By Ruona Felix

In a music industry often driven by short-lived trends, a few African executives are proving that long-term vision can be paired with measurable results. 

As global streaming reached 4.8 trillion streams in 2024 — a 14 percent increase from the previous year — Afrobeats has joined K-pop and Latin music as one of the genres reshaping international listening habits.

Among the figures helping define this global shift is Kyellu Tsamdu, founder and CEO of Riju Music. 

Her journey into the industry began in an unusual way — running an unofficial fan page for Nigerian pop star, Reekado Banks while still a student. What started as an online passion project soon became something bigger.

“I was curating content, building communities, and suggesting rollout ideas. One of my earliest contributions was supporting the push for Oluwa Ni, which became a cultural touchpoint in Nigerian pop”, she recalled.

Her efforts eventually led to a full-time role as project manager on the artist’s team, where she gained a reputation for combining cultural insight with concrete results. 

That reputation caught wider attention, and soon she was recruited to join emPawa Africa, the talent incubator and label founded by Mr Eazi.

At emPawa, Tsamdu oversaw bookings, touring, and commercial strategy for artists such as Joeboy. She helped deliver milestones like Joeboy’s hit Sip (Alcohol), which surpassed 400 million streams, while also coordinating multiple sold-out shows in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and the Caribbean.

 In Kigali, she helped organize a 10,000-capacity concert in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board — from concept to execution in less than three weeks.

Her career path also included a stint at Probot Digital, where she gained deeper experience in music distribution and platform relations. Those years of building systems and refining strategies laid the foundation for what would become Riju Music.

Tsamdu launched Riju to fill what she saw as a gap in Africa’s music ecosystem: while many artists had global visibility, few had the kind of infrastructure that could sustain long-term careers. 

“It was clear that talent wasn’t the problem. The challenge was building structures that could support artists consistently, both locally and internationally”, she explained.

Riju now offers distribution, publishing, touring, and creative direction, with operations in London, Lagos, Abuja, and Yola. A recent partnership with TRIBL Records, a major name in gospel music, has given Nigerian gospel artists new opportunities to reach international audiences.

“Kyellu knows how to turn vision into results,” Sampson Malachy, Co-founder of leading music distribution firm Maxtreme Inc. “Her strategies create lasting impact for the artists she works with.”

Her work has already played a part in some of Afrobeats’ biggest milestones. Joeboy has now surpassed three billion career streams, placing him among Africa’s most-streamed artists.

The timing could not be more significant. Afrobeats recently secured its own dedicated Billboard chart in the United States, reflecting not just temporary hype but sustained commercial demand.

For Tsamdu, the focus is on scaling. With Riju positioned in key African and international markets, the company is expanding its footprint while refining systems for creative and commercial growth. 

Industry observers say this approach — fusing artist-focused development with robust infrastructure — could serve as a model for the wider African music scene as it adapts to global demand.

As Tsamdu put it: “The world is listening. What we’re building now will determine how far African music can go — and how long it stays there.”