By Gbemisola Azeez
Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy has set a new milestone on Spotify, becoming the first African artist to reach 47.4 million monthly listeners on the streaming platform.
The achievement follows the global success of Dai Dai, the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Burna Boy performs alongside Colombian singer Shakira.
Released on May 15, the song has gained significant international traction, climbing to the top of Spotify’s Global Top Songs chart on June 30. Its strong streaming performance pushed Burna Boy’s monthly listener count beyond the previous African record of 46.58 million, held by Tyla since December 2025.
“Dai Dai” has now surpassed 123 million streams on Spotify. The multilingual track features lyrics in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese, reflecting its global appeal. It was co-written by Burna Boy, Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Jon Bellion, and other songwriters, blending Afrobeats with contemporary pop influences.
With the FIFA World Cup continuing until July 19, Burna Boy’s monthly audience is expected to grow further, raising the possibility that he could become the first African artist to surpass 50 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
The latest feat adds to a string of landmark achievements for the Grammy Award winner. In 2025, Burna Boy became the first African artist to record nearly two billion Spotify streams in a single year. He also made history as the first artist from the continent to have two studio albums each surpass one billion streams on the platform.
