Spotify Wrapped 2025 is out, and certain African artists owned the year. From Nigeria to Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, it is clear that local music is winning harder than ever. Plus, a new class of young stars are reshaping what we listen to, share, and export to the world.
Nigeria and South Africa clocked over 1.3 billion hours of streaming each, and Ghana recorded a 60% surge in local listening. Kenya saw a major youth-driven shift as rising Gen Z acts stormed the charts. Kwame Nkrumah and Nelson Mandela would be proud of us.
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In Nigeria, Wizkid, Davido & Ayra Starr Had a Monster Year
Nigeria remains Africa’s most powerful streaming market, and the numbers prove it.
Wizkid topped the country’s Most-Streamed Artists list, while his album ‘Morayo’ was the No. 1 album nationwide. That’s remarkable, considering the album was released in 2024.
Davido followed closely, not only delivering the No. 2 album ‘5ive’ but also owning the Most-Shared Song of the year with ‘With You’ featuring Omah Lay. . Everyone’s jam; don’t bother disagreeing.
On the female side, Ayra Starr showed ‘what her hot body can do’ dominating for the second consecutive year, just ahead of Tems and Qing Madi. Rising stars also had a breakout moment: Fido, Kunmie, Faceless, and FOLA all cracked the top songs list, signalling the next wave of Afrobeats voices.
Globally, Afrobeats continues to explode. Burna Boy leads Nigeria’s Most-Exported Artists, while Rema’s “Calm Down” extends its run as the Most-Exported Nigerian Song for the third straight year. That track is doing everything but calming down.
Black Sherif Took Over Ghana Completely, and Moliy Had a Global Run
No country had a more dominant individual performer than Black Sherif in Ghana. Ironboy for a reason!
He took nine of the top 10 most-streamed songs, including the No. 1 hit ‘Sacrifice’. His albums IRON BOY and The Villain I Never Was also secured the top two most-streamed albums spots. An unheard-of sweep.
But globally, 2025 belonged to Moliy, she topped Ghana’s Most-Exported Artists list thanks to her viral smash ‘Shake It to the Max (Fly)’, positioning her as Ghana’s biggest global breakout.
South Africa Let The Amapiano Kings Rule Again
South Africa stayed true to its roots as Amapiano was unstoppable.
Kabza De Small led with nearly 200 million streams, followed by DJ Maphorisa and Kelvin Momo, whose two albums sat comfortably in the Top 10.
Local talent took over the charts as 70% of SA’s Top 10 Most-Streamed Artists were homegrown. That’s a sharp rise from last year’s 3%. Meanwhile, Tyla dominated exports, leading the Most-Exported Songs list with hits like “PUSH 2 START” and “Water.”
A New Wave Takes Over Kenya
Kenya experienced its most dramatic shift yet. Njerae, Toxic Lyrikali, and Watendawili all entered the Top 10 Most-Streamed Kenyan Artists for the first time.
Njerae’s ‘Aki Sioni’ became Kenya’s Most-Streamed Song, while her album Unintentional landed in the Top 3.
Watendawili scored three major hits, and Toxic Lyrikali emerged as Kenya’s Top Discovered Artist. That’s a strong signal of the country’s changing sonic identity.
Across the board, three themes defined the year:
- Dominance of our own giants like Wizkid, Black Sherif, Kabza De Small, and Bien.
- Explosive rise of fresh names like Njerae, FOLA, and Toxic Lyrikali.
- Huge export power from Afrobeats, Amapiano, and Afro-fusion voices
Conclusion
In the end, Spotify Wrapped 2025 Africa makes it clear that the continent is leading the global music conversation. With legends holding the fort and young stars shaking things up, 2025 was a golden year for African sound. If the continent keeps up this pace, the rest of the world better start taking notes… or playlists.
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