Burna Boy has broken the record for the highest monthly listenership ever recorded by an African artist on Spotify, climbing to 47.3 million monthly listeners and dethroning South African star, Tyla, who previously held the record with 46.58 million. The milestone places the Grammy-winning singer on course to become the first African artist to cross the 50 million monthly listener mark on Spotify, a feat no act from the continent has ever achieved.

The surge has been driven largely by his global smash “Dai Dai,” his collaboration with Colombian superstar Shakira, which serves as the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The song received a major push after both stars performed it during the tournament’s opening ceremony, and it has since climbed to number one on Spotify’s Global Top Songs chart. With that feat, Burna Boy became the first African artist to top the global chart since Wizkid achieved the milestone through his 2016 collaboration with Drake on “One Dance.”

“Dai Dai” has also enjoyed strong chart performances across Europe, buoyed by heavy World Cup exposure and radio rotation. The track has reached number one in Spain, number two in France, number three in Italy, number four in the United Kingdom, number five in Switzerland, and number eight in Germany, reflecting the scale of its crossover appeal.

Burna Boy’s new record cements his position at the top of Spotify’s African artist rankings, ahead of Tems, who currently sits at 40.64 million monthly listeners. Fellow Nigerian stars Ayra Starr and Rema, the latter with 29.43 million monthly listeners, also remain among the continent’s most-streamed acts, underlining the growing global dominance of Afrobeats.

Music industry watchers say the achievement further reinforces Nigeria’s status as Africa’s biggest music export hub, with Burna Boy continuing to break new ground on the world stage following a string of Grammy nominations and record-breaking streaming numbers throughout 2025 and into 2026.

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