LOS ANGELES: During Sunday’s Grammy Awards, as the music industry’s leading figures assemble to bestow top honors, a novel accolade for the best African music performance will be presented. This award mirrors the surging popularity of Afrobeats and other music genres from the continent, which are garnering a global following, aided by social media platforms like the short-form video app TikTok.
Afrobeats, originating in West Africa, particularly Ghana and Nigeria, serves as a comprehensive term encompassing diverse musical styles emerging from the continent. Characterized by percussion rhythms blended with various genres such as rap, jazz, R&B, and more, modern Afrobeats exudes a feel-good groove, making it appealing to a broad audience.
Billboard magazine introduced a U.S. Afrobeats chart in 2022, recognizing the genre’s rising influence. Heran Mamo, R&B and hip-hop reporter at Billboard, notes that Afrobeats’ eclectic nature positions it to reach a wider audience, evident in its substantial streaming numbers on platforms like Spotify, where it amassed 13.5 billion streams in 2022, a significant increase from 2 billion in 2017.
Nigerian artist Burna Boy achieved a milestone by becoming the first African artist to sell out a U.S. stadium at New York’s Citi Field last summer. The Grammy Awards will now include a category for the best African music performance, with contenders like Tyla, a 22-year-old South African singer, recognized for her danceable track “Water.”
Tyla’s success story highlights the influence of TikTok in amplifying artists’ global reach. After a TikTok executive noticed Tyla in 2020, she gained significant attention, and her song “Water” became a sensation on the platform. TikTok played a crucial role in promoting the song through challenges, resulting in 1.5 million videos and 1.8 billion views for the #WaterChallenge hashtag.
Ole Obermann, global head of music at TikTok, acknowledges the platform’s role as an incubator and distributor for artists, shaping global trends in music discovery. The success of Afrobeats artists on TikTok and YouTube underscores the changing dynamics of artist discovery and fan base growth, previously dominated by traditional music labels.
While TikTok remains controversial due to ownership concerns and ongoing disputes with music labels, it continues to be a pivotal platform for music discovery, especially among U.S. teenagers. Afrobeats artists like Rema have found success through TikTok collaborations, contributing to the genre’s global appeal.
TikTok’s impact extends beyond popularizing songs; it is fostering collaborations between U.S. and African artists, showcasing the platform’s potential to bridge musical cultures and drive the continued growth of the Afrobeats genre.
