Boomplay unveils Africa’s biggest acts of 2023

1 Dec 2023 - 12:51

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

Africa-facing streaming service Boomplay has unveiled the latest in its yearly report of music consumption on the platform.

Ayra Starr emerged among the top three female artists in Nigeria.

Orbiting Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania, #BoomplayRecap2023 provides a comprehensive overview of music consumption trends, emphasising insights from local music scenes. The report, segmented into country, artist and user insights, highlights a substantial increase in the platform’s catalogue to 120 million songs, featuring over 10 million artists and 7 500+ content providers. Notably, Afrobeats and amapiano emerged as the most popular genres in 2023.

In Nigeria, the top male artists included Asake, Seyi Vibez and Davido, while Ayra Starr, Mercy Chinwo and Tiwa Savage led among female artists. The top rising talent in the year under review were Shallipopi, Odumodublvck and Spyro.

The most streamed songs featured hits like ‘Soso’ by Omah Lay, ‘Cough (Odo)’ by Kizz Daniel and ‘Party No Dey Stop’ by Adekunle Gold, with the most streamed albums being Davido’s Timeless, Asake’s Mr Money With the Vibe, and Omah Lay’s Boy Alone. Meanwhile, Burna Boy became the first artist to achieve 1 billion streams, earning him a place in Boomplay’s Platinum Club.

In Ghana, Black Sherif, Sarkodie and Stonebwoy stood out as the top male artists, while Wendy Shay, Diana Hamilton and Gyakie led the female category. Rising artists Banzy Banero, OlivetheBoy and Skyface SDW made waves. Popular songs included ‘Country Side’ by Sarkodie featuring Black Sherif and ‘Konongo Zongo’ by Black Sherif, with top albums being The Villain I Never Was, also by Black Sherif, Jamz by Sarkodie, and 5th Dimension by Stonebwoy.

Kenya saw Otile Brown, Bahati and Wakadinali as top male artists, while Nadia Mukami, Nikita Kering’ and Gloria Muliro were highlighted among female artists. Rico Gang, V-BE and Vic West emerged as rising talents, and the most streamed songs included ‘Kuna Kuna’ by Vic West featuring Fathermoh.

In Tanzania, Harmonize, Mbosso and Diamond Platnumz led among the male artists, with Zuchu, Nandy and Yammi topping the female category. Rising artists Jaivah, Mavokali and Kontawa gained recognition, and popular songs included ‘Puuh’ by Billnas featuring Jay Melody. The most streamed albums were Khan by Mbosso, Made for Us by Harmonize and The Kid You Know by Marioo.

“The uniqueness of the Boomplay Recap is that, it provides true reflection and insights on the music consumption by streaming within the local music scenes in Africa,” Boomplay communications and public relations manager for Africa Paul Azumah-Ayitey told Music In Africa. “Boomplay Recap 2023 has generally shown growth in streaming as a means of music consumption and the emergence of new talents across Africa who are impacting their local music scenes with some making significant cross-country inroads following the footsteps of already established African music superstars. Afrobeats and amapiano remain the two most popular genres of 2023 across Africa.”

Boomplay Recap 2023 for Nigeria

Top Male Artist