Illuzion magazine just released their Sexiest Africans Alive 2014 list and five Nigerian celebs; Genevieve Nnaji, Flavour, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy and UK-based Nigerian model Williams Falade made the list. See the full list after the cut...
We have searched across the African continent , for those people who have made keeping fit and looking good the new black, whether its by spending fortunes on personal trainers, healthy diets or personal chefs just to look the best they can. Today we celebrate them, as they have made it to our maiden Sexiest Africans Alive list for the year 2014. From an initial shortlist of 100 African elite athletes, musicians, actors, socialites, TV personalities, fitness experts and super models, we have narrowed it down to 20, to bring you the best of the best.
These 20, do not only have what appears to be the sexiest bodies in their respective industries, but they have excelled and distinguished their-selves in their chosen careers in the year 2014.
GENEVIEVE NNAJI, AGE: 35, NIGERIAN, ACTRESS
Genevieve Nnaji is an AMAA award winning super star actress, with an enviable profile, which include a profiling on the Oprah Winfrey show and on CNN’s Connect The World where she was dubbed Africa’s answer to Julia Roberts and Africa’s Screen Goddess, she was rumored to be next Bond girl a few years back, the role later went to British actress Naomi Harris. The Former face of Lux and MUD might not have been in any recent movie aside from 2013′s Hollywood period film Half Of A Yellow Sun, however, she was reported to have earned nearly $1.5 million in endorsements alone, within the first quarter of 2014. Genevieve Nnaji’s appeal transcends age and gender, as we have witnessed ,many African superstars openly express their undying love and admiration for the iconic actress.
WILLIAMS FALADE, NIGERIAN-FITNESS MODEL
Williams Falade is a Nigerian-British fitness model and the former Miami Pro European Fitness Model Champion 2013, Body of Africa 2013. Williams has built a brand and career out of his love for fitness, which has notably made him a highly sought after fitness instructor and celebrity personal trainer.LIRA MOLAPO, AGE: 35, SOUTH AFRICAN, MUSICIAN
Lira is a celebrated South African platinum recording artist,who like wine only gets better with age. she is revered and loved across South Africa, On 29 April 2014 she released her debut American album “Rise Again”. She is a multi-platinum selling and an 8x South African Music Award-winning Afro-Soul vocalist who refers to her music as “a fusion of soul, funk, elements of jazz and African. Lira won the 2014 Africa Muzik Magazine Awards for Best Female Southern Africa. According to The Star Newspaper, she’s currently considered the foremost adult contemporary female solo artist in South Africa. She has appeared in major ad campaigns and been an Ambassador for Audi, Shield, Samsung, MTN and Blackberry. She has appeared on the covers of over thirty magazines worldwide and currently holds the largest Facebook following of any South African musician with over half a million fans.
FLAVOUR N’ABANIA, AGE- 30, NIGERIAN, MUSICIAN
Better known by his stage name Flavour N’abania (or simply Flavour), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and performer. Flavour gained world wide acclaim for his Ashawo and Nwa Baby singles which till date still enjoy air plays. Just as the African continent has been held spell bound by Flavour’s infectious sound and powerful stage performance, so has he also grasped our attention with his larger than life abs, that is finely sculpted and chiseled by presumably hundreds of hours spent in the gym. Flavour keeps his millions of fans always guessing with his now famous bathroom selfies.
DIDIER DROGBA- AGE: 36, IVORY COAST, FOOTBALLER
Didier Drogba, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League as a striker, and is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at Chelsea, for whom he scored more goals than any other foreign player and is currently the club’s fourth highest goal scorer of all time. In October 2012, he was voted by Chelsea supporters as the club’s greatest player ever. He has also been named African Footballer of the Year twice, winning the accolade in 2006 and 2009.
CORNEL FREDERICKS, AGE- 24, SOUTH AFRICAN, ATHLETE
Cornel Fredericks is a South African track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. He won the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold in the 400m hurdles with a dominant display at Hampden Park. Fredericks finished in 48.50 seconds, ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Jehue Gordon (48.75) and the Bahamas’ Jeffery Gibson (48.78).
GAIL MABALANE, AGE: 29, SOUTH AFRICAN, ACTRESS
Gail Mabalane is a South African singer and actress best known as one of the Top 14 finalists on the sixth season of the M-Net reality competition Idols, in 2010.Gail, who auditioned in Bloemfontein, was born and bred in the town of Kimberley. In 2001, she made the Top 5 of Miss Teen SA, and she also enjoyed a stint in Johannesburg as a Kaizer Chiefs cheerleader. in 2012, she became the face of beauty giant Olay, and her career has since skyrocketed.
LUNGA SHABALALA, AGE: 25, SOUTH AFRICAN, TV PERSONALITY
Lunga Shabalala is a South African socialite, model, television presenter and actor best known for taking over as the host of the SABC1 music show Selimathunzi from Kaos Matu after winning a countrywide presenter search, in 2011. He is considered South Africa’s ultimate bad boy, as his toned abs have become signature brand which earned him the coveted South African rep for Calvin Klein men’s underwear line after a nationwide search, his career has since been growing in leaps and bounds just as his appeal moves further beyond the South African shore.
ASSOU EKOTTO, AGE: 30, CAMEROONIAN, FOOTBALLER
Assou Ekotto is a professional footballer who plays for English club Tottenham Hotspur. Born in France, he plays internationally for the Cameroon national team. Since arriving at Tottenham, Assou-Ekotto has pursued an interest in the local community and its inhabitants, expressing a “great sense of connection to Tottenham”. He carries an Oyster card and frequents the London Underground, and often walks with Tottenham supporters towards the stadium before home matches. During the London riots, the outspoken footballer suggested in an interview with BBC Sport that his colleagues do more to mitigate geopolitical issues, such as donating a hundredth of their salaries towards local causes.
ALEK WEK, AGE: 37, SOUTH SUDANESE, SUPER MODEL
Alek Wek is a South Sudanese British supermodel, designer and philanthropist who began her fashion career at the age of 18 in 1995. As the first black model whose looks did not conform to Caucasian aesthetics, she has been hailed for her influence on the perception of beauty in the fashion industry. Wek has modelled, either on runways or in print advertisements, for Issey Miyake, Moschino, Victoria’s Secret, Clinique, Shiatzy Chen, John Galliano, Chanel, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Jasper Conran, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Armani, Fendi and Christian Dior. She has also been featured in articles in American and British Vogue. And has been on the cover of Elle magazine, i-D Magazine, Canadian, German and Japanese Vogue, Cosmopolitan magazine, Glamour magazine, Forbes Magazine Africa, and Ebony magazine.
Dark-skinned models were rare, if not unheard of, in the high fashion industry. Wek was “the first black model who didn’t conform to a Caucasian aesthetic, the first with an uncompromising, sub-Saharan beauty… her industry saw her as new and exotic – a savage beauty.” As a result, Wek’s mainstream success was celebrated by black women all over the world. Oprah Winfrey commented that “if [Wek] had been on the cover of a magazine when I was growing up, I would have had a different concept of who I was.”
TIWA SAVAGE, AGE: 34, NIGERIAN, MUSICIAN
Known by her stage name Tiwa Savage, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter. The Pepsi ambassador, is currently signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Mavin Records. She co-wrote the track “Collard Greens & Cornbread” on Fantasia Barrino’s Grammy-nominated album Back to Me. Savage was featured on Solar Plexus, a compilation album that was released a day after the establishment of Mavin Records. On 3 July 2013, she released her debut studio album Once Upon a Time. Savage sings in English and Yoruba. As a singer, her achievements include one MTV Africa Music Award, one The Headies Award, one Channel O Music Video Award, one Nigeria Music Video Award, and two City People Entertainment Awards, and a BET nomination for Best International Act among others. On the release of her now infamous music video ‘Wanted’, Tiwa trended across the continent for weeks, receiving a continent wide media backlash for the sexually provocative music video.
BURNA BOY, AGE: 23, NIGERIAN, MUSICIAN
Burna Boy is an amazing Nigerian vocalist with his unique sound blends Dance-hall, Afrobeat, R&B and Hip-Hop into one tightly knit package. His songs span from ballads full of depth, sometimes to controversial subject matter as well as, his Dance-hall tendency implies, songs that are just meant to get you in the mood for the groove. Burna Boy is a refreshingly goofy, ultimate bad boy, with his near nonchalant yet infectious disposition, though a musician he is however a style trendsetter, as any clothing or accessory worn by him, becomes almost a nationwide trend amongst the hippy- pop culture savvy young Nigerians, be it a tattoo, sunglasses or tee. Burna Boy is known for his smooth Patois-influenced Dance-hall crooning, and most especially for his hit singles“Abeg Abeg Abeg”, “Party Wit Me”, “Firewood”, “Touch Your Toes”, “Like To Party” and the Davido-assisted “Trumpet”.VIMBAI MUTINHIRI, AGE: 27, ZIMBABWEAN, TV PERSONALITY
Vimbai Mutinhiri is a Zimbabwean model and television personality. She was born in Harare, Zimbabwe but raised in Belgrade, Serbia and in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to participating in Big Brother Africa Amplified in 2011, she studied in South Africa graduating from the University of Cape Town with an honors degree in politics, philosophy and economics. Vimbai is perhaps, one of the very few who actually successfully built a burgeoning career outside of the fickle Big Brother Africa fame. She has gone on to host major African events, notably the first ever Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards broadcast live to 54 African countries from Lagos, Nigeria. Currently the Face of Castle Milk Stout (Cameroon), she has also been on the runway at the SA Fashion Week and the Zimbabwe Fashion Week.
BRENDA WAIRIMU, AGE: 23, KENYAN, ACTRESS
Brenda Wairimu is a Kenyan television actress on Africa Magic’s Kona series, she is a budding starlet who seems to be shooting for the stars. Brenda’s mainstream appeal is inimitable- even as she is presently one of Africa’s ‘IT’ girls of the moment. With her talent, Brenda should spear-head the next generation’s screen goddesses.
DILLISH MATHEWS, AGE: 23, NAMIBIAN, BBA REALITY STAR
Dillish Mathews is the winner of the 2013 Big Brother Africa reality show, even though she is yet to pick a definite career path, as she is yet to hit her first real breakthrough, we are however hopeful that in the nearest future, she will grace our screens once more, either as an actress or Television personality, either way, we will cautiously keep our tongues in-check as Dillish is the mother of surprises, just as she turned from the BBA’s underdog into its eventual winner, there is definitely no telling what this starlet can or can’t do.
JOSELYN DUMAS, AGE: 34, GHANAIAN, ACTRESS
Joselyn Dumas is a Ghanaian television host and actress. In 2014 she starred in A Northern Affair, a role that earned her a Ghana Movie Award and an Africa Movie Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Joselyn Dumas is indeed a sight to behold. She shot to continental fame as the curvaceous bombshell bride in Lynxx’s music video, and since then her career has never been the same and so has been her appeal which transcends borders and nationalities, she appeals equally to west Africans as she does the Southern part of Africa.BLESSING OKAGBARE, AGE: 25, NIGERIAN, ATHLETE
Blessing Okagbare is a record breaking Nigerian athlete, who participated in both the 100m and 200m races at the 2014 Common Wealth Games in Glasgow. She made it through to the finals of the 100m and won with a time of 10.85, breaking the games record of 10.91 seconds set by Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie 12 years earlier at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Okagbare also won the gold medal in the 200, with a time of 22.25 seconds. In doing so, she became the fourth woman to win the 100m and 200m double at the Commonwealth Games.
FALLY IPUPA- AGE: 36, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MUSICIAN
Fally Ipupa is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, and guitarist from Kinshasa, he was part of the band of Koffi Olomidé, Quartier Latin International, from 1999 to 2006 before starting a solo career. His first solo album was Droit chemin released in 2006, which went on to sell over 100,000 units, and his second album Arsenal de Belles Melodies (A2BM) was released in 2009. In 2007, Ipupa won the Kora Awards for Best Artist or Group from Central Africa. In 2010, Fally Ipupa won the MTV Africa Music Awards 2010 for Best Video (for Sexy Dance) and Best Francophone. He won the urban awards for best African artist. Ipupa was nominated in the Best Live Act category at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards. He released an album titled kosa leka in 2014.IAN MUGOYA, AGE: 24, KENYAN, TV PERSONALITY
Ian Mugoya, is the sexy Kenyan Television personality, who is referred to by the Kenyan media as “the ladies man” . With such a title comes expectations from his millions of Kenyan fans who are struck by his charm and good-looks. Ian like the many young people on this list is slowly reaching beyond the shows of Kenya, looking to export his East African ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the rest of the African continent.