The Billboard Year-End U.S. Afrobeats Songs of 2024 ranks the best-performing Afrobeats songs in the United States. Published by Billboard magazine on December 13, 2024, it showcase the aggregated metrics compiled by Luminate from October 28, 2023, through October 19, 2024. [1]
No. | Title | Artist(s) |
---|---|---|
1 | "Water" | Tyla |
2 | "Calm Down" | Rema and Selena Gomez |
3 | "Me & U" | Tems |
4 | "Truth or Dare" | Tyla |
5 | "Jump" | Tyla, Gunna and Skillibeng |
6 | "Move" | Adam Port and Stryv featuring Malachiii |
7 | "Love Me JeJe" | Tems |
8 | "People" | Libianca |
9 | "Art" | Tyla |
10 | "City Boys" | Burna Boy |
11 | "Tshwala Bam" | TitoM and Yuppe featuring EeQue and S.N.E |
12 | "Talibans" | Byron Messia and Burna Boy |
13 | "Angels in Tibet" | Amaarae |
14 | "Free Fall" | Tems featuring J. Cole |
15 | "Commas" | Ayra Starr |
16 | "No.1" | Tyla featuring Tems |
17 | "Favorite Girl" | Darkoo and Dess Dior |
18 | "Holy Ghost" | Omah Lay |
19 | "Not an Angel" | Tems |
20 | "Last Heartbreak Song" | Ayra Starr |
21 | "Active" | Asake and Travis Scott |
22 | "On and On" | Tyla |
23 | "This Year" (Blessings) | Victor Thompson and Gunna featuring Ehis D'Greatest |
24 | "Happiness" | Sarz, Asake and Gunna |
25 | "Egwu" | Chike and MohBad |
26 | "Tested, Approved & Trusted" | Burna Boy |
27 | "Wickedest" | Tems |
28 | "Higher" | Burna Boy |
29 | "Wave" | Asake and Central Cee |
30 | "Bad Vibes" | Ayra Starr and Seyi Vibez |
31 | "Safer" | Tyla |
32 | "Princess Going Digital" | Amaarae |
33 | "Cast" | Shallipopi featuring Odumodublvck |
34 | "Ngozi" | Crayon and Ayra Starr |
35 | "Twe Twe" | Kizz Daniel |
36 | "IDK" | Wizkid and Zlatan |
37 | "Get it Right" | Tems featuring Asake |
38 | "MMS" | Asake and Wizkid |
39 | "Soh-Soh" | Odeal |
40 | "Lonely at the Top" | Asake |
41 | "Blood on the Dance Floor" | Odumodublvck, Bloody Civilian and Wale |
42 | "On My Body" | Tyla and Becky G |
43 | "Different Pattern" | Seyi Vibez |
44 | "Breathe Me" | Tyla |
45 | "Benin Boys" | Rema and Shallipopi |
46 | "Famax" | Raffa Guido |
47 | "DND" | Rema |
48 | "Stubborn" | Victony and Asake |
49 | "Sittin' on Top of the World" | Burna Boy and 21 Savage |
50 | "Cana" | Seyi Vibez |
Below is the list of Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs Artists of 2024. [3]
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobeats, afropop, R&B, afrobeat, reggae, dancehall, and pop. He began recording music at the age of 11 and released a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed. In 2009, Wizkid signed a record deal with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E). He rose to the limelight after releasing "Holla at Your Boy", the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar (2011), which also spawned the singles "Tease Me/Bad Guys" and "Don't Dull".
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu , known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He gained recognition in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and its parent company Warner Music Group. His third studio album Outside, which also serves as his major label debut, was released in 2018.
Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and rapper. He gained recognition with his 2019 song "Dumebi". That same year, he signed with D'Prince's record label, Jonzing World. He achieved international recognition with his 2022 single "Calm Down", which spawned a remix with American singer Selena Gomez that peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also led Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-setting 58 weeks.
Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a style per se, and more of a descriptor for the fusion of sounds flowing out of Nigeria and Ghana. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife, azonto music, and naija beats, among others, were amalgamated under the "Afrobeats" umbrella.
Amapiano is a subgenre of kwaito and house music that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. It is a hybrid of deep house, gqom, jazz, soul and lounge music characterized by synths and wide, percussive basslines. The word "amapiano" derives from the IsiZulu word for "pianos".
Temilade Openiyi, known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She rose to prominence after being featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence", which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of the remix version with Justin Bieber. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination. That same year, she was featured on the song "Fountains" by Canadian rapper Drake.
"Essence" is a song by Nigerian singer Wizkid, featuring fellow Nigerian singer Tems. It was released on 30 October 2020, as the fourth single from Wizkid's fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. "Essence" was produced by P2J and Legendury Beatz. The "sensual" song sees the duo express their desire for each other. A music video was released on 9 April 2021, shot in Accra, Ghana. "Essence" is the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200. The song received a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Performance.
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Starr achieved mainstream international recognition in 2022, with the release of her song "Rush". The song charted in several territories, including Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 24. It earned Starr a nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best African Music Performance.
The U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart is a standard record chart, ranking the most popular Afrobeats songs in the United States and it is published weekly by Billboard. The chart ranks the 50 most popular songs every week. It was established by Billboard, in association with Afro Nation, on 22 March 2022. The chart is compiled by Billboard, and Afro Nation. The chart is measured from leading audio and video music services, plus download sales from top music retailers. The first chart was published in the issue dated 29 March.
"Calm Down" is a song by Nigerian singer Rema, from his debut studio album Rave & Roses (2022). It was released on 11 February 2022 through Jonzing World and Mavin as the album's second single. The song charted across Europe, reaching number one on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40 and Dutch Single Top 100. In the United Kingdom, "Calm Down" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and spent 27 non-consecutive weeks in the top ten of the chart.
Tyla Laura Seethal, known mononymously as Tyla, is a South African singer. Her musical style is characterised by a fusion of the pop and amapiano genres, with many publications dubbing her "Queen of Popiano".
"Water" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her debut studio album, Tyla (2024). It was released on 28 July 2023 by Fax and Epic Records as the album's lead single. An amapiano song with elements of pop, R&B and Afrobeats, it sees Tyla expressing a desire for a passionate, intimate tryst. Remix versions of the song by American rapper Travis Scott and record producer Marshmello were released on 17 November 2023.
Tyla is the debut studio album by South African singer Tyla. It was released on 22 March 2024 by FAX and Epic Records. The deluxe edition titled Tyla + was released on 11 October 2024. Musically, Tyla blends elements of amapiano, pop, Afrobeats and R&B and its lyrical themes include empowerment and relationships. In an interview with Nandi Madida, Tyla expressed her desire to launch her album with a South African sound.
"Truth or Dare" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her 2024 self-titled debut studio album. It was released by FAX and Epic Records as a promotional single from her 2023 self-titled extended play, before impacting rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on 13 February 2024, as the second single from the album. Written by Tyla, Ariowa Irosogie, Imani Lewis, Corey Marlon Lindsay-Keay, Jamal Europe, and its producer Sammy SoSo, "Truth or Dare" is an amapiano track infused with elements of afrobeats and contemporary R&B influences.
"Girl Next Door" is a song by South African singer Tyla and Nigerian singer Ayra Starr. It was released on 12 May 2023 through Fax and Epic Records as a standalone single. Production of the song was handled by P.Priime and Corey Marlon Lindsay-Key. It is a blend of amapiano, contemporary R&B, pop, and afrobeats.
"Art" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her self-titled debut studio album. It was released on 12 April 2024 through Fax and Epic Records, as the album's third single. The R&B-infused amapiano song was produced by Sammy Soso and was accompanied by a music video that premiered on YouTube on the day of the album's release.
"Been Thinking" is a single by South African singer and songwriter Tyla. It was released on 27 January 2023 through Fax and Epic Records. It features production and songwriting from American record producers and songwriters Tricky Stewart and Theron Thomas. It impacted rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on 31 January 2023, and became her first Billboard-charting song in the region, entering at 36 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in May 2023.
"Jump" is a song by South African singer Tyla, American rapper Gunna and Jamaican rapper Skillibeng, from Tyla's self-titled debut album. The song was written by Tyla, Mocha, Believve, Gunna, Skillibeng, and its producer Sammy SoSo. Musically, "Jump" is a genre fusion of Afrobeats, dancehall and hip hop. It features throbbing bass, amapiano percussion, and a chant of the Zulu language expression "haibo". Tyla reflects on her rise to fame with braggadocio in the lyrics and references Johannesburg, the city where she was born and raised, by its two colloquial names, Joburg and Jozi.
The discography of South African singer and songwriter Tyla consists of one studio album, fifteen singles, three promotional singles and ten music videos. Tyla released her debut self-titled studio album on 22 March 2024, consisting of her digital extended play (EP) of the same name released on 1 December 2023, it debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was supported by four singles; "Water", which peaked within the top 10 in multiple countries and was awarded multi-platinum certifications in many countries, "Truth or Dare", "Art" and "Jump", and a promotional single "On and On".
"Push 2 Start" is a song recorded by South African singer Tyla. It was released in tandem with the deluxe edition of her self-titled debut studio album on 11 October 2024, by FAX and Epic Records. It is a reggae-infused Afro-pop, afrobeats and amapiano-R&B song about Tyla imploring her partner to give her affection. For the chart dated December 21, "Push 2 Start" charted at number two on the U.S Afrobeats Songs chart while "Water" was at number one simultaneously, marking the first time a solo artist held the top two spots in the same week.