SAUTI SOL AND NVIIRI THE STORYTELLER TOP STREAMED ARTISTES BY KENYANS

During Made for Kenya event, Spotify revealed that though Kenyans are listening to local genres like Gengetone, there is also huge interest in global artists such as Drake, Pop Smoke and The Weeknd. The Gengetone musical wave is not only gaining momentum amongst creators and listeners but building in popularity with its youthful urban sound. This is testament to Kenya’s musical influence across Africa, while pioneering a culture that varies in talent from a new and different sound.

Local artists making the list for top streamed artists by Kenyans include industry veteran Sauti Sol and R&B/Afropop artist Nviiri The Storyteller. To mark six months since launch, Spotify looked at the top streamed tracks, artists and playlists by Kenyans. With fans from Nairobi to Edloret and Mombasa to Nakuru streaming music via Spotify, it’s not surprising that Bien and Nviiri The Storyteller’s smash hit ‘Niko Sawa’ takes the top spot as the most streamed track by Kenyans in the past six months.

Earlier this month, gengetone artist Sylvia Saru, popularly known as Ssaru, was introduced as the latest artist to join its EQUAL Music Program. Spotify’s global initiative to cultivate gender equality in music and support female artists and podcast creators both locally and internationally.

The data also shows that big cities are dominating streaming habits with those streaming the most being in Nairobi and Mombasa. When it comes to genres beloved by streamers, Kenyans have a huge appetite for pop, trap, rap and Southern hip hop with some Azontobeats and dance pop mixed in.

“Spotify has always celebrated Africa’s abundance of talent and diversity. Now with Spotify’s presence across Africa, we will continue to use the power of the platform to amplify African creators  to a global audience. What we are seeing come out of Kenya is that the Gengetone genre, which draws sonic influences from dancehall, reggaeton and Genge, is gaining popularity. This youth-driven sound of Kenya’s streets is growing and our flagship Gengetone Fire playlist shows up in the top 10 most streamed playlists on Spotify.”  says Phiona Okumu, Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa