Spotify has produced a list of Nigerian artistes and songs that have dominated its platform as part of the one-year celebration of its entry into 40+ new markets across Africa, including Nigeria.
In the music streaming company’s first year in Nigeria, music lovers have discovered more music, local artists have found a megaphone for their work, and Nigerian genres have been exported across the globe.
From the list released, Spotify highlights the growing popularity of original Nigerian music content adopted on its streaming services both within and outside the country.
As Nigerians became more familiar with Spotify, they began to use it more frequently, broadening their musical choices. Spotify indicates that the average number of artists played per user has increased by 60%, and Nigerian music enthusiasts have created 1.3 million user-generated playlists.
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The report’s breakdown indicates that WizKid, Burna Boy, Davido, Buju (now known as BNXN) and Olamide dominated the local music scene and topped the list of the five most-streamed local artists.
Fireboy DML, Joeboy, Tems, Rema and Omah Lay were also on the list of the 10 most streamed local artists, occupying the sixth to tenth position, respectively.
Fireboy DML’s song Peru maintained a position as the most-streamed Nigerian song on the platform and was followed by Lojay and Sarz’s Monalisa, with Buju and LADIPOE’s feelings in third place. Omah Lay’s Understand was the fourth most streamed track, with High by Adekunle Gold and Davido closing off the top five local songs.
With a growing number of brilliant acts breaking into the Nigerian music scene, Bounce by Ruger, Bloody Samaritan by Arya Star, Outside by Buju, Sip by Joeboy, and Holy Father by Mayorkun featuring Victony all sat in the bottom half of the top ten most-streamed Nigerian songs table.
Ckay, WizKid, and Burna Boy were the top three exported local artists, respectively. Tems earned the fourth position on the chart, with Mr Eazi rounding out the top five local artists who have been exported.
According to the streaming network’s chart, making up the lower end of the chart and accounting for the sixth to tenth position for local artists who have been exported, were Davido, Rema, Joeboy, Fireboy DML and Omah Lay, in that order.
Growing Traction for Nigerian Acts
Spotify also revealed the top ten exported Nigerian tracks, nine of which are collaborations with local and international hitmakers, demonstrating that Nigerian music is gaining international traction.
Love Nwantiti by CKay is the most-exported song, followed by Essence, a WizKid and Tems duet. Next was the CKay and WizKid remix of Love Nwantiti and Essence, with international musicians including Justin Bieber, DJ Yo, and Axel featuring on the tracks.
The Czech Republic, India, Canada, Ghana, Morocco, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom are among the nations where the exported songs have received the most airplay.
Spoitify revealed that creators have added 20,935 songs to its platform since its introduction a year ago. Nigeria earns its place as the country with the second-highest number of streams, behind Pakistan, with Kenya in third place.
Hot Hits Naija is the Spotify playlist that Nigerians have shown the highest appreciation for among user-generated playlists, demonstrating how much they adore homegrown music and are ready to stream it.
Lagos, Nigeria’s entertainment hub, is continuing to live up to its reputation as the city from where the majority of Nigerians stream. Kano, FCT, Niger, and Rivers are the other cities leading up to the chart report.
Goya Menor took the top spot on the list of developing/breakout artists, with Mizzle, Lojay, Psycho YP, SGaWD, Jaywillz, Ria Sean, Victony, Dai Verse, and Soundz rounding out the top 10.
While Nigerian Afropop is the most popular local genre, curated playlists such as African Heat, Gbedu, and Traffic Jams Naija, among others, fared well on the streaming site.
Nigerian music is also becoming increasingly popular on a global scale. According to data on local genres being exported throughout the world, 30 per cent of the Nigerian Alte genre is being streamed in the United States, with a year-over-year increase of more than 200 per cent.
Furthermore, almost 40% of Afropop from Nigeria is streamed in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
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