Tag: Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams

Spotify Is Putting the Spotlight on Afrobeats to Chart Its Global Rise

October 19, 2023

With more than 15 billion streams (and counting), there’s no doubt that Afrobeats as a genre is making an impact across the globe. Artists like Shallipopi, Sarz, Ruger, and Bloody Civilian are taking their music beyond the sound’s birthplace in West Africa and bringing a truly global collaboration in sound. 

Back in June we announced the launch of the Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams site to celebrate the history, growth, and milestones of the genre. Our support continued in the following months and culminated in an Afrobeats Celebration event in Lagos last weekend. Now, as Rema‘s “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez joins the Spotify billions club as the first African artist–led track to hit a billion streams, we’re ready to bring even more Afrobeats content to fans. Kicking things off, we’ve launched the Afrobeats hub. From genre fusions and old-school classics to new alternative hits and Afro mood playlists, the hub is a one-stop shop that brings together all flavors of Afrobeats.

We’re also delivering new articles, videos, and more to the Afrobeats site, documenting history, culture, fashion, and upcoming trends. Podcasters Jola Ayeye and Feyikemi Abudu from the African millennial show I Said What I Said and Joey Akan from the in-depth audio exploration that is Afrobeats Intelligence will also lend their unique perspectives and voices along for the ride, starting with a video of their respective live shows from the Afrobeats Celebration.

Discover the Latest Afrobeats News, Interviews, and Trends on Our Dedicated Site

June 22, 2023

a green and orange background with black and white artist portraits. Afro Beats text is in the center.

With over 13 billion streams on Spotify in 2022, Afrobeats remains one of the globe’s hottest sounds. While countries like the U.S., U.K., and Nigeria remain the biggest consumers of Afrobeats, the genre’s popularity has grown rapidly in countries like France, the Netherlands, and Mexico as fans can’t get enough of artists like Rema, Ayra Starr, and Burna Boy. 

That’s why we’re launching Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams, a dedicated website that will act as a repository of the latest news and developments in Afrobeats.  

Whether looking at the genre’s origins in Ghana, its rise and evolution in Nigeria, or its fusion with other genres, we’re spotlighting how Afrobeats became one of Africa’s biggest cultural exports and are tracking its underreported narratives.

Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams will consist of five key pillars:

  • Origins explores the genres that acted as precursors of Afrobeats as we know it. 
  • Evolution dives deeper into which industry players contributed to the current Afrobeats sound that the whole world can’t seem to get enough of.  
  • Fusion looks at how Afrobeats has emerged by melding itself with other genres, such as reggaeton, amapiano, and other hybrids. 
  • Cultural exportation documents the influence of Afrobeats in music, food, language, and fashion lenses, especially in countries outside Africa.
  • The Women of Afrobeats sheds light on some of the key women in the industry whose contributions propelled the genre to its current status as a global sensation.

The site features regular interviews with leading experts, videos, quizzes, and the latest Spotify data and trends around Afrobeats listening.

“There is no doubt that Afrobeats as a genre is here to stay and will only continue to shatter more ceilings,” says Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director for Spotify in sub-Saharan Africa. “In 2023 alone, the genre has been played for more than 223 million hours, with streams exceeding 7.1 billion on Spotify. We created this site for both new and longtime fans of the genre who want to better understand how and where this explosive sound came to be.”

Over the next eight weeks, the site will be updated regularly and will continue to remain active with the latest happenings from the global Afrobeats community.

Once you’ve caught up with the latest Afrobeats news, check out the hottest hits on our playlist, African Heat.