Onesimus Expands Pan-African Reach with New Album Son of Grace

Malawian Afropop star Onesimus is stepping into a new era with Son of Grace, a continent-spanning album that arrived on May 25 and immediately signaled its ambitions beyond borders. Within hours of release, the project’s standout collaboration “Someone to Love” featuring Liema Pantsi climbed to No. 1 on the South African iTunes chart, while Son of Grace simultaneously rose to No. 2 on Apple Music Malawi — a dual-chart moment that underlines Onesimus’ growing influence across African markets.

Built around themes of intimacy, identity, and modern African connection, Son of Grace feels less like a conventional feature-heavy album and more like a cultural exchange. Onesimus brings together voices from across the continent, including Danya Devs, JZyNO, Wave Rhyder, Chile One Mr Zambia, Kwanda, Marioo, Nutty O, Saint Realest, Ben Major, and Liema Pantsi, allowing each collaborator’s sonic identity to shape the project’s wider narrative.

Across the album, languages including Chichewa, Chinyanja, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, and Nigerian Pidgin move fluidly through Afrobeats, Afropop, and 3-step production, reflecting a version of African music untethered from geography. Rather than chasing a singular sound, Onesimus leans into regional texture, creating an album that feels intentionally pan-African without losing its Malawian foundation.

The emotional centerpiece arrives through “Someone to Love,” the Liema Pantsi-assisted record that has quickly become one of the project’s defining moments. Built on smooth 3-step rhythms and restrained melodic layers, the song shifts away from the album’s more high-energy collaborations and settles into something softer and more intimate. Liema’s vocal presence introduces a delicate contrast against Onesimus’ delivery, giving the track a warmth that resonates beyond the dancefloor.

Her appearance on the project also arrives at a significant cultural moment. Fresh off her Big Brother Mzansi victory, Liema’s inclusion bridges South African pop culture visibility with Malawi’s evolving mainstream music scene — a crossover that appears to be translating directly into audience response, particularly in South Africa where the single topped iTunes on release day.

Speaking about the album, Onesimus explained the deeper intention behind the project: “This album is about showing the full picture of modern Africa. It’s music about love, intimacy, and relationships, but it’s also about where I come from. By bringing in artists from across the region and singing in our different languages, we are celebrating a borderless culture.”

That vision is ultimately what gives Son of Grace its weight. At a time when African music is increasingly global, Onesimus avoids reducing the continent to a singular sound. Instead, he presents Africa in motion — multilingual, collaborative, emotionally layered, and deeply connected through rhythm. With “Someone to Love” already emerging as an early cross-border success, Son of Grace positions Onesimus not only as one of Malawi’s leading voices, but as an artist contributing to the next chapter of pan-African pop music.

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