By now, you’ve likely encountered or are about to encounter a song with verses that go like this: “Travelled ’round the world, I no cast… But if I climb the train, e don pass you..”. These lyrics are from the talented Nigerian songwriter, singer, and entertainer, Qing Madi.
The crooner instantly captivated fans (I included) with her craft when she first debuted on the scene thanks to her BNXN-assisted record ‘OLE’.
Born Chimamanda Pearl Chukwuma, Qing’s music has been her only calling, and her artistic genius was evident when she launched her career from the early age of seven. At a mere age of 16, she delivered, ‘See Finish’, a record that highlighted her abilities and has made her a rising star to watch.
In East Africa, Qing Madi hadn’t fully grabbed their attention until ‘American Love’ made rounds on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, again further portraying the impact social media has on music in this day and age. The track moved more around the season of Valentine’s Day, a day which the world celebrates Lovers, and what better soundtrack than Qing Madi’s ‘American Love’. Around that time, the single had already hit an all-time peak of #1 on the Apple Music Top 100, Top 200 Shazam Chart of Uganda, and the Viral chart of most used sounds on Snapchat.
“American Love” has garnered over 2,980,000 streams on Spotify and 3,400,000 views on YouTube for its official music video, with an additional 25,000 views for an acoustic version.
In an interview with Spotify, Qing revealed that her music is influenced by her cultural background and the lyrical arrangements of Kendrick Lamar. She also mentioned Davido, Burna Boy, Wande Coal, and Tiwa Savage as artists she grew up listening to.
Interestingly, Qing is bilingual with capabilities in Spanish and Igbo, and is actively pursuing Mandarin. When asked what advice she would offer someone dreading to follow her dreams, the ‘American Love’ singer remarked: “Deafen your ears to the crowd and begin. Nothing begins unless you just start.”
Music has always been a part of Qing’s life, and it’s no surprise that she penned two of the seven songs on her debut self-titled project when she was just 14 years old.
Qing Madi was named among the artists for Apple Music’s Rising Class of 2024 alongside the likes of Tyla, OdumoduBlvck, and Blood Civilian, highlighting her as one of the voices and artists who are shaping the future of music in Africa.
Madi’s a genre-blending talent that sees her create a unique genre-bending fusion of Afrobeats, Pop, Soul, and R&B. Among the other records on her EP are ‘See Finish’, ‘Why’, ‘See Finish’, ‘Chargie’, ‘Vision’, and ‘Madi’s Medley’.
“Mrs Take The Internet by Storm” Qing Madi continues to amaze music lovers and enthusiasts, one release at a time, all credits to her smooth R&B vocal texture, Dancehall cadence, and Afrobeats melodies and lyrics that enable her create infectious tunes.
