When Rema’s Calm Down remix with Selena Gomez joined the Spotify Billions Club, it cemented what every African had always known – Afrobeats was taking over the world. Spotify has played a huge part in the globalisation of Afrobeats – providing artists with a global platform to be on par with their counterparts all over the world.
The launch event of AfrobeatsJourney to a Billion Streams was a celebration of Afrobeats’ journey so far and the journey to come. The two-day festival featured live podcast recordings, workshops and was rounded up with performances by the hottest Afrobeats artists in the country – Bloody Civilian, Fave, Sarz, Ruger.
Afrobeats:Journey to a Billion Streams brought together industry players, influencers, podcasters, and music consumers in one space with one reason and one reason only – to celebrate Afrobeats.
Day 1 of the celebration was podcast-focused – with a podcast workshop, fireside chat and live podcast sessions with the top podcasters in Nigeria. The workshop featured Spotify’s Podcast Manager for SSA Ncebakazi Manzi, with lessons on what works for podcasts in the Nigerian market and what didn’t, reinforcing Spotify’s commitment to growing the market.
The workshop was followed by a fireside chat with Nigerian podcasters – Dami Aros from So Nigerian, Fay Fay, the founder of Naija Podhub, Tony Doe from Into The Podverse, and Ayomide Tayo from Loose Talk.
Afrobeats Intelligence host, Joey Akan spoke with Victor Okpala, Spotify’s Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa, during a live recording of the podcast, about a variety of subjects, including the popularity of Afrobeats, playlisting techniques, and Spotify’s role in the music industry.
Hosts of Nigeria’s top podcast – I Said What I Said, Jola and FK, spoke with Pheelz and Nissi, recording a live session that held the allure and the pull of a studio episode. Engaging the audience with the ‘Agony Aunt’ part of the session, Jola and FK pulled laughs and sighs from enthusiasts in the audience.
Pheelz rounded up the day with an impromptu production session. Dubbed ‘How to make an Afrobeats song’, he pulled members of the audience onto the stage to help him record background vocals to a song that can only be described as a sleeper banger.
Day 2 brought a massive crowd of Afrobeats fans who were excited to partake in the evening’s festivities and added to the explosive atmosphere.
The evening was made memorable by Bloody Civilian, one of this year’s breakout stars, who had the audience singing along to her popular songs, including I Don’t Like You. Following, FAVE, an upcoming artist who had taken the country by storm with her soulful voice and intentional lyrics, the audience was thrilled by her performance of Baby Riddim, Beautifully, and Mr. Man, leaving everyone wanting more.
Shallipopi – the pluto presido took everyone back to his Edo roots with his performance of Obapluto, Sharpiru, Ex Convict and Elon Musk. The star shot to stardom with the latter song, and the crowd was happy to sing his words back to him word for word. Sarz came on stage and thrilled the audience with his mixes.
The night closed out with Ruger taking the audience on a roll with his hit songs. The night was awash with the hall reverberating with the beat.
Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams showcased and celebrated the culture that had made Afrobeats the global powerhouse it had become. Afrobeats to the world is no longer a dream, it is a promise that the African continent intends to keep.
