Afrobeats continues its ascent as a global phenomenon, marking five years of evolution driven by passionate artists and dedicated fans. Over the past year, the genre has achieved over 240 million discoveries on global streaming platforms.

This surge in popularity is highlighted by the release of “Culture in Motion,” a new documentary exploring the creative forces behind the next wave of Afrobeats artists. An immersive microsite further details the movement, dissecting it across five key pillars with exclusive interviews, expert analysis, and up-to-date streaming data.

Key Trends shaping Afrobeats

The microsite reveals several significant trends:

• Sound Evolution: Emotionally charged vocals now constitute 38% of global Afrobeats streams.
• Latin Expansion: Afrobeats listenership in Latin America has surged by over 180% year-over-year, with Brazil experiencing a remarkable 500% increase since 2020.
• Women of Afrobeats: Tems has become the first African female artist to surpass 1 billion streams for a single track, while Ayra Starr’s streams in Nigeria have increased by over 3,000% since 2020.
• Visual Language: From Rema’s performances to Tems’ appearances at high-profile events like the Oscars and the Met Gala, the visual presentation of Afrobeats artists is substantially shaping culture.
• Culture and Community: Fan communities are emerging as key tastemakers,influencing music finding in real-time.

“Fan communities are the new tastemakers, reshaping discovery in real time.”

The South African impact

Afrobeats is making a significant impact in South Africa, demonstrating its widespread appeal:

• South African Gen Z listeners aged 18-24 have spent nearly 7 million hours listening to Afrobeats in the last year.
• Afrobeats songs have been discovered over 7 million times in South Africa in the past 12 months.
• The overall Afrobeats audience in South Africa has grown by over 1000% year-on-year since 2020.
• The genre’s listenership in South Africa increased by 136% in 2020 versus 2019, marking the beginning of a period of sustained growth.

Explore the microsite for more in-depth information,including trailers,animated timelines focused on Nigeria,and press kits.