[Kampala, December 5, 2024] Wrapped season is here! Spotify can now reveal Uganda’s biggest songs of 2024 and dive into trends shaping the music scene. While Nigerian artists still loom large on the country’s top lists, fans have shown nothing but a deep love for local music, particularly when there is a woman behind the mic.
Uganda’s Afrobeats obsession continues
Our top lists show that 80% of Uganda’s top 10 most streamed artists are from Nigeria, with names like Asake, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Davido, Rema and Fireboy DML taking up key positions. This speaks to the country’s deep connection with Afrobeats culture, a trend seen across East Africa.
In 2024 Uganda’s fans loved listening to female artists like Qing Madi and Ayra Starr, whose ‘American Love’ and ‘Commas’ respectively occupy second and third place on the most streamed songs in the country.
Local leads the way, with women topping the charts
The data points to an emerging trend when looking at the top 10 most streamed songs, which includes Uganda’s very own Azawi and her song ‘Masavu’ outranking Davido’s ‘FEEL’ and Victony’s ‘Everything’ in the country.
Local music consumption grew 87% between January and October this year, with local females like Azawi drawing in young fans. Her music, which speaks to themes of love and loyalty, has made her the most streamed female artist in the country, especially with 25 – 44-year-olds. Vinka and Winnie Nwagi join Azawi as three of the top five most streamed local artists in Uganda.
Documentaries like the RADAR feature on singer, songwriter and producer, Joshua Baraka are but one example of Spotify’s commitment to promoting Ugandan talent. His ‘Dalilah’ is among the most repeated songs in the country, and his debut EP Growing Pains has reached audiences in Nigeria, Kanya, the United Kingdom and the United States, with his tracks added to more than 240,000 playlists on the platform.
Uganda’s listening habits in 2024
- Uganda’s love for Afrobeats is undeniable but more female artists have risen to the top of streaming charts on the local front, occupying three of the top five local artists spaces.
- The country’s love for its artists is beginning to reflect in streaming data, which shows an 87% increase in local artist streaming between January 1 and 31 October 2024.
- ‘Masavu’ by Azawi, ‘Dawa’ by Elijah Kitaka and ‘Dalilah’ by Axon and Joshua Baraka were the most repeated local songs in Uganda this year.
A more detailed breakdown of the data is below:
| Top 5 streamed local albums | |
| No | Artist – Album |
| 1 | Azawi – AFRICAN MUSIC |
| 2 | Elijah Kitaka – Bedroom Essentials |
| 3 | Azawi – SANKOFA |
| 4 | Radio And Weasel – Radio & Weasel |
| 5 | A Pass – Bangoza |
| Top 5 most streamed albums in Uganda | |
| No | Artist |
| 1 | Davido – Timeless |
| 2 | Chris Brown – 11:11 |
| 3 | Asake – Work Of Art |
| 4 | Qing Madi – Qing Madi |
| 5 | Ayra Starr – The Year I turned 21 |
| Top 5 streamed local artists in Uganda | |
| No | Artist |
| 1 | Azawi |
| 2 | Vinka |
| 3 | Elijah Kitaka |
| 4 | Winnie Nwagi |
| 5 | Joshua Baraka |
| Top 10 streamed songs in Uganda | ||
| No | Artist | Track |
| 1 | Asake | Lonely At The Top |
| 2 | Qing Madi | American Love |
| 3 | Ayra Starr | Commas |
| 4 | Davido | KANTE ( feat. Fave) |
| 5 | Crayon | Ngozi |
| 6 | Wande Coal | Again |
| 7 | Azawi | Masavu |
| 8 | Davido | FEEL |
| 9 | Victony | Everything |
| 10 | Patoranking | Babylon |
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