LAGOS, Feb 4 — The music industry has long looked down on artists from the African continent. But things have changed in recent years, as evidenced by the huge popularity of Afrobeat and singers like Burna Boy, Wizkid and Aya Nakamura.
As of last year, the whole world seems to know the words to CKay’s song, “Love, Nwantiti — even the parts in Igbo, one of the languages spoken in Nigeria.
And it’s no wonder: the two-year-old song has been used in millions of videos on TikTok, inspiring its own dance challenge. And that’s all it took for the tune to become one of the most popular tracks of the fall on Spotify, Apple Music and all other music streaming services.
CKay isn’t the only artist from Africa whose career has taken off internationally in recent years. His Nigerian compatriots Burna Boy and Wizkid are experiencing similar success beyond the continent, not to mention South African artist Master KG or Algerian artist Soolking.
In fact, African musicians account for 0.5 per cent of global listening generated by the 10,000 most popular artists in 2021, according to a report from MCR Data.
Collaborations as featured artists are shaping up to be a great springboard to propel African talents to the ranks of international stardom.
Take Fireboy DML. He was invited to sing some verses in Yoruba on the remix of Peru by Ed Sheeran. And it proved a fruitful collaboration for both artists, since the song is currently at number two in the British charts.
Wizkid and Tems also benefited from the commercial success of their appearance on Justin Bieber’s Essence. The single spent 24 weeks on Billboard’s prestigious Global 200 chart.
The Afrobeat phenomenon
Afrobeat also plays a big part in many artists’ success. This musical genre is the descendant of Afrobeat, made famous by the Nigerian legend Fela Kuti in the 1970s.
This new incarnation mixes percussion and traditional African rhythms with R’n’B, hip-hop and electro. It infuses hits like Beyoncé’s Brown Skin Girl and Drake’s One Dance, which has long been the most listened-to track of all time on Spotify.
In just a few years, this musical genre, rooted in Nigeria, has managed to conquer the planet. Nearly a third of French and German music lovers listen to it regularly, according to MCR Data. But Brazilians are the most fond of it (39 per cent).
It seems that Afrobeats is popular with all music lovers, regardless of gender or age. It is as popular among Italians aged 13-23 as it is among 24-30 year olds, according to MCR Data. Only the most senior music lovers seem to be less interested in these West African sounds.
Given the scale of the phenomenon, record companies are increasingly looking to Africa in search of new talents to propel onto the global stage. Universal Music Group opened an outpost in Nigeria in 2018, while Sony Music Entertainment has set up shop in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Streaming services are also stepping up their efforts to conquer the continent.
Spotify has been accessible since November in the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, but also in Libya and Iraq. This expansion is far from insignificant: music streaming revenues in the continent increased by 36.4 per cent in 2020. Those of recorded music have increased by 8.4 per cnet in the same year.
Proof, if any were needed, that the future of music lies in Africa. — ETX Studio
