How Gen Zs Are Influencing Musical Preferences Across Africa

This past year has seen many artists drop countless brilliant songs which have been streamed numerous times on Spotify, particularly by Gen Zs, who are the most tech savvy generation currently alive. While a lot can be said about this generation, aged between 11 and 26 years, what we can all agree on is their influence on popular culture, music being no exception. 

And while listening behaviours differ from one person to another, an exercise in which artists and tracks unite Gen Z across Sub-Saharan Africa is perhaps one step closer to understanding what makes the Africasn Gen Zs move and groove, as seen in this year’s Spotify Wrapped. 

Which artists came out on top? 

Canadian rapper Drake takes up the number one spot in 2023, in part thanks to his collaborative album with 21 Savage on Her Loss which dropped late 2022, as well as the release of his highly anticipated album For All the Dogs in October. 

Afrobeats continues to be a very popular genre amongst Gen Z’s as Nigerian Afrobeats artists such as Burna Boy, Asake, Davido, Rema and Omah Lay find themselves on the top ten list thanks to their consistent contributions throughout the year. Burna Boy, Asake and Davido all dropped new albums this year while Rema and Omah Lay released deluxe versions of their previous albums.

However, it was not only Afrobeats musicians who Gen Z gravitated towards this year, Drake’s Canadian counterpart The Weeknd was also streamed numerous times by Gen Z’s this past year which can be credited to the release of the deluxe version of his 2016 album Starboy. American Hip hop artist Travis Scott dropped his highly anticipated album Utopia which fans had been anticipating for 5 years, so naturally he too is in the top ten most streamed artists by Gen Zs in SSA. 

Despite not releasing solo projects throughout the year, 21 Savage and Future are also on the list of most streamed artists by Gen Z’s across Sub-Saharan Africa, showing the generation’s affinity for international rap music. 

Which were the grooviest songs of the year?

If the top songs streamed by Gen Z tell us anything, it is that they were in the mood to dance the whole year. Nine out of the top 10 songs are African and are either rooted in Afrobeats or Amapiano, with a couple of songs fusing both genres.

Despite being the only Hip hop song in the top 10, Sprinter by British artists Dave and Central Cee is in second place in a dance-genre-dominated list, which is no surprise as the song received global love from Gen Z, who enjoyed the banger made by two of England’s most popular stars. 

Nigeria dominates this list too, with Ruger’s Asiwaju coming at the top, and also making an appearance is Asake’s Lonely At The Top, the artist’s testimonial on the life of fame. Off his highly anticipated album Timeless, Davido has two songs that the Gen Z’s cannot get enough of, FEEL and UNAVAILABLE featuring Musa Keys, both in the top ten. 

Mnike, the Amapiano song that took social media by storm is the only South African song in the top ten, showing that there is something to be said on the power of virality. Meanwhile, Ayra Starr’s Rush is the only track by a female artist that’s in the top ten. 

What does this tell us about Gen Z’s?

Gen Z’s are known for being hip and full of “vibes”, so it is no surprise that most of the artists and songs that they are streaming are mostly rooted in dance genres such as Afrobeats and Amapiano. Mnike, one of the biggest Amapiano songs to come out of South Africa this year, birthed several dance challenges on social media which had a huge role to play in the success of the song. 

What makes these songs unite Gen Z’s is their ability to not only bring out the urge to dance, but also their spiritual and love undertones. Songs like Asiwaju and Sprinter are two completely different songs, but their subtle and less subtle braggadocious nature help represent a whole generation which has often been thought of as being too expressive, while Rush by Ayra Starr taps into Gen Z’s desire to grind and pursue success without the negative energy. 

Gen Z’s value authenticity and self-expression, and all these ten songs capture these values either through the use of African music to tell authentic stories of love, success, and pain, or through Sprinter’s employment of UK rap which Gen Z’s have grown to love and appreciate over the past few years. 

Spotify 2023 Wrapped data show that Afrobeats is not only the biggest genre across Sub-Saharan Africa, it also unites different generations in a region that thrives off authentic, self-expression music that captures their love for dance and a sense of freedom.