Spotify’s flagship playlist for African music, African Heat, is undergoing a transformation, signaling a new chapter for the platform’s premier destination dedicated to African music.
Having amassed over one million followers on the platform, this playlist has emerged as a prominent conduit for African music to reach broader audiences in the streaming era.
By facilitating the discovery of new and upcoming African hits, it has fostered a sense of unity among fans, who share a profound appreciation for these iconic sounds.
As African music gains increased global recognition and attention, with its artists leaving indelible marks on stages worldwide, African Heat has played a pivotal role in shedding light on and validating some of the continent’s most significant songs and moments since its inception.
Since 2018, African Heat has championed notable hits like Ckay’s ‘Love Nwantiti,’ Wizkid’s ‘Essence,’ and DBN Gogo’s ‘Love and Loyalty,’ among others.
The playlist showcases music from every corner of the continent, offering a democratized platform for emerging talents to captivate a global audience.
Highlighting the significance of African Heat and the motivation behind its rebrand, Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, expressed, “African Heat represents community and aims to share Africa’s incredible music and creators with a global audience eagerly tuned in. We are excited to usher in a more ambitious era for this definitive playlist while continuing to validate African music’s biggest records and connecting millions worldwide.”
The revamped African Heat will focus on increasing exposure and awareness within Africa’s creator and listener communities.
Taking inspiration from public transportation systems across the continent, particularly iconic vehicles like the trotro(Ghana), danfo(Nigeria), and matatu(Kenya), the playlist’s rebrand embodies the movement of music across Africa and beyond.
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Symbolizing African Heat as a vehicle, the playlist will adopt a new visual identity featuring an updated version of its familiar cover, which has previously showcased some of the continent’s most renowned stars.
The design of the playlist name now incorporates a border reminiscent of a registration number, speedometer dials, and a gradient that represents various forms of heat.
The campaign will also involve collaborations and conversations with both emerging and established artistes from Africa, adding live elements to bring the new African Heat to life and engage listeners.
Spotify’s data will provide insights into the hottest African Heat artistes over the past 90 days and shed light on where they are finding their audiences.
Top artistes on African Heat in the last 90 days
- Asake
- Ayra Starr
- Omah Lay
- Fireboy DML
- Burna Boy
- Lojay
- Kizz Daniel
- Young Jonn
- Sarz
- Davido
Geographical location of users streaming African Heat in the last 90 days
- USA
- UK
- Nigeria
- France
- Kenya
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Canada
- South Africa
- Ghana
