First-ever Afrobeats festival to launch in Japan

Japan is gearing up to welcome its “first-ever Afrobeats festival” this July, headed up by international stars Jason Derulo, Saweetie, and Rema.

The Afro Jam festival will tour across three venues from 17-27 July, traversing from Okinawa Arena (cap. 10,000) to Osaka’s Ookini Arena Maishima (7,000) before finishing at Tokyo’s Musashino Forest Sport Plaza (10,000).

Organised by local promoters SFL Artist, the multi-day festival will also feature Jamaican singer Shenseea, Nigerian artist Ruger, Ghanaian singer Gyakie, and Jamaican reggae band The Wailers, alongside a slate of global artists.

“I’m beyond excited to be coming your way for the first time, performing at Afro Jam at Okinawa, Osaka, and Tokyo. Pull up and let’s have some fun,” said Ruger in an online video.

Ahead of the event, there will also be a handful of warm-up shows and resort-based parties featuring a variety of DJs, entitled the “Road to Afro Jam”.

“There’s clearly a rise in popularity in particular markets such as Japan”

SFL Artist has been responsible for bringing a variety of rap, hip-hop, and R&B artists to Japan in recent years, including Ne-Yo to the 8,000-capacity Tokyo Garden Theater and Swae Lee to Okinawa’s Koza Music Town (1,100), both in 2023.

The forthcoming festival is also being organised in cooperation with the Nigerian Embassy. It demonstrates the continued rise of Afrobeats and African artists globally, explored recently in IQ 133.

Afro Jam is one of many new Afro-centric festivals to pop up around the globe in recent years. The 40,000-cap Afro Nation festival is preparing to celebrate its 5th anniversary in Portugal, with other strong examples including Oh My! Fest in Amsterdam, DLT Brunch in Malta, and Jerk X Jollof in Detroit.

Despite Asia having been pinpointed as “the toughest” frontier for the genre by Afro Nation’s Josh Koram to IQ, events like Afro Jam signal a shift in domestic tastes.

“There’s clearly a rise in popularity in particular markets such as Japan, which has large Amapiano dance communities and events,” said UTA agent Ishsha Bourguet, who represents South African hitmaker Tyla. The Grammy Award-winner performed at Summer Sonic Osaka last year, her first in the market.

Bourguet also named India, South Korea, Australia, and the UAE as markets where demand is growing for Afrobeats.

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