While individual songs with 1 billion Spotify streams grab headlines, achieving this milestone with a full album represents another great accomplishment. Albums with 1 billion streams demonstrate sustained fan engagement and deep catalog strength.
In the Nigerian music industry, five albums have crossed the 1 billion Spotify streams threshold, representing some of the most influential projects in Afrobeats history. These Nigerian albums with 1 billion Spotify streams showcase the genre’s evolution and its growing dominance in global music consumption.
As of 2025, only four Nigerian artists have achieved albums with 1 billion Spotify streams, with Burna Boy leading the pack with two separate projects reaching this milestone. 
1. Burna Boy – “African Giant” (1 Billion+ Spotify Streams)
Burna Boy’s “African Giant” has over 1 Billon Spotify streams [Credit: Spotify]
Release Year: 2019
Milestone: First Nigerian album to reach 1 billion Spotify streams
Significance: Grammy-nominated, breakthrough international album
Burna Boy’s African Giant stands as a landmark moment in Afrobeats history. The album not only became one of the first Nigerian albums with 1 billion Spotify streams but also earned a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
African Giant showcased Burna Boy’s unique blend of Afro-fusion, combining traditional African rhythms with dancehall, reggae, and hip-hop influences. The project featured collaborations with international artists and demonstrated the Grammy-winning artist’s ability to create music that resonates across cultural boundaries.
The album’s success on Spotify reflects its longevity and replay value. Tracks from African Giant continue to accumulate streams years after its release, proving that great albums have staying power in the streaming era. Burna Boy’s achievement with this project solidified his status as one of Africa’s most globally recognized acts and paved the way for other Nigerian albums to reach 1 billion Spotify streams.
2. Burna Boy – “Love, Damini” (1 Billion+ Spotify Streams)
Release Year: 2022
Milestone: Second Burna Boy album to reach 1 billion Spotify streams
Significance: Made Burna Boy the first Nigerian artist with multiple billion-stream albums
Burna Boy made history again when Love, Damini surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams, making him the only Nigerian artist with two albums to achieve this feat. This accomplishment underscores Burna Boy’s consistency and his ability to create commercially successful projects that resonate with global audiences.
Love, Damini built on the foundation established by African Giant, further cementing Burna Boy’s position as a leading force in Afrobeats and Afro-fusion. The album demonstrated his continued evolution as an artist while maintaining the authentic African sound that made him a global star.
Having two Nigerian albums with 1 billion Spotify streams places Burna Boy in a category of his own within African music. This achievement highlights not just his popularity but the depth and quality of his discography, proving that his success isn’t limited to single breakthrough moments but represents sustained excellence.
3. Rema – “Rave & Roses” (1 Billion+ Spotify Streams)
Release Year: 2022
Milestone: Youngest Nigerian artist to achieve an album with 1 billion Spotify streams
Significance: Home to “Calm Down,” the first African-led song with 1 billion streams
Rema’s debut album “Rave & Roses” became one of the Nigerian albums with 1 billion Spotify streams, powered significantly by the massive global success of “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez. However, the album’s achievement extends beyond a single hit—the entire project showcased Rema’s innovative approach to Afrobeats.
Rave & Roses introduced a new generation of Afrobeats fans to Rema’s unique sound, which blends traditional Afrobeats with trap, pop, and electronic influences. The album’s success on Spotify demonstrates how a breakout single can drive listeners to explore an artist’s full body of work, contributing to overall album streaming numbers.
The project received a deluxe edition titled Rave & Roses Ultra in 2023, which included the Selena Gomez remix of “Calm Down” and further extended the album’s streaming life. Rema’s achievement as a relatively young artist with a billion-stream album signals the arrival of a new generation of Nigerian superstars.
4. Omah Lay – “Boy Alone” (1 Billion+ Spotify Streams)
Release Year: 2022
Milestone: Debut album to reach 1 billion Spotify streams
Significance: Showcased Afro-fusion and R&B crossover appeal
Omah Lay joined the exclusive club of Nigerian albums with 1 billion Spotify streams with his debut album Boy Alone. This achievement is particularly impressive considering it’s his first full-length project, demonstrating his immediate impact on the global music scene.
Boy Alone showcased Omah Lay’s introspective songwriting and his smooth blend of Afro-fusion and R&B. The album earned both critical acclaim and commercial success, proving that Nigerian artists can achieve massive streaming numbers while maintaining artistic depth and vulnerability in their music.
The project’s success on Spotify reflects the growing appetite for diverse sounds within African music. Omah Lay’s more melodic, introspective approach resonated with listeners worldwide, showing that Nigerian albums with 1 billion Spotify streams can come from various subgenres and styles within the broader Afrobeats movement.
5. Ayra Starr – “The Year I Turned 21” (1 Billion+ Spotify Streams)
Release Year: 2024
Milestone: First Nigerian album by a female artist to reach 1 billion Spotify streams
Significance: Historic achievement for female representation in Afrobeats
Ayra Starr made history when her sophomore album The Year I Turned 21 crossed the 1 billion streams mark on Spotify, becoming the first Nigerian album by a female artist to achieve this milestone. This groundbreaking achievement represents a major moment for female artists in the Nigerian music scene.
The Year I Turned 21 showcased Ayra Starr’s growth as an artist and her ability to blend Afrobeats with pop, R&B, and other contemporary sounds. The album’s success demonstrates that female Nigerian artists can compete at the highest levels of streaming consumption, breaking down barriers in a historically male-dominated industry.
Ayra Starr’s achievement with this album continues to blaze a trail for other female artists in Nigerian music. As the only woman with a Nigerian album that has surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams, she has set a new benchmark and proven that gender is no barrier to achieving massive streaming success.
What Makes Nigerian Albums Reach 1 Billion Spotify Streams?
Several factors contribute to Nigerian albums achieving 1 billion Spotify streams:
- Global Collaborations: Albums like Rema’s Rave & Roses benefited from high-profile international features that expanded their reach to new audiences.
- Streaming Longevity: Albums like Burna Boy’s African Giant continue accumulating streams years after release, demonstrating the importance of creating timeless music.
- Hit Singles: While albums need overall strength, having one or more viral hits significantly drives album streams as listeners explore the full project.
- Playlist Placement: Spotify’s algorithmic playlists and curated Afrobeats playlists play crucial roles in introducing Nigerian albums to global audiences.
- Cultural Moments: Albums that capture specific cultural moments or movements tend to have longer streaming lives and broader appeal.
The Growth of Nigerian Albums on Spotify
The fact that five Nigerian albums have surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams, all within the past few years, illustrates the explosive growth of Afrobeats consumption globally. This represents a fundamental shift in how Nigerian music is consumed worldwide.
In recent years, Nigerian music has cemented its place on the global stage, with streaming numbers serving as a key indicator of this international impact. The streaming platform has become crucial for Nigerian artists reaching audiences far beyond Africa, with Spotify providing the infrastructure for Afrobeats to become a truly global genre.
Future Nigerian Albums Positioned for 1 Billion Streams
As Nigerian music continues its global ascent, several more albums are positioned to join the billion-stream club. Artists like Wizkid, Asake, and Tems have projects that are steadily accumulating streams and could reach this milestone in the coming years.
The increasing number of Nigerian albums with 1 billion Spotify streams suggests this achievement will become more common as Afrobeats continues to dominate global playlists and charts.
Key Takeaways: Nigerian Albums With 1 Billion Spotify Streams
These streaming milestones demonstrate the commercial viability and longevity of Nigerian albums in the global market
5 Nigerian albums have surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams as of 2025
Burna Boy is the only artist with two albums achieving this milestone (African Giant and Love, Damini)
Ayra Starr’s The Year I Turned 21 is the first Nigerian album by a female artist to reach 1 billion streams
Rema’s Rave & Roses was powered by “Calm Down,” which became a global phenomenon
Omah Lay’s Boy Alone achieved this milestone as a debut album
All five albums were released between 2019 and 2024, showing the recent acceleration of Nigerian music’s global reach
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