Popular music streaming platform Spotify has launched a dedicated playlist to support and celebrate the pivotal rise of Afrobeats streams. The company noted that Afrobeat has remained a powerhouse genre, attracting significant streams from users globally.
In a statement released on Monday, as seen by Technext, Spotify explained that Afrobeat has experienced pivotal global adoption among users and continues to influence global fashion, dance, and culture. It noted that the playlist is driven by the passion and influence of listeners worldwide.
“The launch of our Global Afrobeats Playlist isn’t about Spotify leading the charge, it’s about us following the fans,” says Benewaah Boateng, Spotify’s Senior Music Editor, Sub-Saharan Africa.
The playlist featured 80 Afrobeats songs with a total playtime of 3 hours and 45 minutes. “PUSH 2 START’ by Tyla, ‘With You’ by Davido ft Oma Lay, ‘Hot Body’ by Aya Starr, ‘Love Me Jeje’ by Tems and ‘Soso’ by Omah Lay are some of the featured songs. Others are ‘Baby’ by Rema, ‘Awolowo’ by Fido, ‘Kese’ by Wizkid, ‘Peru’ by Fireboy ft Ed Sheeran and ‘Ye’ by Burnaboy.
Afrobeats has been characterised by its eclectic sound, incorporating influences from rap, dancehall, R&B, and house music. It reportedly originated in Nigeria and Ghana between the 2000s and 2010s. While it has been a highly streamed genre across the African region, it continues to influence the international music scene.
Explicitly, Spotify noted that Afrobeats has seen a massive increase in the Asia region, with countries such as Indonesia, India, the Philippines, and Thailand becoming major hotspots.
While Indonesia saw a 4,530% increase in Afrobeats streaming in 2020, India recorded a 1,650% surge, the Philippines with 1,492%, and Thailand recorded 1,370%.
Aside from the Asia region, Afrobeats also gained popularity in the Latin America region with a 183% year-on-year growth in 2025. Spotify said the data underscores the global adoption of afrobeats and recognition of young artists in the genre.
“The data shows a wave of listener-driven curation, and this playlist is our way of celebrating that momentum. We are simply giving due recognition to the voices of a new generation who have made Afrobeats a global force, and we are thrilled to provide a definitive home for this vibrant and ever-evolving genre,” Boateng added.
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The Gen Z influence on Spotify’s Afrobeats playlist
While providing more details on the Afrobeats playlist creation, Spotify explained that users show remarkable taste for creating songs one playlist at a time. Supporting this, the company recorded a 135% growth in the number of user-generated playlists that use “Afrobeats” between 2020 and 2025.
“Listeners are not just consuming the sound; they are curating, sharing, and exporting it worldwide,” the company said.
Most importantly is the influence of Gen Z in this redefinition. The company noted that playlists like Hot Hits Naija, African Heat, and Gbedu are the top three playlists for young Afrobeats listeners globally. Through this, Hot Hits Naija pulled in over 20 million global plays.
In addition, the Afrobeats Adura playlist saw its average monthly plays jump by 51%, representing a clear sign of the genre’s global rise and adoption.
“The top three playlists shaping Gen Z listening in the genre’s birthplace, Hot Hits Naija, Gbedu, and Street Energy capture the raw, street-driven pulse of Nigerian youth culture. The new Afrobeats Global playlist is a nod to the fans who built this movement from the ground up, and a green light for Afrobeats to keep climbing,” it added.
Recently, Spotify announced it’s rolling out a new in-app messaging service that allows users to send songs, playlists, and podcasts directly to friends within the app. The Messages feature enables listeners to share content and start conversations with people they have interacted with previously through the app.
