Burna Boy Reclaims Spotify’s Top African Artist Spot
Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy has reclaimed his position as the African artist with the highest number of monthly listeners on Spotify, overtaking fellow Nigerian singer Tems on the global streaming platform.
The latest Spotify rankings, reported on Saturday, July 4, 2026, showed Burna Boy recording about 40.7 million monthly listeners, narrowly edging Tems, who had about 40.6 million.
Spotify’s monthly listener metric measures the number of unique users who stream an artist over a rolling 28-day period, making it one of the platform’s key indicators of an artist’s current global reach.
Tems had claimed the top position among African artists on Spotify in late 2025 following the success of her debut album and a series of international collaborations that significantly expanded her global audience.
Burna Boy’s return to the summit follows a steady rise in his monthly listener count, which climbed from just over 35 million in June to more than 40 million within weeks.
Industry observers attribute the increase to the enduring popularity of Burna Boy’s catalogue, including songs such as Last Last, It’s Plenty, City Boys and On the Low, alongside renewed interest generated by his recent releases and international collaborations.
His extensive touring across Europe and North America, as well as performances at major international festivals, have also contributed to sustaining his global streaming audience.
Earlier in the week, Burna Boy set a new record for an African artist on Spotify after reaching an all-time peak of 46.84 million monthly listeners, surpassing the previous record of 46.58 million held by South African singer Tyla.
The milestone was boosted by increased global streaming activity following Burna Boy’s collaboration with Colombian singer Shakira on the official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Despite relinquishing the top spot, Tems remains one of Africa’s most-streamed artists globally, with her music continuing to attract millions of listeners across international markets.
The latest rankings further highlight the growing global influence of African music, with Nigerian artists continuing to dominate streaming platforms and expand the international reach of Afrobeats.
