This archive report was first published on 1 September 2021.
Spotify Expands in Kenya, Boosts African Creators ¶
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. This is according to Phiona Okumu, Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa, who notes that the Gengetone genre, which draws sonic influences from dancehall, reggaeton and Genge, is gaining popularity.
Spotify continues to drive initiatives that support African creators, including the promotion of key curated, flagship playlists such as African Heat, Made in Kenya, RADAR Africa, and Gengetone Fire. The latter has further driven the discovery and celebration of African influence.
Earlier this month, gengetone artist Sylvia Saru, popularly known as Ssaru, was introduced as the latest artist to join Spotify's EQUAL Music Program. EQUAL is 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 Azonto beats and dance pop mixed in.
Spotify's expansion of Premium Mini in Kenya ensures Kenyans have greater access to the world's largest audio streaming platform. The new 'bite-sized' plan offers flexibility to suit anyone's on-demand listening habits with weekly subscription.
As Spotify continues to give listeners across the continent streaming access to the best African and international audio content, it will continue to drive education around Spotify for Artists, a powerful free tool that artists are encouraged to make use of to better understand and build their audience and gain insight on how to best promote themselves.
Here are the top 10 most streamed tracks, artists, playlists, and cities in Kenya:
- Top 10 most streamed tracks in Kenya: Niko Sawa, MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name), Levitating (feat. DaBaby), Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon), and more.
- Top 10 most streamed artists in Kenya: Drake, Sauti Sol, Justin Bieber, Pop Smoke, and more.
- Top 10 most streamed playlists in Kenya: Today's Top Hits, RapCaviar, African Heat, Made In Kenya, and more.
- Top 10 cities Kenyans are streaming from: Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, and more.
