The drums from Lagos are still shaking the planet. Spotify has just released its 2025 Afrobeats wrap-up, and once again, Nigeria stands at the very heart of the genre’s unstoppable global takeover.
Leading the charge are Nigerian megastars Burna Boy, Rema, Wizkid, Asake, and Ayra Starr — the five most-streamed Afrobeats artists of the year. Their sounds, born from street corners, studio experiments, and Lagos nightclubs, now travel in luxury across playlists from New York to Rio, Paris to Berlin.
Among the top Afrobeats songs dominating global ears are:
• “Santa” — Ayra Starr, Rauw Alejandro, Rvssian
• “Shake It To The Max (FLY) – Remix” — Moliy, Shenseea, Silent Addy, Skillibeng
• “Calm Down (with Selena Gomez)” — Rema, Selena Gomez
• “We Pray” — Burna Boy, Coldplay, Elyanna, Little Simz, TINI
• “People” — Libianca
These tracks are more than hits — they’re cultural passports. Ayra Starr’s “Santa” moves like a runway anthem, Rema’s “Calm Down” continues to redefine crossover success, and Burna Boy’s “We Pray” pairs Afrofusion fire with Coldplay’s global stadium glow.
Spotify also revealed the top countries discovering Afrobeats in 2025 — with the U.S., Brazil, France, the U.K., Germany, and of course, Nigeria leading the surge. From Rio’s baile funk parties to Berlin’s warehouse raves, Nigerian rhythms are shaping global dance floors and festival lineups.
Burna Boy’s stadium tours, Wizkid’s timeless hits, Asake’s Fuji-inspired bounce, Rema’s Gen-Z cool, and Ayra Starr’s genre-bending allure have turned Afrobeats into a global cultural economy. It’s an industry worth hundreds of millions, creating jobs — from producers to stylists — while projecting Nigerian creativity into every corner of the world.
Spotify’s data shows what every Nigerian already knows: the world now dances to our drumbeat. Lagos is still the nerve center — a city where artists turn hustle into hits, experiment with Fuji, juju, amapiano, and trap, and export sounds that feel both local and limitless.
Ayra Starr’s rise to join this elite club is especially symbolic. At just 22, the “Celestial Being” has joined Burna, Wiz, Rema, and Asake at the streaming summit — a visible win for Nigerian women in Afrobeats, a space long dominated by men.
The question is no longer if Afrobeats will stay global — it’s how far Nigerian artists will take it next. With Spotify’s 2025 report as evidence, the answer looks unstoppable.
