Singers Davido and Dua Lipa, footballer Marcus Rashford and poet Amanda Gorman have made the 2021 Time100 Next list.
The Time revealed the list on their official site on Wednesday
TIME editor in chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal wrote in his letter to readers saying, “Amid a global pandemic, deepening inequality, systemic injustice and existential questions about truth, democracy and the planet itself, the individuals on this year’s list provide ‘clear-eyed hope,’ as actor, composer and director Lin-Manuel Miranda puts it in his tribute to poet and TIME100 Next honoree Amanda Gorman. ‘They are doctors and scientists fighting COVID-19, advocates pushing for equality and justice, journalists standing up for truth, and artists sharing their visions of present and future.”
The editorial director of the TIME100 Dan Macsai said, “Everyone on this list is poised to make history. And in fact, many already have.”
TIME will host members of the list for TIME100 Talks Presents the 2021 TIME100 Next on Friday.
It will be hosted by actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and will feature special musical performances by Dua Lipa, Luke Combs, Phoebe Bridgers and Anitta.
Davido also shared a picture from Time on Instagram.
He captioned the post saying, “Proud to be included in the inaugural.”
Big Brother Naija star, Laycon has also written a piece on Davido.
He said Davido has paved way for people like him by bringing Afrobeat to the global stage.
“Davido is one of the biggest voices in Afrobeats because his music connects with people, often in ways that transcend his expectations. When he released the song “FEM” in 2020, a title that loosely translates to “shut up” in Yoruba, he didn’t know it would become a major #EndSARS protest anthem, as youth banded together to demand the government take action to end police brutality in Nigeria last October. Officials responded by sending politicians to give speeches.
“You can tell Davido puts 100% into every song he makes. And the results are clear: his album A Good Time surpassed a billion streams in 2020. Afrobeats is a worldwide phenomenon, and Davido is one of many Nigerian artists who has made that possible; now more and more artists, from Nicki Minaj to Young Thug, want to work with him,” he wrote.
