New Releases
How Baclivelef Covers New Releases
We want readers to trust what they read on Baclivelef, and artists to understand how we work before they send us music. This page explains how we choose new releases to cover, how we listen, how we check facts, and how you can submit your own music.
What we cover
Our music coverage focuses on Afrobeats, amapiano, African music more broadly, hip-hop, R&B, pop and gospel, with particular attention to artists from Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa and to the diaspora scenes in the UK, US and Canada. We write several kinds of piece:
- Reviews of albums, EPs and singles, written in prose rather than scores.
- Genre explainers and features, such as What is amapiano? and Afrobeats vs Afrobeat.
- Artist profiles, which introduce an artist’s sound and summarise their career in our own words.
- Discovery guides, such as how to discover new African music every week.
What we do not publish
Being clear about what we avoid is just as important:
- No rumours or unverified news. We do not report leaks, gossip, alleged feuds or unconfirmed announcements.
- No fabricated information. We never invent quotes, interviews, statistics, chart positions, streaming figures, awards or release dates.
- No reviews of music we have not heard in full. If we have not listened to the whole release, we do not review it.
- No lyrics. We do not reproduce song lyrics.
- No paid reviews. Nobody can buy coverage or a positive verdict. Our editorial policy explains our independence rules.
How we choose releases
We cannot cover everything, so we make choices based on:
- Musical interest. Releases that do something distinctive with sound, songwriting or production.
- Relevance to our readers. Music from the scenes and genres our audience follows.
- Balance. A mix of established and emerging artists, different countries and different genres.
- Usefulness. Whether we can add real context — explaining where a record fits, not simply saying it exists.
Popularity alone does not decide coverage, and neither does whether an artist or label contacted us.
How we listen
Every review is based on full, repeated listening. Our process typically includes:
- A first full listen from start to finish, in order, without skipping.
- Repeated listens over several days, because first impressions of an album often change.
- Listening on multiple devices — good headphones, ordinary phone speakers and, where possible, speakers in a room — because production choices can sound very different across them.
- Context research: the artist’s earlier work, the scene they belong to, and the credits of producers and collaborators.
- Close listening to specific elements, such as rhythm, arrangement, vocals and mixing. Sometimes we measure tempo with our BPM calculator or note keys and structure to explain what we hear.
How we verify facts
Before publishing, we check facts against primary sources wherever possible:
- Official artist and label websites and verified social media accounts.
- Streaming service and digital store pages for titles, tracklists and release dates.
- Official organisation websites — for example, awards bodies — for award information.
- Collection society and industry organisation websites for rights and royalty information in our creator guides.
If we cannot verify something to a high standard, we leave it out. When information changes or we get something wrong, we correct it openly — see our corrections policy.
Our focus on emerging artists: rather than covering the biggest names, our artist profiles spotlight emerging artists from across Africa, from Nigeria and Ghana to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia whose songs people are actively searching for but whom few publications have written about. Profiles are factual introductions based on official artist and streaming pages. Reviews are published only after a full listen.
How we write
We aim to describe music in ways that help readers decide whether they will enjoy it: what it sounds like, what the artist is trying to do, how well it works and who it might appeal to. We write in prose rather than giving star ratings or numerical scores, because a single number rarely captures a record. We try to be fair to artists — critical where we have reasons, generous where it is earned — and to explain our reasoning.
How to submit music
We welcome submissions from independent artists, managers, PRs and labels. Please use our contact form and choose “Music submission” as the subject. Include:
- A private streaming link (please do not send attachments).
- The release date and the format — single, EP or album. Our explainer on album vs EP vs single covers the differences.
- A short description of the release, written by you.
- Where the artist is based and links to official profiles.
- Full credits if available: writers, producers and featured artists.
Please send music at least two to three weeks before release if you would like it considered for release-week coverage. We read every submission, but we cannot promise coverage or reply to every message individually.
Promotional material and disclosure
Like most music publications, we may receive promotional copies or advance access to music. Our review disclosure reads: “Baclivelef may receive promotional material or advance access to music. This does not guarantee positive coverage.” Any sponsored content is clearly labelled “Sponsored” and kept separate from reviews. Read more in our editorial policy and our advertising page.
Tools for artists preparing a release
If you are getting ready to release music, our free tools can help: plan your timeline with the release date planner, estimate potential income with the streaming earnings calculator, and read our guide on how to plan a music release.
