Burna Boy Named Spotify’s Most Streamed African Artist in Sub-Saharan Africa Once Again
For the second consecutive time, Grammy Award winning Nigerian singer, Burna Boy, has been ranked the most streamed artist in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This was announced in a release by Spotify Wrapped 2023 on Thursday.
The singer has achieved a feat reminiscent of last year when he secured the title of the most globally streamed artist in the region. In 2022, his rise to prominence was driven by the success of the hit single ‘Last Last’ and the Love Damini album. This year, his victory once again stems from the popularity of these two contributions, along with his newly released seventh studio album, “I Told Them.”
This year’s Spotify Wrapped 2023 also showed Nigeria’s dominance in the music scene across the continent, with Asake, Davido, and Omah Lay securing positions in the coveted top ten list. Remarkably, Ayra Starr, the most streamed female artist in Sub-Saharan Africa, clinched the 11th spot, narrowly missing out on the prestigious top ten ranking.
The most successful tracks in the region include Ruger’s ‘Asiwaju’, followed by Ayra Starr’s ‘Rush’. A host of other Nigerian tracks also make the list including Asake’s ‘Lonely At The Top’, the most streamed track in Nigeria this year.
Tyla ICU is the sole South African with ‘Mnike’, with Cameroonian breakout star Libianca’s ‘People’ securing the eighth spot almost a year after its release.
Davido’s album, “Timeless,” which debuted earlier this year, has become the most streamed album in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Two standout tracks from the album, ‘Feel’ and ‘Unavailable’ featuring Musa Keys, have secured positions among the top 10 most streamed tracks in the SSA region. Additionally, both of Asake’s albums, “Work of Art” and “Mr. Money With the Vibe,” have also earned spots on the list of the most streamed albums in SSA.
For the first time in history, an African artist-driven song has reached a remarkable milestone on the international scene. Rema has become the leading artist in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for exports, propelled by the widespread acclaim of “Calm Down,” a collaboration with Selena Gomez. This track has not only become the most exported song from SSA but has also surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, securing its position as the eighth most streamed track worldwide.
Spotify Wrapped 2023, is an annual data review of how people listened to music and podcasts on the platform.