Playlist: Africa’s biggest songs of 2023

East Africa

In a year that witnessed a surge in music consumption globally, East Africa showcased its credentials. Stars like Diamond Platnumz continued to dominate the charts as bongo flava remained the leading genre in the region. Forced by the seemingly unstoppable amapiano takeover, Tanzanian artists fully embraced the genre and incorporated it into bongo flava, birthing a fusion style known unofficially as ‘Swapiano’ (Swahili piano). Meanwhile, Uganda’s flirtations with dancehall continued to pay dividends as breakout star Joshua Baraka and industry diva Vinka set the streamers on fire. Kenya’s knack for surprises came at the tail end of the year when an ‘unknown quantity’ in the name of Sofiya Nzau emerged as the face of what could potentially be a global dance hit – Zerb’s ‘Mwaki’. It was also the year Rwanda’s Israel Mbonyi; rarely has a gospel number swept East Africa by storm like ‘Nina Siri’. The region’s favourite local genres remain Tanzania’s bongo flava, Kenya’s Gen Z-driven gengetone, Uganda’s dancehall-powered pop, and an assortment of alternative electro and hip hop sounds.

‘Mwaki’ by Zerb ft. Sofiya Nzau (Kenya)

‘Nina Siri’ by Israel Mbonyi (Rwanda)

‘Bailando’ by Vinka (Tanzania)

‘Yatapita’ by Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)

‘Nana’ by Joshua Baraka (Uganda)

Southern Africa

South Africa is undoubtedly the leading music hub south of the Equator, and especially in the Southern Africa region. Amapiano, currently the country’s leading genre, is influencing the rest of Africa, even West Africa where artists are employing its signature beats and melodies in a growing number of releases. In terms of hits, Tyler ICU’s ‘Mnike’ is just one example of a song that had global impact in 2023, with fans coming out with various dance challenges on video streaming platforms like TikTok. ‘Stimela’ was also among the top performing songs on digital platforms, and won two top awards at the 2023 South African Music Awards. But South Africa also kept its strong grip on hip hop and house, even though these two genres have taken a back seat for the moment.

‘Mnike’ by Tyler ICU

‘Water’ by Tyla

‘Hamba Juba’ by Lady Amar, Cici, Murumba Pitch and JL SA

‘Awukhuzeki’ by DJ Stokie

‘Stimela’ by 2Point1 ft. Ntate Stunna & Nthabi Sings

‘Mina Nawe’ by Soa Mattrix

Anglophone West Africa

Anglophone West Africa, the cradle of Afrobeats, continues to lead Africa’s pop sound, which is now very much a global sound, too. Among the standout successes is Rema’s ‘Calm Down’, which not only boasts the accolade of being the most exported track from sub-Saharan Africa but also holds the distinction of being the first African-led single to surpass a billion streams on Spotify. It also set a YouTube record as the most-viewed Afrobeats video. Other songs like Asake’s ‘Lonely at the Top’ and King Promise’s ‘Terminator’ achieved global viral success, stressing the region’s international impact. It is also worth mentioning that while there’s a place for mainstream pop, there’s also a thriving underbelly driving the alternative (alté) scene, which now and then inspires the mainstream in profound ways.

‘Lonely at the Top’ by Asake

‘Calm Down’ by Rema

‘Terminator’ by King Promise ft. Young Jonn

‘Elon Musk’ by Shallipopi

‘Declan Rice’ by Odumodublvck’

Francophone West Africa

French West African songs also scored big in terms of numbers and media coverage. The below tracks reflect the dominant styles of the region, including Afrobeats, jolofbeats, gospel and ivory rap.

‘C’est pas normal’ by Toofan (Togo)

‘Je te kala pas’ by Josey (Ivory Coast)

‘La vie est belle’ by Mia Guissé (Senegal)

‘Par Force’ by Viviane Chidid (Senegal)

‘Dieu pile pas foutou’ by KS Bloom (Ivory Coast)

North Africa

Away from the mainstream, Morocco is known for a variety of creative musical genres combining traditional music such as gnawa with modern sounds like pop and hip hop, making it a dynamic hotbed of North African music. At the same time, the once-on-the-fringes Tunisian and Egyptian hip hop scenes have moved to lead the charts, offering new perspectives for listeners. As a result, the North African music scene has rapidly expanded, where diverse artists are redefining Arabic music and traditional African inspirations to establish a variety of regional signature sounds. 

‘Dellali’ by ElGrandeToto (Morocco)

‘Zarzour’ by Lartiste (Morocco)

‘Nari Nar’ by Mouh Milano (Algeria)

‘Tetabtab’ by Mohamed Ramadan ft. Stefanos Pitsiniagkas (Egypt)

‘Casanova’ by Soolking ft. Lola Indigo and RVFV (Algeria)

‘Dima mechi’ by Balti (Tunisia)

Central Africa

There was a shift in Central African music popularity thanks to two Cameroonian singers, Libianca and Krys M, who are blowing up at an incredible rate. In addition to exporting their art beyond Cameroon’s borders, these two stars have forged their own distinct sounds amid a sea of successful African artists. The list of popular tracks from Central Africa in 2023 also includes music from Afara Tsena, Fally Ipupa and Koffi Olomide.

‘People’ by Libianca (Cameroon)

‘SL’ by Fally Ipupa (DRC)

‘Qui croira verra’ by Krys M

‘Achii’ by Diamond Platnumz ft. Koffi Olomide (Tanzania/DRC)

‘Afro Mbokalisation’ by Afara tsena (Congo)