Afrobeats is no longer just a genre; it’s a global cultural force influencing everything from fashion to dance. And now, Spotify is officially acknowledging that reign with the launch of a new flagship Global Afrobeats playlist. But according to the company, this isn’t a top-down corporate push. Instead, it’s Spotify playing catch-up to a movement that fans, particularly Gen Z, have been building for years.
The data backing Spotify’s move is staggering. The company notes that between 2020 and 2025, the number of user-generated playlists containing the word “Afrobeats” grew by 135 percent. This isn’t just a Western phenomenon. In 2020, Spotify saw massive growth in Asia, with listenership rocketing by 4,530 percent in Indonesia, 1,650 percent in India, and 1,492 percent in the Philippines. More recently, the genre has seen a 183 percent year-on-year growth in Latin America in 2025.
This digital takeover is being driven by a new generation of listeners who use playlists as their primary discovery engine. Playlists like Hot Hits Naija, African Heat, and Gbedu have become global gateways for the sound, serving as the top three entry points for young Afrobeats listeners worldwide. Hot Hits Naija alone has pulled in over 20 million global plays.
Back in the genre’s birthplace, Nigerian youth culture is reflected in playlists like Hot Hits Naija, Gbedu, and Street Energy, which capture the raw, street-driven pulse of the local scene. The growth extends to sub-genres as well, with the inspirational Afro Adura playlist seeing its average monthly plays jump by 51 percent, proving the genre’s appeal is both broad and deep.
Spotify insists it’s just following the lead of its users.
“The launch of our Global Afrobeats Playlist isn’t about Spotify leading the charge, it’s about us following the fans,” says Benewaah Boateng, Spotify’s Senior Music Editor for Sub-Saharan Africa. “The data shows a wave of listener-driven curation, and this playlist is our way of celebrating that momentum. We are simply giving due recognition to the voices of a new generation who have made Afrobeats a global force.”
Ultimately, the new playlist feels less like a launch and more like a coronation — a formal recognition that the genre doesn’t need a corporate green light. It’s already at the top of the charts, built one user-generated playlist at a time.
