Nigerian pop star Ayodeji Balogun, better known as Wizkid, has become the first African artiste to cross the 10 billion streams milestone on Spotify, a landmark that underscores his global reach.
Spotify’s streaming tally for Wizkid counting all credits where he appears places him atop African artists on the platform.
His catalogue has been boosted by long-running global hits, notably the collaboration with Drake, which is reported to be his single most-streamed appearance with nearly four billion plays on the service.
Wizkid’s Made in Lagos (Deluxe) stands out as his most-streamed project on Spotify, having crossed the one billion streams mark, while his biggest track as lead artist, “Essence” featuring Tems, has amassed in excess of 330 million plays.
The milestone arrives amid growing international recognition of Afrobeats and follows a string of global collaborations and festival appearances that have consolidated Wizkid’s audience outside Africa.
Industry observers said the achievement reflects both sustained streaming appetite for his catalogue and the increasing globalisation of Nigerian pop music.
In related streaming news, Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” recently overtook Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” to become the most-streamed solo song by a female artist on Spotify, further illustrating how streaming records continue to be rewritten.
