The Abuja Girl Who Just Became Apple Music’s Africa Rising Cover Star

Apple Music names Abuja singer ru. its September 2026 Africa Rising cover star after her new project, Silk II. Here’s her story.

Okay, so here’s a fun one. There’s this singer from Abuja who goes by “ru.” small letter r, small letter u, full stop and everything, and Apple Music just handed her one of the biggest spotlights an African artist can get right now.
She’s the new Africa Rising cover star for September.

If you’ve never heard of ru. before, don’t worry, you’re not alone. That’s kind of the whole point of Africa Rising. Apple Music uses it to pick out artists who are clearly going somewhere, before the rest of the world catches on.

Her real name is Ruth Unde, and honestly, her sound is hard to box in. She mixes Afropop with soul and a bit of alternative R&B, and there’s this thread of faith and honesty running through everything she makes. She’s not the type to write generic love songs just to chase a hit. She writes from real life, and somehow that makes her music feel like it’s about your life too.

Right now, she’s riding the release of her new project, Silk II. Five tracks. And it’s basically her continuing to explore what it means to be a woman, to be soft and sure of yourself at the same time.

You might already know some of her earlier songs without realizing it was her. Remember “i think i love you”? That was ru. Same with the sequel, “i think i love you 2,” which had Magixx on it. And “Woman,” that empowering one that a lot of people related to? Also her.

So this Apple Music moment isn’t coming out of nowhere. It’s the payoff of steady, quiet work.
When she found out she’d been picked, she didn’t try to sound cool about it. She said:
“To be seen in this way is a gift. I’m deeply honoured to be part of Africa Rising, and grateful for the opportunity to share a piece of my story. I hope this moment encourages others to believe that gentle beginnings can blossom into moments like this.”

That last line hits, doesn’t it? Gentle beginnings blossoming into something big. That’s basically every artist’s dream, and she’s living it in real time.

As part of the honour, her music gets pushed across the Africa Rising playlist all month, she’s sitting down with Ebro Darden for a chat on Apple Music 1, and she’ll also show up on Africa Now Radio with Nandi Madida.
So keep an ear out. There’s a good chance “ru.” is about to become a name you hear a lot more often, and now you can say you knew about her before it was everywhere.