With Tyla, Wizkid, Burna Boy and More, UTA’s Early Bet on Afrobeats Has Paid Off

Over the past few years, African music has evolved from a promising niche genre into a thriving, profitable industry. During that time, United Talent Agency has emerged as leader in African and Afrobeats representation: Under the leadership of Obi Asika, co-head of UTA U.K., the agency represents a huge percentage of the continent’s biggest names, including Tyla, Wizkid, Burna Boy (all three pictured above, left to right), Ayra Starr, Tiwa Savage, Odumodublvck, and Yemi Alade, among others.

Asika, whose Echo Location Talent Agency was acquired by UTA in 2021, brought with him a diverse roster that also includes dance and hip-hop, with Alesso, Bugzy Malone, Chase & Status, Davido, Diplo, and Wizkid. Notably, Asika is also a co-founder of the influential Afro Nation festival alongside Adesegun “Smade” Adeosun Jr. He was promoted to a UTA partner in March 2024 while maintaining his leadership role as co-head of UTA U.K.

Indeed, the company’s commitment to artist development has a sterling example in Burna Boy’s journey from intimate venues to headlining New York’s Madison Square Garden and London Stadium. “It goes back to 2018, if I’m not mistaken,” recalls Christian Bernhardt, an executive talent agent at UTA. “He was a small theater act in the U.S., doing between 500 and 2,000 tickets [a show]. To get him from that to large venues and then eventually arenas and even stadiums was the trick.

“Kudos go to Burna and his team for continuing to invest in something that was not necessarily a given, but when you speak to his mom and manager [Bose Ogulu], you will find out that she always knew,” he adds modestly, since UTA’s belief went a long way as well.

The company’s role in Wizkid’s rise was a bit more hands-on. Los Angeles-based agent “Mike G” (Guirguis, who also has worked with Young Thug, the Kid Laroi and others) had the Nigerian singer-songwriter on his radar as far back as 2014, when the two met after a performance in South Africa. Wizkid had already had a passionate fanbase, but a 2021 Justin Bieber-featuring remix of his song “Essence,” which Mike G facilitated, pushed him into a whole new category in the U.S.

Mike G recounts, “I was at a birthday vacation in Cabo and Justin was there, and he kept playing the record. I put him and Wiz on a group chat, and Justin had cut the record even before he got back.”

Irene Agbontaen, UTA’s senior director of artist brand strategy and music brand partnerships, has played a crucial role in this ecosystem. “We have an incredible data department,” Agbontaen explains. “We really are able to storytell, but storytell via data.” Her efforts have been instrumental in securing high-profile brand partnerships for artists like Burna Boy, who has been featured in G-Star Raw and Burberry campaigns, and Ayra Starr, whose brand collaborations with Maybelline and others are strategically managed to amplify her global presence.

Agbontaen also emphasizes the importance of demographic insights: “By 2030, 75% of the people on the continent [of Africa] are going to be under the age of 24. Brands are always looking at new ways to appeal to Gen Z, and artists from the continent already have a significant following.”

Yet the data and demographics are what come after the music and star power. With Burna Boy, Bernhardt says, “It wasn’t just the music — him as a performer, when he gets on stage, he’s like no one other I’ve ever seen.”

And although the touring world remains a competitive and costly place in 2024, UTA’s progress in just a few years has been notable. “It’s still an uphill battle, especially with mainstream festivals and promoters — only a few, like Live Nation, have taken risks on newer, younger artists,” Bernhardt concludes. “But yes, it has been much easier to get the name [Afrobeats] out there and have promoters take a chance on it.”