More South Africans turn to homegrown sound to serenade their souls – Spotify

More South Africans listened to homegrown sound this year, jumping by 101% in comparison to 2022, with unsurprisingly Tyler ICU’s smash hit Mnike being the most-listened to song of 2023.

That is according to global streaming service Spotify’s year-end report. The report further shows that nine out of the top 10 most popular songs in Mzansi were local, which is a huge improvement compared to the last two years where listening patterns were dominated by international songs.

Lady Amar’s Hamba Juba was the second most-streamed song in SA, followed by Soa Mattrix’s Mina Nawe, DJ Stokie’s Awukhuzeki, 2Point1’s Stimela and Mas Musiq’s Gangnam Style.

“The South African music industry is evolving and growing with every song released. We are glad to see the local creators resonating with South African users,” said Phiona Okumu, Spotify sub-saharan Africa’s head of music.

However, Canadian rapper Drake topped the list of most-streamed artists in SA in a ranking that is heavily dominated by international acts. Trailing Drake in the second and third spots are Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa respectively. From there, the top 10 is completed by international musicians The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Chris Brown, J. Cole, 21 Savage, Travis Scott and SZA.

SZA’s SOS, nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, was named most-streamed album in SA. Kelvin Momo’s Amukelani, Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains, AKA’s Mass Country and Drake’s Her Loss complete the top five. Sjava’s album Isibuko made the eighth spot, while Ukhamba by Inkabi Zezwe (collaborative project between Big Zulu and Sjava) made the 10th spot.

Limpopo’s finest Master KG scored first place in the list of Top Exported SA Artists; followed by Black Coffee, Nomcebo Zikode, DJ Maphorisa, Lebo M, The Kiffness, Lucky Dube, Will Linley, Kabza De Small and Nasty C.

In terms of podcasts, the most-streamed and retaining the top spot was Podcast and Chill with MacG, followed by Vusi Thembekwayo’s VT Podcast Ideas That Matter and Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba.