Spotify unveils Nigeria’s top songs, artists, albums for 2021

Music streaming giant Spotify on Wednesday unveiled Wrapped — an annual round-up of the top artists, albums, songs and playlists of the year as streamed by users on the platform from around the world. 

In a year when we were getting to grips with the new normal, what was Nigeria’s soundtrack? In a first for the region, here are the 2021 Wrapped results, defining how Nigerians sought to stay entertained, informed, and connected with their favourite local and global music artists.

Who are Nigerians listening to, and who are the newcomers that are shaking up the music scene? Who still has staying power in the new normal and how do our local artists compare with the globe’s top hits and international hitmakers? 

• Nigerians dominate the list, with WizKid coming in as the most streamed artist in Nigeria. He is followed by Burna Boy, then DaVido is third. The only international act in the top five is Drake who is the fourth most streamed artist. Olamide rounds off the top five. 

• The love for local music continues in the most streamed female artists in Nigeria, with Tems topping this list. Nineteen-year-old Ayra Starr, who is also Spotify EQUAL’s November artist, is the second most streamed female artist.  Doja Cat is the only international artist in this top five, coming in third. Teni is the fourth most streamed female artist, and Tiwa Savage is fifth. 

• LADIPOE’s Feeling got Nigerians in their feels, coming in as the most streamed track in Nigeria, followed by Peru by Fireboy DML, then Ruger’s Bounce in at third. Omah Lay’s Understand is the fourth most streamed track in Nigeria, with Monalisa by Lojay closing off a Nigerian-dominated top five. 

• Unsurprisingly, WizKid’s rave of the moment Made in Lagos (Deluxe Edition)  is the top streamed album in Nigeria, and the original Made in Lagos is the second top streamed album, beating international star Justin Bieber’s Justice which is third. DaVido makes another top appearance with his album A Better Time coming in fourth, and Drake’s latest release, Certified Lover Boy closes off the top five.  

• The playlist that Nigerians showed the most love is Hot Hits Naija, which really cements the fact that Nigerians love homegrown music.

To further give its users in Nigeria a more personalised feeling, Spotify has added a personalised Wrapped experience which has fun features such as:

• Data stories to express a user’s year in audio- In addition to a user’s top artists, genres, songs, podcasts and minutes listened, the personalised Wrapped experience includes features such as: 2021: The Movie, Your Audio Aura  and 2021 Wrapped: Blend.
• Shareability- Fans can share their Wrapped cards on social channels like Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
• Exclusive experiences for top fans- An exciting feature is videos from more than 170 artists and creators, thanking fans for having them in their Wrapped. These thank you videos will appear if fans have a song by one of the participating artists in their “Your Top Songs 2021” or “Your Artists Revealed” playlists. Spotify will also be rolling out Spotify Clips for Podcasts and fans will be able to view special thank you messages from some of their favorite podcast hosts by visiting a participating show’s page on the platform.

The full breakdown of the top lists is below.

Most streamed artists in Nigeria

1. WizKid
2. Burna Boy
3. DaVido
4. Drake
5. Olamide
6. Buju
7. Justin Bieber
8. Fireboy DML 
9. Rema
10. Tems

Most streamed female artists in Nigeria

1. Tems
2. Ayra Starr 
3. Doja Cat 
4. Teni 
5. Tiwa Savage
6. Nicki Minaj
7. Billie Eilish
8. Ariana Grande
9. Simi
10. Rihanna

Most streamed tracks in Nigeria

1. Feeling – LADIPOE
2. Peru – Fireboy DML
3. Bounce – Ruger
4. Understand – Omah Lay
5. Monalisa – Lojay
6. Essence (feat. Tems) – WizKid
7. Dimension (feat. Skepta & Rema) – JAE5
8. Ginger (feat. Burna Boy) – WizKid
9. Rock – Olamide
10. High – Adekunle Gold

Most streamed albums in Nigeria

1. Made in Lagos (Deluxe Edition) – WizKid 
2. Made In Lagos – WizKid
3. Justice – Justin Bieber
4. A Better Time – DaVido
5. Certified Lover Boy – Drake
6. Twice As Tall – Burna Boy
7. Carpe Diem – Olamide
8. 19 & Dangerous – Ayra Starr
9. Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon – Pop Smoke
10. Donda – Kanye West

Most streamed playlists in Nigeria

1. Hot Hits Naija
2. African Heat
3. Gbedu
4. Today’s Top Hits
5. Traffic Jams Naija
6. RapCaviar
7. Afropop
8. Party Dey!
9. New Music Friday Naija
10. Bubblin

It’s clear that Nigerians are loving the content coming out of the region and creators are making the most of platforms like Spotify to share their culture with the rest of the world through music.