Wakadinali, the most searched artistes in Kenya on Spotify. PHOTO | COURTESY
Hip hop artistes Wakadinali are the only Kenyan musicians in Spotify’s top streamed list.
The group is placed among the top 10 in the inaugural report, Wrapped 2023, Spotify’s annual review of how people listened to artistes, albums, tracks, playlists and even podcasts.
Wakadinali are also the most searched artistes in Kenya on Spotify, and their Ndani ya Cockpit 3 ranks number 10 as the most streamed album.
For Kenyans, there’s been the viral hits, Kenya’s foremost boy band Sauti Sol taking a hiatus, Gengetone being recognised as a genre for Grammy consideration and Spotify partnering with COLORSxSTUDIOS to showcase Kenyan R&B to a global audience.
“The Kenyan music scene has grown exponentially since our last Wrapped, and it is refreshing to see a Kenyan artist in the top streamed list. Our mission to amplify homegrown artists to global stages continues steadfastly,” says Phiona Okumu, Spotify SSA’s Head of Music.
Saturday leads as the top streaming day, and 4pm as the top streaming hour. They say Kenyans love a good party and the data concurs. Surprisingly though, Tuesday comes in as the third most popular streaming day, after Friday, so maybe recovering from the Monday blues?
A look at the top list shows Kenyans’ enduring love for hip hop, and Drake, who is topping the list for the third year in a row, also landing as the top streamed artiste among 18 – 34 year olds, and the most searched on Spotify in Kenya.
The top streamed tracks list on the other hand, is dominated by Afrobeats, with the only exception being Darassa and Bien’s collaboration No Body in sixth place. A look at the top genres puts this into perspective as rap, pop, afrobeats, hip hop and R&B top in Kenyans’ favourite genres.
Virality is the dream for a lot of artists, especially in the age of social media. Kinoti’s Nitangoja is the second most viral track on Spotify in Kenya, meaning users shared it widely. Sasa Hivi by V-Be and Ashley Music struck a relatable chord with Kenyan R&B lovers, making it the 10th most viral song.
Female artists may be lacking in the top lists, but there has actually been a 61 percent increase in the streams in Kenya, in comparison to globally that had a 27percent increase. Karun and Nikita Kering’, Xenia Manasseh, a Spotify RADAR artist, are both in the top 10 most exported Kenyan artists. Nikita Kering’ is the only female artist in the top 10 most streamed Kenyan artists.
With podcasting, the women take the day, with the first three of the top streamed podcasts in Kenya all being female led. So This Is Love, The Messy In Between and It’s Related, I Promise are the top streamed podcasts in Kenya, in that order.
Other Kenyan podcasts making an appearance on the top streamed list include The Sandwich Podcast, Legally Clueless and The97sPodcast, in a promising display of support for local content by Kenyans.
Kenyans cannot seem to get enough of Ayra Starr, who is the fourth and only female artist in the top streamed list, and her track Rush is the top streamed song in Kenya in 2023, and was also the top song every day from January 1 to March 23, coinciding with her March 4 performance in the country, then again from April 5 to May 2, only interrupted by Ruger’s Asiwaju on April 11. Asiwaju then took over again from May 3 to May 9, making it the second most streamed song in Kenya.
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But it’s not just Kenyans loving Rush; across SSA, it was the top streamed song from January 2 to January 19. In Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia, it was also the top streamed track in 2023.
Nyashinski’s Perfect Design had music lovers in a hold when it launched, it was the top song every day from October 26 (a day after it was released) to November 2.
The late Congolese Rhumba musician, Madilu System, had a major fanbase in Kenya, who still continue to stream his music, 16 years after his death. His song Ya Jean – Remix is fifth while RTC riva is 11th in the throwback list. His album Femme legitime is 10th most steamed throwback album.
While K-POP fans seem to be Gen Zs going by online conversations, who would have guessed that in Kenya, 35-44 year olds are the ones listening to them the most. Jung Kook is the most streamed artist in this age group, and BTS (which Jung Kook is part of) is at number seven. Jung Kook’s Seven featuring Latto and Dreamers are the two top streamed tracks in this age group, adding to the surprise.
The full breakdown of the top lists is below:
| TOP STREAMED ARTISTS | TOP STREAMED TRACKS | TOP STREAMED ALBUMS |
| 1. Drake | 1. Ayra Starr – Rush | 1. Burna Boy – Love, Damini |
| 2. Burna Boy | 2. Ruger – Asiwaju | 2. SZA – SOS |
| 3. 21 Savage | 3. Bayanni – Ta Ta Ta | 3. Omah Lay – Boy Alone |
| 4. Ayra Starr | 4. Fireboy DML – Bandana ft. Asake | 4. Rema – Rave & Roses Ultra |
| 5. Chris Brown | 5. Kizz Daniel – Cough (Odo) | 5. Metro Boomin – HEROES & VILLAINS |
| 6. Travis Scott | 6. Darassa – No Body (feat. Bien) | 6. Fireboy DML – Playboy |
| 7. Wakadinali | 7. Libianca – People | 7. Ayra Starr – 19 & Dangerous |
| 8. The Weeknd | 8. Omah Lay – soso | 8. Asake – Mr. Money With The Vibe |
| 9. Metro Boomin | 9. Burna Boy – Last Last | 9. Davido – Timeless |
| 10. Future | 10. Rema – Charm | 10. Wakadinali – Ndani ya Cockpit 3 |
| TOP STREAMED KENYAN ARTISTS | TOP STREAMED KENYAN TRACKS |
| 1. Wakadinali | 1. Sauti Sol – Lil Mama |
| 2. Sauti Sol | 2. Bien – Inauma |
| 3. Bien | 3. Bien, DJ Edu – Too Easy |
| 4. Bensoul | 4. Nikita Kering’ – Last Name |
| 5. Nyashinski | 5. Fully Focus, Bien – Dimension |
| 6. Nviiri The Storyteller | 6. Bien – My Baby (feat. Ayra Starr) |
| 7. BURUKLYN BOYZ | |
| 8. Otile Brown | |
| 9. Nikita Kering’ | |
| 10. Lilmaina |
