According to fresh Spotify data, “Is It Love” debuted at No. 1 on the Spotify Top Songs Debut Global chart and No. 4 on the Spotify Top Songs Debut USA chart. The song racked up an impressive 848,534 streams in its first full day alone, with partial-day figures already showing strong momentum from the jump. 

The release lands right in the middle of a packed summer schedule that saw Tyla take the stage at Morocco’s prestigious Mawazine Festival on Sunday, June 21. Performing on the iconic OLM Souissi stage in Rabat, the 2x Grammy winner delivered a high-energy set that mixed fan favorites with fresh material. Crowds went wild as she brought “Is It Love” to the stage for one of its earliest live outings, alongside tracks like “Water”, “Push 2 Start”, and recent singles. Backed by sharp choreography and a commanding stage presence, Tyla turned the massive outdoor venue into a celebration of amapiano-infused pop and raw emotional delivery.

“Is It Love” marks the third official single from A*POP, following the Zara Larsson collab “She Did It Again” and “Chanel”. The track leans into a smoother, more introspective R&B-leaning sound with amapiano grooves underneath, exploring themes of desire, uncertainty, and complicated romance. Its accompanying music video, which dropped alongside the single, features Tyla in a visually striking narrative set in a flooding room — a metaphor that fans have been dissecting since the premiere. The video quickly crossed the million-view mark on YouTube, adding to the early buzz.

This debut reinforces Tyla’s growing dominance on streaming platforms. With over 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify, she continues to bridge South African sounds with global pop appeal. The Mawazine performance, coming hot on the heels of her FIFA World Cup-related appearances only weeks ago, shows an artist fully in her stride, balancing festival stages with strategic single rollouts.

As streams continue to climb and the festival dust settles in Rabat, all eyes are on what comes next. Will “Is It Love” follow the trajectory of her previous hits and crack major Billboard charts? Early signs say the groundwork is already there. One thing is certain: Tyla is building a catalog and a global presence that feels built to last. The summer of 2026 is shaping up to be Tyla’s season. From Moroccan stages to U.S. playlists, the Johannesburg-born artist is reminding everyone why she’s one of the most exciting voices in contemporary pop.

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The Room Before the Music

The historic auditorium felt intimate even at full capacity for this kind of show. Red seats, warm lighting, the quiet hum of people who already lived with the album for six weeks. On stage sat a proper live orchestra setup: Asake performing on stage against prominent Spotify branding, emphasizing the high-production, roughly a 20-piece band with strings and horns, plus a dozen background singers/choir voices ready to lift things. The full setup was a 20-piece band (10 strings / 3 horns) and 12 background singers.

Asake Steps Out

When Asake came on, the shift was immediate. He moved straight into the material, letting the live band carry the weight. The album’s signature blend — melodic hooks over Afrobeats rhythms, Yoruba phrasing, that direct emotional delivery — translated differently with real strings and horns underneath it. Early in the set the energy built steadily through album cuts. Then came the moments that cut through the politeness of the theater setting. “Forgiveness” hit different live. The crowd fully locked in — nobody staying seated, bodies moving, voices carrying the hook, with one of the clearest “this is the first time he’s done this live” reactions of the evening. The song’s plea for consistency and grace landed heavier with the full band and the room singing it back at him.

“Gratitude” got the biggest production lift. The choir and band swelled behind it, turning the track into something closer to a communal statement than a single song. The themes the album carries — gratitude, prosperity, spirituality, ambition — felt less like liner notes and more like something happening in real time in that room.

Other album tracks moved through the set with the same live treatment: “Worship”, “Why Love”, “Wa”, “Rora”. The band gave them space to stretch. Asake’s stage presence stayed grounded — less big-tour choreography, more direct connection to the music and the people in front of him. He danced when it fit, but mostly he let the songs do the work.

The New Material

Sprinkled in were four unreleased tracks, slotting them in without breaking the flow. Some carried the same melodic directness as the album; others felt like they could be testing ground for whatever comes next, with talks of a possible ‘M$NEY’ deluxe. The crowd treated them the same way they treated the released songs, staying locked in. The event wasn’t simply about celebrating what ‘M$NEY’ has already achieved. It was also an opportunity to hint at what comes next. Whether those songs eventually appear on a deluxe edition, another project, or remain exclusive to the concert film, their inclusion ensured the night functioned as more than a retrospective.

From Spotify’s perspective, the event continues a trend that has become increasingly visible across music marketing. Streaming platforms are no longer just distribution services. They increasingly want ownership of moments.

Rather than sponsoring a standard concert, Spotify helped create an experience that only a select group of listeners could attend. The audience itself became part of the story. Some of the people in the room weren’t there because of industry connections or media credentials. They were there because they were among Asake’s biggest listeners.

After the Last Note

What happened in the room on the night was the version that can’t be fully recreated — the first time these songs met a live band and a room full of the people who had carried them on repeat since May. Asake heads into his In God We Trust World Tour later this summer with this night as the quiet, high-signal preview. The big stages will come. This one stayed close to the source: the album, the live band, and the listeners who had earned their seats.

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the evening is that it arrived after ‘M$NEY’ had already done its job commercially. The album topped charts across multiple countries, reached the top ten in the United States, and broke Spotify Nigeria’s opening-week streaming record with 37.5 million streams in six days. 

The performance wasn’t necessary to prove the album’s success. Instead, it felt like an attempt to reshape the conversation around it. Streaming numbers tell one story. A one-night orchestral performance inside one of London’s most historic theatres tells another. Together, they paint a picture of an artist becoming increasingly interested in legacy, presentation, and artistic scale.

The concert film, set for release on Spotify, will likely provide a clearer view of what happened inside the room. But even before the footage arrives, the broader takeaway is already visible.

‘M$NEY’ was introduced to the world as an album about gratitude, ambition, prosperity, and spiritual reflection. Its first live performance mirrored those themes with intention.

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Released in 2019 and later gaining worldwide traction through its 2021 remix featuring Joeboy and Kuami Eugene, the song became one of the most widely circulated African records of the streaming era. Its rise was driven largely by viral momentum across TikTok and international radio, eventually translating into sustained chart presence across multiple countries.

With this achievement, ‘Love Nwantiti’ joins a small group of African songs to reach the billion-stream mark on Spotify — a metric that reflects both long-term listener retention and cross-market penetration. The record peaked on several international charts, including entries on the Billboard Hot 100 and official charts across Europe.

Beyond streaming numbers, the song played a defining role in positioning CKay as a global-facing artist, opening doors to international deals, collaborations, and touring opportunities. It also remains one of the clearest examples of how African pop records can move from local success to worldwide consumption without traditional Western market entry routes.

The one-billion-stream milestone reinforces ‘Love Nwantiti’s’ status as one of the most commercially successful Afrobeats songs of the last decade.

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Among these is Bemi Orojuogun, known online as “Bus Aunty”, a 56-year-old former mental health nurse from Nigeria who has lived in London since the early 1990s. Her TikTok account, with nearly 300,000 followers, features short videos of her standing in front of red double-decker buses, smiling and commenting on city landmarks. One video has garnered 48 million views. 

She began posting in 2023 after her daughter encouraged her, following the death of her husband the previous year. Orojuogun has since collaborated with brands like Burberry, IKEA, and Transport for London, and won TikTok’s UK Video of the Year award in November 2025.

The campaign accompanies physical installations in London and Manchester, such as a tartan-wrapped phone booth near Tower Bridge for PinkPantheress and an oversized chain billboard in Shepherd’s Bush for Central Cee. 

Wrapped data, available via the Spotify app, summarizes users’ listening habits for the year, including top songs, artists, and genres. This edition reaches over 700 million global users.

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The crackdown comes as AI music tools make it easier than ever to churn out quick, low-effort tracks, from voice-cloned impersonations of artists (both living and dead) to endless loops and bite-sized recordings uploaded en masse to siphon streaming royalties. These tactics have been clogging the platform, threatening to undermine trust in its catalog.

The streaming giant introduced new policies to protect artists and listeners, including a stricter impersonation policy banning unauthorized AI voice clones and deepfakes, and a new spam filter set to roll out this fall to flag mass uploads, duplicates, and artificially short tracks designed to exploit royalties. Spotify is also collaborating with industry partners like Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) to develop a standard for AI disclosures in music credits, allowing artists to transparently indicate AI use in vocals, instrumentation, or production without penalizing responsible AI use. 

The move addresses concerns about royalty dilution, with Spotify noting that its payouts grew from $1 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2024, attracting bad actors. Major labels like Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have praised the initiative, while artists like Jada Carter emphasized its importance for protecting emerging musicians. Deezer, another streaming platform, reported 28% of its daily uploads are fully AI-generated, highlighting the industry-wide challenge.

In a statement, Spotify framed the move as part of a broader attempt to “strengthen trust across the platform.” Beyond mass removals, the company is introducing spam filters to automatically flag duplicate uploads, artificially short tracks, and keyword-stuffed releases. Perhaps more crucially, new rules target AI impersonation, ensuring that voice clones and unauthorized uploads no longer slip through under an artist’s name.

Transparency is also on the agenda. Spotify is collaborating with metadata standards bodies to create AI usage disclosures, meaning future tracks could clearly state whether AI was involved in vocals, instrumentation, or production.

For legitimate artists, the technical update is more of a fight for visibility and ownership in an era where spam threatens to drown out craft. For listeners, it’s a promise that pressing play still carries meaning.

Spotify’s decision signals a shift in how streaming platforms will navigate the messy, rapidly evolving world of AI music. While it’s increasingly possible that AI may be part of music’s future, it won’t come at the expense of authenticity.

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The data underscores Afrobeats’ remarkable growth. The genre is becoming more introspective, with emotionally charged vocals now accounting for 38% of global streams, reflecting a shift toward deeper, more resonant storytelling. Its global reach is accelerating, particularly in Latin America, where listenership has surged by over 180% year-over-year, with Brazil alone witnessing a staggering 500% increase in streams since 2020. This cross-cultural appeal is fueled by shared musical histories, as African rhythms underpin Latin genres like salsa and reggaeton, fostering collaborations like Ayra Starr’s “Woman Commando” with Brazilian artists, which has topped playlists like “Afro Ritmo” with over 3.1 million streams.

Female artists are at the forefront of this global takeover. Nigerian star Tems made history as the first African female artist to surpass one billion Spotify streams for a single track, while Ayra Starr’s streams in Nigeria have skyrocketed by over 3,000% since 2020, cementing their roles as trailblazers.

In Nigeria, the genre’s birthplace, listeners have streamed over 180 million hours of Afrobeats in 2025, with Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt leading as top streaming cities. Gen Z listeners are defining the genre’s vibe, gravitating toward moods like “whiny”, “island vibes”, and “playful,” as seen in playlists like “Hot Hits Naija”, “Gbedu”, and “Street Energy”, which capture the raw pulse of Nigerian youth culture. Hot Hits Naija alone has amassed over 20 million global plays.

Local innovation is thriving with the rise of sub-genres like “Afro-Adura”, which has exploded with over 4,000% growth in streams, and fan-made Afrobeats playlists, which have grown nearly 3,000% worldwide in the past decade. Playlists like ‘Afro Adura’ have seen a 51% jump in average monthly plays, showcasing the genre’s depth and diversity. Beyond Nigeria, Afrobeats is making waves in Asia, with Indonesia seeing a 4,530% surge in streams from 2020 to 2025, followed by India (1,650%), the Philippines (1,492%), and Thailand (1,370%).

For the average music listener, “Afrobeats: Culture in Motion” offers an accessible entry point into the genre’s vibrant world. The documentary highlights next-generation artists like Rema, whose track “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez joined Spotify’s Billions Club, and Tyla, whose “Push 2 Start” remix with Sean Paul topped charts in 2025. The microsite breaks down Afrobeats’ cultural impact through five pillars—music, fashion, dance, visual art, and fan communities—making it easy to grasp how the genre influences global trends. For instance, Afrobeats’ visual language, from colorful music videos to TikTok dance challenges, has driven its popularity, with songs like CKay’s “Love Nwantiti” inspiring over 10 million weekly TikTok videos at its peak.

For those new to Afrobeats, Spotify’s project is a gateway to understanding its cultural and emotional depth. Whether you’re drawn to the playful energy of “Gbedu”, the street-driven beats of “Street Energy”, or the soulful Afro-Adura sound, “Afrobeats: Culture in Motion” invites you to explore a genre that’s not just music but a global movement shaping culture one beat at a time.

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At No. 1 on the Nigerian side is Rema’s “Baby (Is It a Crime)”, a viral juggernaut that’s had TikTok and streaming platforms in a chokehold. Right behind him is Shallipopi’s “Laho”, solidifying the rapper’s rise from local cult hero to global export. Davido once again proves his hitmaking consistency—he clocks in nine entries on the list, including “With You” featuring Omah Lay at No. 3, as well as “Titanium” with Chris Brown and “Be There Still”.

Burna Boy’s international pull remains unmatched. His Travis Scott collab “TaTaTa” lands at No. 5, while the cross-continental anthem “WE PRAY – TWICE Version” sees him alongside Coldplay, TWICE, Little Simz, and more. Ayra Starr’s “Gimme Dat” with Wizkid and the solo track “All The Love” also make appearances, while ODUMODUBLVCK, Chella, Fireboy DML, and gospel act Lawrence Oyor round out a richly diverse Nigerian lineup.

On the Ghanaian front, Black Sherif dominates. He’s credited on 15 of Ghana’s top 30 global tracks, including “Green Light” with Buju Banton and “Lord I’m Amazed”. Moliy, known for her genre-bending style, claims the most exported Ghanaian song with “Shake It To The Max (FLY) – Remix”. Rising voices like Olivetheboy (“Survivor”, “Screaming Beauty”), Lasmid (“Olivia”), AratheJay (“Fire” with Bella Shmurda), and Gyakie (“Cheat On You”, “Sankofa”) are also resonating across borders.

This mid-year roundup highlights not just the reach of Nigerian and Ghanaian pop music but also its range. Whether it’s amapiano-inflected bangers, gospel crossovers, or soft R&B grooves, West African artists are exporting the culture and moving numbers.

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This achievement positions Tems alongside other Afrobeats icons like Wizkid, Rema, and Tyla, who have also reached this legendary streaming threshold. For Tems, “Wait For U” marks her first entry into Spotify’s billion-streams club, adding to its earlier success: the song garnered her a Grammy award in the Best Melodic Rap category in 2023.

Launched in 2022, the single also made history as Tems became the first African artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Tems’ achievement with “Wait For U” is more than a personal milestone. It’s a landmark moment for African music. Earning a Spotify billion-stream plaque highlights her global appeal and cements Afrobeats’ place on the world stage.

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The 2024 Spotify Loud & Clear report reveals that the number of Nigerian artists generating over ₦10 million in royalties has more than doubled since 2023 and tripled compared to 2022. This surge underscores the burgeoning commercial success of Nigerian artists on international platforms.

Key Highlights from the 2024 Report:

Global Discovery: Nigerian artists were discovered by first-time listeners over 1 billion times on Spotify in 2024. 

Editorial Playlisting: More than 1,900 Nigerian artists were featured in Spotify’s editorial playlists, marking a 33% increase from the previous year. 

International Earnings: A significant portion of the ₦58 billion in royalties was generated from listeners outside Nigeria, reflecting the global appeal of Nigerian music. 

Streaming Hours: Global audiences spent over 11 million hours streaming Nigerian artists, emphasizing the extensive reach and influence of their music.

Playlist Inclusion: Approximately 250 million playlists worldwide now feature Nigerian artists, showcasing their integration into diverse musical preferences.

Export Growth: There has been a 49% increase in the international consumption of Nigerian music over the past three years, indicating a growing global fan base. 

Local Consumption: Within Nigeria, there has been a 206% year-over-year growth in streaming, with a staggering 782% increase over the past three years, reflecting a robust domestic appreciation for local artists.

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Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, commented on this achievement: “We remain committed to empowering Nigerian artists to earn from their art whilst maintaining transparency with artists and stakeholders. The incredible growth of Nigerian music, both locally and globally, is a testament to the talent and creativity within Nigeria, and we are proud to support its continued rise.”

This unprecedented financial success not only reflects the dynamic creativity emerging from Nigeria’s music scene but also signals Spotify’s ongoing commitment to supporting artistic talent across the region.

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This massive streaming milestone is a testament to Wizkid’s ever-growing global reach. Whether it’s Essence still glowing as the “song of the summer” or new tracks from his 2024 album, his music continues to transcend borders, genres, and moods. Let’s not forget that he’s the first African artist to reach such dizzying heights on platforms like Spotify—and he’s doing it effortlessly, one banger at a time.

Fans across the world are flocking to Spotify to vibe to Wizkid’s signature sound, which blends Afrobeats, R&B, and that sprinkle of magic that only he can deliver. As he racks up these streams, we can’t help but wonder: What’s next? A deluxe album? Another groundbreaking tour? With Wizkid, the possibilities are endless.

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