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 US. 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. Just last week, Grammy-winner Wizkid 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.
