British rock band Coldplay have released 10 studio albums, 6 live albums, 12 compilation albums, 18 extended plays, 44 singles, 13 promotional singles, and 5 charity singles. According to Parlophone, they have sold over 100 million albums worldwide as of May 2021, making them the most successful group of the 21st century and one of the best-selling artists of all time. Luminate revealed that, in terms of pure sales, they have tallied 18.2 million albums and 33.6 million song downloads in the United States alone as of February 2015. Moreover, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) attributed the rise in British music exports to their success multiple times, adding that it boosted the balance of payments of the United Kingdom.
American singer Selena Gomez has released three solo studio albums, one compilation album, three extended plays (EPs), 36 singles, three promotional singles, and two charity singles. Gomez has sold 6.7 million albums worldwide by October 2015. As of August 2023, she has sold 3.6 million albums in the United States, and shifted more than 11.5 million album equivalent units, including her releases with The Scene. As of May 2017, she has sold 24.3 million songs in the U.S. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she has achieved 47.5 million certified units, and a further 19.5 million as part of Selena Gomez & the Scene, in the U.S. She has a total of 41 chart entries on the US Billboard Hot 100, including a number one and nine top-ten songs.
Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd has released five studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums, three mixtapes, nine extended plays, 79 single releases, and seven promotional singles. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), he has accumulated 18.5 million certified album-equivalent units and 126 million certified digital single units in the US, based on sales and on-demand streaming, as of August 2024.
The American singer, songwriter, and actress Ariana Grande has released seven studio albums, one soundtrack album, one live album, two compilation albums, two extended plays (EPs), fifty-four singles, and fourteen promotional singles. Throughout her career thus far, Grande has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she has sold over 131 million units, across albums, singles, and features, and 12 million albums and 93.5 million digital singles units as a lead artist. In the U.S., Grande has moved 22.4 million album units, and garnered over 23.6 billion streams across lead artist credits, according to Luminate. Having amassed over 105 billion consumed streams thus far, Grande is the most streamed female artist ever. She is also the most streamed female artist of the 2010s on Spotify and Apple Music. She has amassed 86 chart entries on the Billboard Hot 100—the third most entries for a female artist—including nine number ones and 22 top-10 hits altogether so far. Grande was named the sixth top female artist of the 2010s decade, and was ranked among Billboard's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists, at number 78. Grande is also one of the best selling female artists in the UK, with over 31 million units.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, known professionally 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 , who is known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom 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 with Atlantic Records in the United States to release his third studio album, Outside (2018).
"One Dance" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his fourth studio album Views (2016). It features guest vocals from Nigerian afrobeats artist Wizkid and British singer Kyla. The artists co-wrote the dancehall and afrobeats song with its co-producers Nineteen85 and Noah "40" Shebib, with production assistance from Wizkid. Crazy Cousinz and Kyla received songwriting credits for the sampling of their 2008 UK funky song "Do You Mind".
Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-Bajan singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is the pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns. Mr Eazi relocated to Kumasi in 2008 and enrolled at KNUST, where he began booking artists to perform at college parties. He showed interest in music after recording a guest verse on "My Life", a song that gained traction and became a popular record at KNUST. Mr Eazi released his debut mixtape About to Blow in 2013. He gained an international audience following the release of the Efya-assisted single "Skin Tight". His second mixtape, titled Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra to Lagos, was released in 2017.
American singer Ava Max has released two studio albums, one extended play, 28 singles, 15 promotional singles and 24 music videos, as well as four visualizer music videos. In 2008, Max released an independent extended play on her Myspace profile titled Amanda Kay. She released "Take Away the Pain" under the stage name Ava in 2013, which was later produced by the Canadian duo Project 46 in 2015.
Divine Ikubor, known mononymously as Rema, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and rapper. He gained initial 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.
Harrison James Armstrong, known professionally as Aitch, is a British rapper from Manchester. He rose to fame in 2018 with the track "Straight Rhymez". His debut studio album Close to Home (2022) reached number two on the UK Albums Chart.
Afrobeats 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 genre per se, and more of a descriptor for the fusion of sounds flowing majorly out of Nigeria. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife, azonto music, and naija beats, among others, were amalgamated under the "Afrobeats" umbrella.
Adedamola Oyinlola Adefolahan, known professionally as Fireboy DML, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is signed to YBNL Nation, a record label founded by rapper Olamide. His debut studio album, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps, was released in 2019. He won Listener's Choice and was nominated for Song of the Year for "Jealous" at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. His third studio album, Playboy, entered the Billboard 200 at number 123. His latest album, Adedamola, was released in 2024.
"Love Nwantiti" is a song by Nigerian singer and songwriter CKay, released in 2019 as the second track from his second extended play Ckay the First by Chocolate City through Warner Music Group. A remix of the song titled "Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)" featuring Nigerian singer Joeboy and Ghanaian singer Kuami Eugene, released as a single in February 2020, became a commercial success in Nigeria, Middle East, North Africa and in many European club venues, as well as the subject of collaborations with few local artists for localised variations. The French version included vocals by French rapper Franglish.
Made in Lagos is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid. It was released on 30 October 2020 by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Projexx, Tems, Damian Marley, Terri and was executive produced by P2J. The deluxe edition was released on 27 August 2021. It features additional guest appearances from Buju and Justin Bieber. In support of the album, Wizkid embarked on the Made in Lagos Tour (2021–2022). The album received a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Album.
"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.
"Woman" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat from her third studio album Planet Her (2021). It has been described as a fusion of Afrobeats, pop, and R&B, with the lyrical themes of divine femininity and feminism. After gaining popularity in Europe, where it entered the top 10 in countries like Greece, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Lithuania and Portugal, the song impacted Italian radio airplay as the album's fourth single on October 1, 2021. It was sent to American mainstream and rhythmic contemporary radios on December 14, 2021. The song was a sleeper success, spending several months on the charts before slowly climbing to the top 10. For the chart dated May 7, 2022, the song reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, nearly a year after it debuted. "Woman" received three nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards including Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.
Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, known professionally as Oxlade, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter signed to Troniq Music, Epic Records in France, and Columbia Records in the UK. He rose to prominence with the release of the song "Away", which appeared on Rolling Stone's 50 best songs of 2020. After the success of his 2022 single "Ku Lo Sa", Oxlade was named Pandora Africa's Next Artist in July 2022.
"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.
