A few years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to hear Afrobeats acts like Tiwa Savage, Davido, Wizkid or Burna Boy on mainstream radio stations in the U.S. Now, those artists are scoring songs on soundtracks for blockbuster films and nabbing Grammy Awards.
But perhaps nothing is more telling of the growing prominence for Afrobeats artists than how they’ve swept the stage, selling out major concert venues. Grammy-winner Wizkid recently headlined a show at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, following a sold-out concert in April from Burna Boy, a fellow Nigerian artist and Grammy winner. Meanwhile, Fireboy DML this month played London’s OVO Arena Wembley, where he was joined on staged by Ed Sheeran, who regularly ranks among the top artists on Bloomberg’s Pop Star Power Rankings.
For years, there’s been bubbling interest from the U.S. and Europe in Afrobeats, an umbrella term used to describe popular music with roots in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana. That enthusiasm exploded to new levels in 2022, underscored by the swell of tour dates that’s generated big revenue. Burna Boy’s April show at Madison Square Garden grossed about $1.6 million in ticket sales, according to Pollstar, which tracks industry data. The appreciation hasn’t been limited to cities like New York. Fireboy toured across the country earlier this year and saw large turnouts in Denver, Dallas, Seattle and Minneapolis.
