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2023 has seen many artists drop countless brilliant songs that have been streamed numerous times on Spotify, particularly by Gen Zs, who are the most tech-savvy generation currently alive.
While a lot can be said about this generation, aged between 11 and 26 years, what we can all agree on is their influence on popular culture, music being no exception.
And while listening behaviours differ from one person to another, an exercise in which artists and tracks unite Gen Z across Sub-Saharan Africa is perhaps one step closer to understanding what makes the African Gen Zs move and groove, as seen in this year’s Spotify Wrapped.
The top 10 artists among Gen Z listeners in sub-Saharan Africa
Canadian rapper Drake takes up the number one spot in 2023, in part thanks to his collaborative album with 21 Savage on 'Her Loss' which dropped in late 2022, as well as the release of his highly anticipated album 'For All the Dogs' in October.
Afrobeats continues to be a very popular genre amongst Gen Z’s as Nigerian Afrobeats artists such as Burna Boy, Asake, Davido, Rema and Omah Lay find themselves on the top ten list thanks to their consistent contributions throughout the year.
Burna Boy, Asake, and Davido all dropped new albums this year while Rema and Omah Lay released deluxe versions of their previous albums.
However, it was not only Afrobeats musicians whom Gen Z gravitated towards this year, Drake’s Canadian counterpart The Weeknd was also streamed numerous times by Gen Z listeners in 2023 which can be credited to the release of the deluxe version of his 2016 album 'Starboy'. American Hip hop artist Travis Scott dropped his highly anticipated album 'Utopia' which fans had been anticipating for 5 years, so naturally he too is in the top ten most streamed artists by Gen Zs in SSA.
Despite not releasing solo projects throughout the year, 21 Savage and Future are also on the list of most streamed artists by Gen Z listeners across Sub-Saharan Africa, showing the generation’s affinity for international rap music.
The top songs among Gen Z listeners in sub-Saharan Africa
If the top songs streamed by Gen Z tell us anything, it is that they were in the mood to dance the whole year. Nine out of the top 10 songs are African and are either rooted in Afrobeats or Amapiano, with a couple of songs fusing both genres.
Nigeria dominates this list too, with Ruger’s 'Asiwaju' coming at the top, and also making an appearance is Asake’s 'Lonely At The Top', the artist’s testimonial on the life of fame.
Despite being the only Hip hop song in the top 10, 'Sprinter' by British artists Dave and Central Cee is in second place in a dance-genre-dominated list, which is no surprise as the song received global love from Gen Z, who enjoyed the banger made by two of England’s most popular rappers.
Off his highly anticipated album 'Timeless', Davido has two songs that the Gen Z’s cannot get enough of, 'FEEL' and 'UNAVAILABLE' featuring Musa Keys, both in the top ten.
'Mnike', the Amapiano song that took social media by storm is the only South African song in the top ten, showing that there is something to be said about the power of virality. Meanwhile, Ayra Starr’s 'Rush' is the only track by a female artist that’s in the top ten.