Pawzz announced as Apple Music Up Next Artist in Nigeria

Apple Music has announced Afrofusion singer-songwriter, Pawzz real name David Tokuma Dekor as the latest featured artist in its Up Next artist development program in Nigeria.

“It’s a real honour for me, a young kid from Nigeria’s middle-belt, to be selected as Apple Music's Up Next artist. I can't express how grateful I am to Apple Music for their love and support for my music. It just brings so much validation to my journey, the years of sacrifice and striving to achieve my dreams. I couldn’t be happier or more ecstatic about this,” he tells Apple Music.

Born and raised in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, Pawzz has been working diligently for several months alongside distribution and label services company, Freeme Music, in order to fully realise his artist potential. Now, with a clear focus on leveraging his individuality, Pawzz is determined to make a positive impact on the youth through his music, by teaching them to embrace their authentic selves.

His debut EP 'Prezz Play' released in 2023, available to stream on Apple Music and released through Freeme Music, blends Afrobeats, Afropop, Alté, R&B and Amapiano to create a sound that’s steeped in energy and evergreen melodies, anchored by the uptempo Afrobeats single, 'Koma'.

As the newest Up Next act to be spotlighted in Nigeria, Pawzz will be featured across Apple Music’s Nigeria’s 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.

Pawzz joins Novemba, Ogranya, Majeeed, Khaid, Ninety, Young Jonn, T.I Blaze, Browny Pondis, Ajebo Hustlers, Jaido P, Wavy The Creator and SGaWD as Apple Music’s growing stable of Up Next Artists from Nigeria.