Nairobi, Kenya, December 6 – Former Sauti Sol frontman Bien Aime-Baraza has taken the crown as the most streamed Kenyan artist on Spotify, overtaking last year’s top act, Wakadinali.
The announcement came with the release of Spotify Wrapped 2024, the platform’s annual review of global and regional streaming trends. In 2023, Wakadinali led the charts, surpassing artists like Sauti Sol, Bien, Bensoul, and Nyashinski. This year, Bien climbed to the top spot, followed by Wakadinali, while Sauti Sol dropped to third place.
Bien’s dominance extended beyond the artist rankings. The singer, known as the “Man a Bald Man,” secured four of the top 10 most streamed Kenyan tracks, with hits like Lifestyle, Inauma, Ma Cherie, and Extra Pressure featuring prominently.
Globally, Taylor Swift emerged as the most streamed artist on Spotify, followed by The Weeknd and Bad Bunny.
Spotify Wrapped 2024 also highlighted the year’s most popular podcasts, with 3MenArmy’s The 97s Podcast taking the top spot in Kenya, trailed by Julia Gaitho’s This is Love and Abel Mutua’s The Mkurugenzi Podcast.
Spotify Wrapped 2024 Highlights:
Top Streamed Kenyan Artists:
- Bien
- Wakadinali
- Sauti Sol
- Bensoul
- Lil Maina
- Nyashinski
- Okello Max
- Chris Kaiga
- Nviiri the Storyteller
- Otile Brown
Top Streamed Kenyan Tracks:
- NAKAM SAI – Lil Maina, sosatheprodigyy
- Lifestyle – Bien
- Extra Pressure – Bensoul/Bien
- Anguka Nayo – From The Hood Music
- Inauma – Bien
- Ma Cherie – Bien
- Lele – YBW Smith
- Set It – Dyana Cods
- Oversized T-shirt – Matata
- Kudade (Fancy Fingers Refix) – Fancy Fingers
Top Streamed Podcasts in Kenya:
- The 97s Podcast – 3MenArmy
- This is Love – Julia Gaitho
- The Mkurugenzi Podcast – Abel Mutua
- The Messy In Between
- ShxtsNGigs
- The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
- It’s Related, I Promise
- Mic Cheque Podcast
- The Sandwich Podcast
- Success Addicted Podcast with Earl Nightingale
Top Streamed Artists Globally:
- Taylor Swift
- The Weeknd
- Bad Bunny
- Drake
- Billie Eilish
- Travis Scott
- Peso Pluma
- Kanye West
- Ariana Grande
- Feid
Top Exported Genres in Kenya:
- Afro Beat
- Gengetone
- Afro Beats
- Afro Pop
- Afro House
- Gospel
- House
- Deep House
- Dancehall
- Tribal House
Spotify Wrapped 2024 underscores Bien’s growing influence in the music industry while highlighting the diversity of Kenya’s musical and podcasting scene.
