Nigerian female artists emphasize women’s empowerment in a new EP ‘Kele-le’

The remarkable music project to support women with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is a must-listen.

Five female artists have teamed up with the charity organization Red Hot Org to fund women’s health organizations combating HIV/AIDS in Nigeria through a music project titled ‘Kele-le’ to create awareness and empower women.

With millions of streams under their belt, as well as critical acclaim and rave reviews from tastemakers including Billboard, The FADER, VICE, Rolling Stone, and Vogue, female rising stars LADY DONLI, OSHUN, BELLA ALUBO, TOMI OWO, and MZ KISS relentlessly contribute to the growth of afrobeats and afro-centric music globally.

Their latest collaboration with non-profit organization Red Hot Org on this exciting project aims to raise awareness and financial support for women’s health clinics in Nigeria and the fight against the country’s growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

According to a report by DATAPHYTE, a survey by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reveals that over 1 million women living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. With women aged 15 – 49 twice as likely to be living with HIV than men, and women aged 30 – 39 with the highest prevalence of HIV in the country, nearly half of the women living with HIV/AIDS receive treatment with viral suppression. 

The Kele-le project will provide resources to the infrastructures of change tackling this epidemic. All funds raised by the EP will be overseen by Red Hot Org and distributed to organizations including Wellbeing Foundation Africa, RAISE Foundation, Women Trafficking & Child Labour Eradication Foundation, Freehearts Africa Reachout Foundation, and the Social Welfare Network Initiative.

‘Kele-le‘ is the latest addition to a series of over 20 compilation projects since 1990 that Red Hot Org have curated in their bid to raise awareness and financial aid for organizations on the frontlines of global health pandemics, epidemics, and health issues. With over 25 years of experience, the organization has collaborated with Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, Blood Orange, Chance The Rapper, Wu-Tang Clan, Madonna, Nirvana, U2, and Childish Gambino. They have collectively launched groundbreaking projects such as Red Hot + Dance, No Alternative, Red Hot + Riot, and Dark Was the Night. These partnerships have helped fund health organizations worldwide with millions of dollars in healthcare and infrastructure.

‘Kele-le’ is drawn from the word ‘Kele’ which means girlfriend in Nigerian pidgin, to celebrate the women-only compilation project, while ‘Kelele’ means unignorable sound in Swahili, representing the undeniable impact of afrobeats music on the world stage today, driven by contributions from female artists such as the five women at the helm of this EP.

Tomi Owo opens the Kele-le EP with the stripped-back ‘Go On Woman’ led by her captivating vocals and uplifting life-affirming lyrics, encouraging women to be all they can be. As Mz Kiss brings the vibrant vibes with the instant afrobeats hit and dancefloor filler ‘You Look Good‘, OSHUN adds their afro-futuristic hip-soul elements to the record to excellent effects. 

Without hesitation, Lady Donli takes the listener on a lush neo-soul ride with ‘Kauna’ as she serenades about love and liberates the listener in her unique pan-African rockstar style. Bella Alubo then ends the Kele-le EP with the infectious alt-pop leaning track ‘Loneliest Girl In The World’, driven by her exquisite pop-soul fusion sound and catchy rap-like flow.

The riveting 4-track EP will mark the first of several collaborative music projects from Red Hot Org to showcase the new wave of afrobeats and afro-fusion music coming from forward-thinking female artists in Nigeria in a bid to empower young female artists to lead the conversations about women’s health rights in Africa. 

Listen to ‘Kele-le’ here.