Sauti Sol Are the Only Local Singers in Spotify’s Kenya Top Ten Most Streamed Artists

Back in the day, it was very hard for Kenyans to access the world’s leading music streaming service, Spotify. The platform was mostly available in Western markets, and that did not sit well with locals who wanted to enjoy a huge catalog of music that Spotify has.

Fast forward to six months ago, the service launched in Kenya, among other African countries. This means that you can find the Spotify app in your favourite app store, and what is even better is that you can buy a subscription using M-PESA.

READ MORE: Spotify Senior Product Manager on The Rollout of Streaming Service to Africa

The app costs KES 300 per month to run, and while there are other cheapest platforms, Spotify has the upper hand because of reach, and millions of songs at their disposal.

The six-month stint in Kenya has revealed that while Kenyans like listening to local songs, including the Gengetone genre, they still find international artists such as Drake, the late Pop Smoke, and The Weeknd appealing to their tastes.

In sum:

1. Niko Sawa is the top streamed song by Kenyans on Spotify
2. Sauti Sol is the top streamed Kenyan music group by Kenyans
3. Gengetone in the top 10 most streamed playlist by Kenyans

“Spotify has always celebrated Africa’s abundance of talent and diversity. Now with Spotify’s presence across Africa, we will continue to use the power of the platform to amplify African creators to a global audience. What we are seeing come out of Kenya is that the Gengetone genre, which draws sonic influences from dancehall, reggaeton and Genge, is gaining popularity. This youth-driven sound of Kenya’s streets is growing and our flagship Gengetone Fire playlist shows up in the top 10 most streamed playlists on Spotify,”  says Phiona Okumu, Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa.

Here is the summary of top artists/songs/playlists in Kenya according to Spotify (in the last six months):

Top 10 most-streamed tracks in Kenya

1. Niko Sawa
2. MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)
3. Levitating (feat. DaBaby)
4. Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon)
5. RAPSTAR
6. Kiss Me More (feat. SZA)
7. Up
8. Heartbreak Anniversary
9. Leave The Door Open
10. Astronaut In The Ocean

 Top 10 most streamed artists in Kenya

1. Drake
2. Sauti Sol
3. Justin Bieber
4. Pop Smoke
5. Juice WRLD
6. Burna Boy
7. The Weeknd
8. DaBaby
9. J. Cole
10. Travis Scott

Top 10 most streamed playlists in Kenya

1. Today’s Top Hits
2. RapCaviar
3. African Heat
4. Made In Kenya
5. Mood Booster
6. Mega Hit Mix
7. Hot Hits Kenya
8. Soft Pop Hits
9. Top Gaming Tracks
10. Gengetone Fire

Top 10 cities Kenyans are streaming from

1. Nairobi
2. Mombasa
3. Nakuru
4. Eldoret
5. Kisumu
6. Thika
7. Nyeri
8. Meru
9. Kiambu
10. Mandera