Let's take a look at some of the best afrobeats artists in music: from Burna Boy to Tems, we've got a lot in store for you. This list will introduce you to the very best of the best, and chances are, by the end of this article you'll be a certified Afrobeats super-fan. Lo and behold, in no particular order, here's our list of 15 Afrobeats artists who need to be on your radar.
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Hailing from Ghana, Moliy is an incredibly talented artist who grew to prominence thanks to her role in Amaarae's "Sad Gurlz Luv Money" remix alongside Kali Uchis in 2020. In the time since, she dropped off her debut album, Honey Doom, in 2022, and has only continued to put out noteworthy music.
Next up on our list is Ayra Starr, a Nigerian singer who's culminated over 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Her top song, "Rush," is nearing 80 million streams on the platform, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Starting his music career off on SoundCloud in 2017 with his mixtape, The Outlaw King, Victony began solely as a rapper. This would soon change, as he ventured into other genres like R&B, afrobeats, and afropop, which is where he's at today. He's got over 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, and his top song, "Soweto," has over 40 million streams on the platform.
Next up on our list of the best afrobeats artists is Amaarae. As we mentioned earlier, her collaboration with Moliy and Kali Uchis helped propel her into stardom as well. The song is at over 300 million streams on Spotify alone - that's nearly a third of a billion listens. Amaarae also has over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Rema is yet another incredibly talented afrobeats artist who hails from Nigeria. His top performing song, "Calm Down (Remix)" features Selena Gomez, and has nearly half a billion streams on Spotify. The original is not far behind it, with over 300 million streams on the platfrom. His soothing voice has put him in a position of success, and he's not stopping any time soon.
Born in Cameroon, Libianca is a noteworthy talent who's culminated over 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify - which is no easy feat. Her top song, "People," is nearing 100 million streams on the platform, and showcases her distinct, ear-catching voice in a way that's sure to make a first-time listener a fan.
Last year, we connected with the Nigerian songster CKay at the Atlantic Records office in New York City on the heels of his smash hit "love nwantiti (ah ah ah)." In the time since, the song has grown to over 650 million streams on Spotify alone, helping him score over 13 million monthly listeners on the platform. He's dropped two more albums since his debut, which included his initial smash hit. Something tells us he's far from done.
Next up on our list is yet another top-notch Nigerian songmaker, Oxlade. Signed to Epic Records, Oxlade grew to fame with his smash hit COLORS performance, "KU LO SA," which became his top-streaming song on Spotify, scoring him a feature from Camila Cabello - which is still somehow over 100 million streams behind his solo version from the COLORS show. Yeah, it's that good of a live performance.
Even if you're not a huge afrobeats fan, you're probably familiar with the name Wizkid. His collaboration with Tems, "Essence," was noted to be a perfect song according to Kanye West, and the numbers back up the claim, with over 160 million streams on Spotify alone. The successful track earned the duo a feature from Justin Bieber, which scored them yet another 100 million-plus streams on Spotify for the remix. This is just the tip of the iceberg with Wizkid's incredible catalog of music.
Burna Boy is another one of those names that's known even outside of the afrobeats circle. He's grown to be a massive star, and for good reason. Some of Burna Boy's best include "Last Last," "For My Hand (feat. Ed Sheeran)," and "Alone" - the latter of which was featured on the official soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He's accumulated over 16 million monthly listeners - and that's just on Spotify.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, the next artist on our list has grown to be one of the most prominent names in the afrobeats scene. He's got several songs in the tens of millions of streams on Spotify, one of which made the official soundtrack for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, "Hayya Hayya (Better Together)." This artist has an unbelievable music-making ability, and is well worth a deep dive.
Our list of the best afrobeats artists features plenty of talent from Nigeria, and we're not quite done yet. Next up on our list is Omah Lay, a Nigerian singer and producer who grew to fame with his self-produced hit "Holiday" in 2020. In the time since, he's grown exponentially, accumulating over 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Just about every song in his top 10 on the platform has 8-figures worth of streams, with a couple over the 50 million stream mark.
Next up on our list is yet another Nigerian hitmaker, Tiwa Savage. Starting off her career as a backup vocalist for iconic acts like George Michael and Mary J. Blige, she then grew her own career as a vocalist. As of right now, her top performing tracks are "Ma Lo," "Loaded," "Koroba," and "Keys to the Kingdom," all of which are well worth a listen.
Our list of the best afrobeats artists would be missing a crucial piece if we were to not include Tems. Tems has had an explosive few years, earning the role of one of the most sought-after features in the world. After rising to fame from her feature on Wizkid's song "Essence," Tems would soon find herself on songs with Drake and Future, as well as other top-notch talent from around the world. Tems has created the strongest foundation possible for a successful career, and she's just getting started.
Last on our list of the best afrobeats artists is Fireboy DML. Fireboy DML is a Nigerian artist who's been running up his streams on Spotify and other similar platforms. Not only has he released three successful albums to date, he's also been included on the official soundtrack for the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As he is about to break 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, something tells us that he's only just beginning his rise to the top. Take a listen to his work, and while you're at it, do a deep dive into the rest of our list as well.
