their respective styles.
Qing Madi broke out in 2023 with a debut self-titled EP and first U.S. trek (as part of fellow Nigerian artist BNXN’s “Sincerely BNXNTour”) and earned co-signs from Ayra Starr and Wizkid along the way.
In May, she tapped Chlöe for a remix of the standout track “Vision” which arrived with a self-co-directed music video.
While Kendrick Lamar’s music significantly influenced her songwriting approach (“he basically taught me how to write”), Qing Madi holds special admiration for Burna Boy and Wizkid, both of whom she grew up listening to and who she says are now “pushing the Afrobeats culture [and opening] the doors for me to dream and aspire to be more than my surroundings.”
Read the full list here.
