Burna Boy hits 200 million Boomplay streams

The musician is the first African act to achieve this feat, barely a year after he chalked up 100 million streams on Africa’s leading digital service provider. He is trailed by Olamide and Fireboy DML, both of whom surpassed 100 million streams via the platform in December.

Boomplay said Burna Boy’s latest achievement had been largely based on the success of albums such as 2018’s Outside (10 million streams), 2019’s Grammy-nominated African Giant (43 million streams), and 2020’s Grammy-winning Twice as Tall (80 million streams). 

Burna Boy is one of the biggest names in music to come out of Africa in recent years. He has amassed a growing global audience with multiple crossover hits and international collaborations.

“This is another iconic feat for Burna Boy, Boomplay and the entire African music industry,” Boomplay director of artist and media relations Tosin Sorinola, who presented Burna Boy with a plaque in recognition of the milestone, said. “This achievement shows that fans in Africa are fast catching up to the digitisation of music and streaming, which Boomplay is championing.” She added that growing digital music consumption meant more income for music creators who were using Boomplay.

Boomplay is home to 60 million monthly active users and a catalogue of 65 million tracks, the most extensive selection of African content globally. The platform’s streaming data is now also considered in a number of Billboard charts. In December, Boomplay announced an expansion of its agreement with independent music rights holder Merlin to extend the availability of Merlin members’ music catalogue to 47 additional countries in Africa.

Meanwhile, Burna Boy is set to headline the Afro Nation Puerto Rico 2022 festival, which is scheduled for San Juan from 24 to 26 March.