Apple Music Names Nyota Parker as Up Next Artist in South Africa

Neo-soul rapper and songwriter Nyota Parker has been announced by Apple Music as the latest featured artist in its Up Next artist development program in South Africa. Apple Music’s local version of the global emerging artist platform launched in early 2021.

‘I feel honoured to have been selected, I feel seen,” she tells Apple Music. “Hopefully, the people who resonate with my music feel seen too, that’s what it’s all about. It’s helping me to stay optimistic for the future of hip-hop and Neo-soul, especially in South Africa!’

Being of half-Irish and half-Congolese descent, Nyota moved to South Africa when she was 5 and adopted Mzansi as her home. Currently based between Montreal and New York, Nyota infused her diverse cultural background into her music, blending elements of rap, hip hop, neo-soul, and alternative R&B into her distinct sound.

Her love for songwriting began at the tender age of 11. She recorded her first song when she was 16 having met mixing and mastering engineer, Jay Loopz, who helped record her first set of records. But it was after she won a competition to open for Nasty C and A-Reece, that she seized her moment and didn’t look back. Her debut album ‘Spectrum’ (2021) was a bold statement on self-awareness, manifesting your dreams and not conforming to societal norms, laying the foundation for Nyota to build a dedicated audience who appreciate her unapologetic approach to her artistry.

Her new album ‘INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS’ (2024), released on her birthday and available to stream on Apple Music, is an exploration of the tumultuous journey through the human psyche. It fearlessly navigates the inner chaos that often dominates the mind, while her evocative lyrics and soulful melodies skillfully weave a tapestry of emotions that deal with mental health struggles, artistic dilemmas, and the core theme of self-discovery.

As the newest Up Next artist to be spotlighted in South Africa, Nyota Parker will be featured across Apple Music’s South African Up Next playlist. The curated Up Next playlist features a dynamic class of new and emerging artists, thoughtfully hand-picked by Apple Music editors from around the world.The playlist is genre agnostic and represents a line-up of artists our global editors are passionate about and eager to expose to a larger audience.

Stream the playlist below: