International collaborations driving growth of Afrobeats

Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, has conducted research that has demonstrated that one of the key drivers of Afrobeats globally is international collaborations.

The surge in popularity of Afrobeats has been immense over the past few years, with most of its artistes shattering streaming records and also headlining major shows around the world.

The result of Afrobeats crossing West African borders and its prevalence in the mainstream media has not only impacted music, but has also been a vehicle for food, dance, and language export.

According to Spotify-commissioned research conducted by Kuvora, 28% of fans believe that international collaborations are one of the key factors driving the growth of Afrobeats.

“Afrobeats’ journey has been fascinating to watch; the export story we have seen with the genre has been so encouraging, from Mexico to Saudi Arabia-African music is reaching new audiences.

“We know Afrobeats is going to continue shattering even more ceilings, and we are so excited to see how this genre has taken African culture to the world,” says Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Interestingly, Ghana has seen 181% yearly growth in Afrobeats streams since Spotify launched in the region.

In Accra, the top streamed Afrobeats songs are Ruger’s Asiwaju, Omah Lay’s ‘Soso,’ Young Jonn’s Xtra Cool, Ayra Starr’s Rush and Asake, and Fireboy DML’s ‘Bandana.’