Three African stars, Wizkid, Rema and Tyla have earned places on Spotify’s newly released list of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs of the Streaming Era, highlighting their role in shaping global pop music since 2015.

The list, compiled by Spotify’s editorial team, focuses on songs released from 2015 till now and was selected using factors such as cultural impact, sound, storytelling and long term influence not just streaming numbers.

Ranked at number 8 is “One Dance”, performed by Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla.

Spotify notes: Drake is one of the most influential tastemakers of his generation. Over the years, he’s strategically borrowed sounds, co-signed artists, and raised up burgeoning scenes, minting stars and introducing new trends to mainstream audiences. He started incorporating Afrobeats into his music before the genre went fully global, first with his unofficial remix of Wizkid’s “Ojuelegba,” and later on Views’ second single, “One Dance,” featuring Wizkid and Kyla.

Further describing the sound: “One Dance” primarily functions as a pop song, with Drake narrating a Hennessy soaked vision of romance on the dance floor. But its African and Caribbean DNA is unmistakable. The drums draw directly from Afrobeats and dancehall, creating a rhythm built for movement.

Spotify adds that: Just as importantly, the song signaled the emergence of Afrobeats in the U.S. and other countries, paving the way for Wizkid, Burna Boy, Rema, and many more to find worldwide audiences.

The song, released April 5, 2016, has recorded 4,052,520,623 streams and:

“One Dance” is the eighth most-streamed song in Spotify history. It previously held the top spot until Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” surpassed it in 2017.

At number 29 is “Calm Down” by Rema (with Selena Gomez).

Spotify explains: Rema’s original “Calm Down” was already a hit, but Selena Gomez’s contribution pushed it to another level. Flirty, warm, and sun drenched, the pairing of Rema’s mischievous charm and Selena’s easy self-assurance turned the song into a true global crossover. In the process, it helped introduce Nigerian pop to an even wider audience, especially in the U.S., where “Calm Down” became the most successful Afrobeats single in Billboard chart history.

“Calm Down (with Selena Gomez)” was the first African artist-led track to reach one billion streams on Spotify.

Released August 25, 2022, the track currently holds 1,824,783,264 streams.

“The first international breakthrough for Tyla, “Water” brought the well-established South African sound of Amapiano to the world with the sonic signature of the log drum helping create a song that was instantly hypnotic and intimate yet danceable. It won the inaugural Grammy for Best African Music Performance and Tyla became a new artist on the brink of superstardom.”

It also notes:

“Water” became the first song by a South African solo artist to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 in 55 years. The last was “Grazing In The Grass” by Hugh Masekela, which charted in 1968.

Released July 28, 2023, the track has 1,321,212,023 streams.

Spotify, the global music streaming platform, launched in 2008 and is one of the world’s largest digital music services, allowing users to listen to songs online while also curating editorial lists that reflect music trends and cultural influence. (AriseNews TV)

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