By OLADELE ENIOLA

Spotify has released its Global Impact List for the first half of 2026, highlighting the Nigerian songs that recorded the strongest international streaming performance during the period.

Spotify made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

The platform noted that the rankings provided fresh insight into the growing global influence of Nigerian music and the increasing role of cross-cultural collaborations in expanding its reach.

Spotify said the rankings reflect a new era in which Nigerian artistes blend Yoruba, Igbo, Nigerian Pidgin and English with other global languages to connect with audiences worldwide.

It revealed that “Dai Dai”, the official FIFA World Cup 2026 song by Nigerian Afrobeats star, Burna Boy, and Colombian singer, Shakira, led the list.

The song combines Spanish and English in a cross-continental collaboration involving two major artistes from different musical backgrounds.

It added that Latin American collaborations also featured prominently on the list with Puerto Rican singer, Rauw Alejandro, teaming up with Nigerian artiste, Wizkid, and Jamaican producer, Rvssian, on “PONGO”.

Spotify said such collaborations demonstrated how Spanish, West African languages and sounds were creating new connections among artistes, cultures and audiences.

The trend is also reflected in Spotify’s “Afro Ritmo” playlist, which features collaborations between Nigerian, other African and Latin American artistes.

The Global Impact List further highlighted the multilingual nature of contemporary Nigerian music through the song titled “Goals”, a collaboration involving Nigerian singer, Rema, Brazilian pop star, Anitta, K-pop artiste , LISA and FIFA Sound.

The track blends Portuguese, Spanish, Korean and Nigerian Pidgin, thereby highlighting how music can transcend language and cultural barriers.

Spotify said the first half rankings showed that listeners were increasingly discovering music beyond language boundaries, with songs in Yoruba, Igbo, Nigerian Pidgin, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Korean connecting audiences through shared emotions, culture and creativity.

The platform said Nigerian artistes were increasingly collaborating across borders and languages, thereby expanding the country’s global music footprint and introducing new audiences to the diversity of its music scene.(NAN)