Nigerian music superstar Wizkid has reached yet another historic milestone, officially becoming the first African artist to surpass 10 billion streams on Spotify across all credits. The landmark was achieved on January 8, 2026, further solidifying his status as one of Africa’s most influential global music exports.
The achievement comes barely weeks after the singer crossed the 9.9 billion mark in late December 2025. With this latest update, Wizkid has now completed a clean sweep of Spotify’s billion-stream milestones, making him the first African act to reach every major streaming benchmark on the platform.
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A Decade-Long Climb to a Historic Streaming Feat
Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, has been at the forefront of Afrobeats’ global expansion for over a decade. From his early days in Ojuelegba, Surulere, to international arenas, his rise has been marked by consistency, cross-border collaborations, and a profound cultural impact.
A significant portion of his Spotify streams comes from his 2016 global smash hit “One Dance”, a collaboration with Drake and Kyla. The track has amassed approximately 3.96 billion streams, ranking among Spotify’s most-streamed songs of all time. It also holds a Guinness World Record as the first song to hit one billion streams on the platform.
As a lead artist, Wizkid’s most-streamed song remains “Essence” featuring Tems, which has crossed 334 million streams. The song made history as the first Nigerian track to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, later climbing into the top ten following a remix featuring Justin Bieber.
Beyond Spotify: Global Dominance Across Platforms
While the Spotify milestone has drawn widespread attention, Wizkid’s global reach extends far beyond a single platform. By late 2025, industry estimates indicated that he had surpassed 20 billion global audio on-demand streams across all platforms, more than doubling the 10 billion benchmark worldwide.
In addition to streams, Wizkid crossed 10 million followers on Spotify in December 2025, underlining his sustained listener base and international appeal. His catalog includes high-performing collaborations such as “Call Me Every Day” with Chris Brown, “Come Closer” featuring Drake, and the “Essence” remix with Justin Bieber and Tems.
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A Career Defined by Global Firsts
Wizkid’s journey to this milestone includes several industry-shaping moments. He signed with Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009, broke into mainstream Nigerian music with Superstar in 2011, and achieved international recognition in 2016 with One Dance. Albums like Made in Lagos, More Love, Less Ego, and Morayo have further strengthened his global footprint, with Morayo setting a new record for the biggest streaming debut for an African album on Spotify.
This latest achievement not only reinforces Wizkid’s legacy but also highlights the continued rise of African music on the world stage, driven by streaming platforms and a growing global audience for Afrobeats.
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