Journey of a billion streams: How Spotify celebrated Afrobeats

On October 12 and 13, Spotify brought together celebrities, podcasters, influencers, music executives, media personalities and music fans at two experiential events dubbed #SpotifyPodcastsLagos and #SpotifyAfrobeats. The events held at La Madison Place in Lekki, Lagos, showcased and celebrated the rich culture of Afrobeats and the remarkable achievements of the genre through the years.

Speaking at the Afrobeats celebration, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “Spotify’s commitment to connecting people with the music they love is at the heart of everything we do. We’re thrilled to continue celebrating Afrobeats’ milestones and reinforce our commitment to the growth of the music ecosystem in Nigeria and across Africa.”

The two-day celebrations began with a master class session featuring Ncebakazi Manzi, the podcast manager for Spotify in Sub-Saharan Africa. The session provided an engaging platform for podcast enthusiasts, diving deep into the craft of storytelling, exploring innovative techniques and insights, and illustrating Spotify’s commitment to empowering podcast creators. Following the session, there was a fireside chat facilitated by Gwenevier Ehimen Lem from Association of African Podcasters and Voiceover Artists (APVA), featuring a panel of industry experts, including Tony Doe from ‘Into The Podverse’ and Tony Doe Media, Ayomide Tayo from ‘Loose Talk’, Dami Aros from ‘So Nigerian’, and Fay Fay, the founder of ‘Naija Podhub’.

Attendees were then later treated to captivating and thought-provoking live podcast recordings, featuring highly acclaimed Nigerian content creators Jola Ayeye and Feyikem Abudu from ‘I Said What I Said’, and Joey Akan from ‘Afrobeats Intelligence’. In a conversation with Victor Okpala, Spotify’s Artiste and Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa, Joey Akan delved into a range of topics, spanning from the success of Afrobeats and playlisting strategies to Spotify’s contributions to the music ecosystem. The ‘I Said What I Said’ live show guests were artistes, Nissi and Pheelz, followed by a live question and answer session. The event ended with an exhilarating performance from Pheelz.

On day two, the celebration commenced with an electric atmosphere and performances that saw a huge turnout of Afrobeats enthusiasts who were eager to indulge in the night’s festivities. The dance floor was alive with activity, and the room hummed with an infectious enthusiasm, thanks to DJ Tohbad, who skillfully set the stage with a continuous flow of chart-topping tracks by Nigerian artistes.

The evening transitioned smoothly into the night’s performances featuring some of the most talented emerging and established artistes from Nigeria. Bloody Civilian, who is also a Spotify RADAR Africa artiste, had guests singing along to her hit songs, including ‘I Don’t Like You’ making the event one to remember. Next on stage was FAVE, who has been a Spotify EQUAL artiste, and enthralled the crowd with some of her hit songs including ‘Baby Riddim’,’Beautifully’ and ‘Mr Man’, leaving the guests yearning for more.

Next was Nigerian street Afro-Pluto singer, Shallipopi who set the stage on fire, delivering crowd-pleasing hits including ‘Sharpiru’, ‘Ex-Convict’ and ‘Elon Musk’.

Sarz, DJ, producer and mixing engineer extraordinaire had the audience dancing with a set featuring both chill music and party bops, heightening the vibe for the night. Ruger, Nigerian sensational Afrodancehall singer, closed off the night, starting off with some of his hits songs that lit up the audience, displaying his unique style.

Spotify’s Afrobeats celebration was not just a music event, it was a celebration of culture, diversity and the power of music to unite people.

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