Spotify Names Ayra Starr Most-Streamed Female Afrobeats Artist In 12 Months
Spotify has revealed Ayra Starr as the most-streamed female Afrobeats artist on its platform over the past 12 months.
This recognition comes as part of its new global initiative, Afrobeats: Culture in Motion, which showcases the genre’s transformation over the past five years and spotlights key figures who are steering Afrobeats into new terrains.
Afrobeats has grown rapidly from being a regional sound centered in West Africa (notably Nigeria) to a worldwide cultural phenomenon. In the last year alone, Spotify reports over 240 million “discoveries” of Afrobeats, meaning listeners either new to the genre, or new to those particular artists.
Women are playing an increasingly central role in this expansion:
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Tems recently made history by becoming the first African female artist to surpass 1 billion streams on a single track.
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Ayra Starr, now crowned the most-streamed female Afrobeats act on Spotify for the past year, exemplifies the new generation of artists who combine compelling music with strong storytelling, varied soundscapes, and global appeal.
Within Nigeria, the birthplace of Afrobeats per Spotify’s classification, the genre isn’t just music; it’s a living, evolving part of culture. Here are some of the notable insights:
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Listeners in Nigeria have streamed Afrobeats for over 180 million hours so far in 2025.
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The top streaming hubs are Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
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Among younger listeners, particularly Gen Z, certain moods dominate: “whiny,” “island vibes,” and “playful.”
Also, fan participation is climbing, listener‑created Afrobeats playlists have risen by nearly 3,000% over the past decade. Meanwhile, new sub‑genres like Afro‑Adura are gaining traction, with streams for those rising sub‑sounds climbing over 4,000%.
What This Recognition Signals
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Female Artists Are Commanding the Stage
Ayra Starr’s achievement underscores that women in Afrobeats are no longer just supporting acts or occasional guests — they are central to its growth, authenticity, and commercial success. -
Global Market Viability
With hundreds of millions of streams and new audience discoveries, Afrobeats is proving to be not just a regional or diaspora phenomenon but one with serious global reach. Artists who can merge local flavor with universal appeal are winning big. -
Potential for New Sounds & Innovation
The rise of adjectives like “island vibes,” “playful,” and the appearance of new subgenres suggest that Afrobeats is diversifying. It’s not just about what’s been done; it’s about what can be done. There’s space for experimentation — blending genres, experimenting with structure, lyrics, production styles. -
Influence of Fans & Community
The rapid growth of fan‑created playlists and streaming behaviour patterns show that listeners are active participants in shaping the genre. They are not passive consumers. This implies artists, labels, and platforms must engage more authentically with their audience. -
Streaming Data as a Metric of Culture
Platforms like Spotify are now narrators and curators of musical culture — deciding what counts as “discovery,” spotlighting artists via special initiatives (e.g. Afrobeats: Culture in Motion), rolling out documentaries and microsites. How streaming platforms frame data can influence which artists get noticed and “break” globally.
Ayra Starr being named Spotify’s most‑streamed female Afrobeats artist in the past year is more than an accolade — it’s a marker of how much the genre has grown, especially in letting women lead its narrative. As Afrobeats continues its global rise, the intersection of artistry, culture, community, and commerce becomes ever more dynamic. The next few years could see even more boundary‑breaking work, genre‑blending, and the lifting of voices that were once peripheral to the Afrobeats story.
