AS the music industry’s elite gather for the Grammy Awards, a new trophy will be up for grabs: Best African Music Performance. This addition signifies the meteoric rise of Afrobeats, particularly from West Africa, with Ghana and Nigeria at its forefront. Social media platforms, notably TikTok, have played a pivotal role in propelling this genre to global recognition, featuring infectious blends of percussion rhythms, rap, jazz, and R&B.
According to Heran Mamo, an R&B and hip-hop reporter at Billboard magazine, ‘Modern Afrobeats has a feel-good groove to it… It’s bound to reach a wider audience because it already contains a little bit of everything for everyone.’
In 2022 alone, Afrobeats on Spotify witnessed a staggering 13.5 billion streams, a significant surge from 2 billion in 2017. Burna Boy, a Nigerian artist, made history by being the first African artist to sell out a US stadium, further solidifying the genre’s international acclaim.
Among the Grammy contenders for the new category is Tyla, a 22-year-old South African singer, whose danceable track “Water” secured a spot in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Tyla’s music falls under the genre of amapiano, known for its jazz- and piano-infused sound. TikTok played a pivotal role in her breakthrough, with the #WaterChallenge amassing 1.5 million videos and 1.8 billion views on the hashtag.
Ole Obermann, the global head of music at TikTok, emphasised the platform’s role, stating, ‘I think that TikTok has played the role of incubator, but also the distributor to the billion-plus global users, and it’s just really landed.’
TikTok’s influence challenges traditional roles held by music labels, acting as a dynamic force in artist discovery and fan base expansion. Despite controversies surrounding TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance, its undeniable impact on shaping music trends, particularly in promoting Afrobeats, is evident.
With the introduction of the Best African Music Performance category at the Grammys, the global music industry acknowledges the genre’s growing influence, further highlighting the transformative role of social media platforms in propelling artists to international acclaim.