Spotify releases list of biggest songs and artistes on its platform

From getting a nomination alongside Angelique Kidjo for the 2022 Grammys Award for Best Global Album to being the mixing/mastering brains behind countless Nigerian hit songs and albums, such as Kizz Daniel – Barnabas EP including Lie, Pour Me Water, etc, Buju’s Sorry I’m Late EP, Adekunle Gold ft Davido – High, Wizkid, Adekunle Gold, Omah Lay, DJ Tunez – Pami – amongst many amazing projects, Victor Kpoudosu, better known as VTEK became the standard for making great music and guaranteed hit songs both in Nigeria and outside the shores of Africa.

The Saudi capital is changing, as demonstrated by the MDLBeast Soundstorm festival, an electronic dance music event held late last year on the outskirts of Riyadh. After trying to diversify its oil-dependent economy, Saudi authorities are now looking to develop the entertainment industry. Partying legally in Riyadh is rare, but is now possible. However, human rights groups are warning that this change, however welcome, should not overshadow the kingdom's crackdown on free speech. Our regional correspondent reports.

On tonight's show, our reporters bring you the latest from South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster over the deadly floods on the east coast, warning that rebuilding even basic services will take time. Around the city of Durban, at least 443 people have died, with 48 still missing. Some 10,000 troops have been deployed to help restore power and water and search for the missing.

Did the Russian president harshly criticise Emmanuel Macron? In a video shared widely on social media since March 1, Vladimir Putin is subtitled in French saying not-so-flattering things about Macron, which is quite credible in the context of current geopolitical tensions. The video however dates back to 2019, at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. A full transcript of the forum confirms that the subtitles are completely bogus. Elsewhere, we take a look at a Russian fact-checking website that is far from fully neutral on events in Ukraine.

As the Paris Opera introduces his contemporary pieces “In Your Rooms” and “Uprising” to its repertoire, Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter tells us about his collaboration with the prestigious institution and how “they went to great lengths” to accommodate his experimental work. With Shechter’s recent work “Contemporary Dance” on stage at La Villette in Paris, he talks about how music and movement can supplant a cerebral conception of art and why he likes to “play the bear” when it comes to expectations. of the public.

A troupe called "The Incredible Kids" is giving underprivileged youths in Nigeria's Abuja a way to transform their lives through dance.

This year, France is celebrating Portuguese culture with concerts, exhibitions and performances from the country's top artists. To mark the occasion, FRANCE 24's culture show Encore! takes you on a musical voyage to Lisbon. The Portuguese capital has a sound like no other European city, where a boom in music influenced by African beats is eroding social barriers and making waves internationally.

If you have been a constant follower of the Nigerian music industry, you would have noticed a constant bitter battle involving artists and record labels. Entertainment lawyer, Akinyemi Ayinoluwa talks to GuardianTV about the issues and how they can be solved. 

Europe's annual song and dance extravaganza wasn't short on either entertainment or pyrotechnics, but voting remained nail-biting until the end.

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from FRANCE 24 Observers around the world – all checked by our staff here in Paris.

Brooklyn-based duo Bottler (aka producers Pat Butler and Phil Shore) have created a unique soundscape blending a myriad of styles including pop, indie rock, trip-hop and club music. In 2020, they released a double bill of EPs, "Clementine" and "Grow". Now the childhood friends are back with their debut album "Journey Work", in which they’re on a mission to explore and express the full spectrum of human experience. They joined us on Encore! to tell us more.

No art form is better suited to interrogating the representation of the body, and the value society attributes to our bodies, than dance. The dance collective (La)Horde has headed up Marseille's National Ballet since September 2019. For more than 10 years, Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer and Arthur Harel have been coming up with new and exciting ways to conceive of the medium of dance, both classical and contemporary. They are also shaking things up on the fashion front. We take a closer look.