Over the past few years, the Afrobeats genre has seen tremendous international success, especially in countries like the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and France, where many Nigerians and Africans reside.
However, it’s interesting to note that the genre is now expanding its reach and gaining popularity in Asia and the Middle East and North Africa.
It’s a testament to the global appeal of Afrobeats and the talent of the artistes who are breaking barriers and making their mark on the international music scene.
In the early 2000s, superstars like 2Baba, P-Square, and D’ banj ruled the African music scene, taking Afrobeats to heights beyond the continent.
These Nigerian legends collaborated with American superstars such as T Pain, Akon, Snoop Dogg, and Rick Ross, which helped bring Afrobeats some international exposure.
One of the most significant moments in Afrobeats international journey was in 2010 when D’banj released his hit record ‘Oliver Twist, which became a massive success in the United Kingdom.
The song introduced Afrobeats to a broader audience in the UK and helped to establish the genre as a force to be reckoned with in the international music scene.
Data speaks
The Nigerian music industry has changed in recent years.
The rise of streaming and social media has given rise to new genres and artistes, and Afrobeats is one of them.
The genre gained momentum in 2014 after Nigerian-British rapper Skepta and Canadian megastar Drake freestyled on Wizkid’s Ojuelegba, which brought the song and genre international exposure.
Drake later put Wizkid on his smash hit record One Dance, further opening the global doors for Afrobeats. But what’s even more interesting is how Spotify data shows the impact that streaming and social media are having in opening up new markets for Afrobeats artistes and exposing people from all around the globe to new music.
Data for the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) ranks Afrobeats superstars Rema, CKay and BurnaBoy as the most streamed musicians in the area.
In contrast, Ayra Starr and Tems are the top streamed female artists.
Rema, CKay and Libianca are the most streamed Afrobeats artistes in Asia and India.
CKays rise to fame in the Middle East and Asia has been phenomenal. It all began with his breakout hit Love Nwantiti, which took social media by storm in 2021, quickly becoming Nigerias biggest international song.
The tracks popularity in North Africa caught the attention of CKay, who went on to record a remix with Moroccan rapper ElGrande Toto.
The collaboration was just the beginning of CKays global success, as Love Nwantiti made history by becoming the first African song to top the Indian International Singles Chart.
Since then, more Afrobeats musicians have started to look towards Eastern audiences, inspired by CKays success and the growing popularity of African music in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Enter Rema
Rema’s hit song Calm Down remix featuring Selena Gomez has taken the world by storm. The recent footage of his tour in India shows thousands of fans singing along to the catchy tune.
Unsurprisingly, the single topped the Indian International Music Chart and the IFPI Middle East and North African chart, earning him a Guinness World Record as the first number-one song.
According to Spotify data, the tracks success is not limited to these markets alone, as it also holds the title of the most streamed Afrobeats track in the Middle East, India, and Asia.
The data shows that the influence appeal to specific demography, with 11 per cent of streamers in the Middle East and North Africa between the ages of 35 and 44.
With the latest Spotify data and trends, its safe to say that Afrobeats is gaining popularity in the Middle East after already establishing a solid footing in the West.
Thanks to social media, streaming services, and intentional music collaborations, artistes like Rema and Ckay are making waves just as Afrobeats is on its way to global domination.
