Burna boy has just become the first African artiste to reach 50 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
E file fun Burna for real!
Here’s a look at the milestones that made this latest achievement feel almost inevitable.
- He became the first Nigerian solo artiste to win a Grammy
After years of near misses, Burna Boy finally took home the Grammy for Best Global Music Album in 2021 with Twice As Tall. The win wasn’t just a personal achievement, it marked a huge moment for Nigerian music, proving that Afrobeats had become impossible for the global music industry to ignore.
- He became the first African artiste to headline and sell out London Stadium
In 2023, Burna Boy packed out the 60,000-capacity London Stadium, becoming the first African artiste to headline the venue.
- He became the first African artiste with two albums to cross one billion Spotify streams
Most artistes dream of having at least a one billion-stream album. Burna did it twice. African Giant and Love, Damani both crossed the one billion-stream mark on Spotify, making him the first African artiste to achieve the feat.
- He became the first African artiste to perform at the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show
In 2023, Burna Boy shared the stage with Brazilian singer Anitta during the Kick Off Show in Istanbul, becoming the first African artiste to perform at the event. For millions of viewers around the world, it was another reminder that African music had officially entered the global mainstream.
- He became the first African artiste to headline a U.S. stadium
Later that same year, Burna Boy headlined Citi Field in New York, becoming the first African artiste to sell out a stadium show in the U.S. It placed him in a league occupied by only the world’s biggest touring acts.
- He became the first African artiste to reach 50 million monthly Spotify listeners
And now, another one.
Burna Boy has become the first African artiste to reach 50 million monthly listeners on Spotify, a milestone that reflects how many unique listeners tune into his music over a 28-day period.
The jump was boosted by the success of his collaboration with Shakira, but it’s also the result of years of building a catalogue that keeps finding new listeners across continents.
African Giant Keeps Getting Bigger
At this point, it’s almost expected that Burna Boy will set another record every few months.
From Grammys and billion-stream albums to stadium tours and now 50 million monthly Spotify listeners, he’s built a career around doing what no African artiste had done before.
If history is anything to go by, this probably won’t be the last time we’ll be updating this list.
