Njerae leads Kenya’s 2025 Spotify surge as new stars storm the charts

Kenya’s music landscape is shifting, and Spotify Wrapped 2025 has put that evolution in bold, bright lights. After years of dominance by household names like Bien, Sauti Sol and Wakadinali, a fresh wave of rising stars has surged into the country’s most coveted streaming lists, marking a defining moment for homegrown sound.

According to the newly released data, Kenyans spent more than 180 million hours on Spotify this year, with a growing share of that time going to emerging local artists.

For the first time, Njerae, Toxic Lyrikali and Watendawili have all secured places among the Top 10 most-streamed Kenyan artists, while also planting multiple hits across the top-streamed songs and albums lists.

Njerae leads the new wave’s charge. Her breakout track ‘Aki Sioni’ is officially Kenya’s most-streamed song of 2025, driven heavily by 18–24-year-old listeners. Her album ‘Unintentional’ also debuts in the Top 5 most-streamed Kenyan albums.

Watendawili mirror that momentum with three songs on the local chart – ‘Inakubalika,’ featuring Matata, ‘Cham Thum (Atoti)’ and ‘Hadi Kesho’ - while their album ‘En Route’ also enters the Top 5.

Toxic Lyrikali, meanwhile, not only lands two major chart positions with ‘Chinje’ and ‘Backbencher,’ but is also crowned Kenya’s top discovered artist of 2025 on Spotify.

These shifts unfold alongside the continued strength of established favourites like Bien’s ‘Alusa, Why Are You Topless?’ album, especially among 35–44-year-olds, and Sauti Sol’s ‘Midnight Train.’

The streaming giant notes that Kenya’s listening habits this year have been dominated by rap, Hip Hop, Afropop, Afrobeats and R&B, with the country’s average listening age sitting at 28.

Only three of Kenya’s Top 10 most-streamed songs in 2025 came from international acts: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Luther,’ Shalipopi’s ‘Laho,’ and Chella’s ‘My Darling.’

According to Spotify, the surge in local listening underlines a defining cultural shift.

“Kenya’s 2025 Wrapped reveals a music scene that’s more vibrant than ever. It’s inspiring to see how strongly Kenyans have streamed their own homegrown talent this year, championing rising voices while still celebrating the artists who’ve shaped the culture,” said Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa.

The platform also highlights Kenya’s growing global footprint, with artists such as Idd Aziz, Karun, Bien, Sauti Sol and Zum driving international listens through widely exported tracks.

Spotify Wrapped 2025 further captures Kenyans’ enduring love for throwbacks, with top songs from past decades ranging from Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘All The Stars’ (2010s) to Billie Eilish’s ‘Ocean Eyes’ (1970s).

Spotify notes that this year’s data presents a Kenyan sound that is expanding in influence, blending nostalgia with modern experimentation, and embracing new global-infused genres such as Tecnobrega and 3 Step.

“Ultimately, 2025 showcased Kenya’s music scene as a vibrant, evolving ecosystem where variety reigns… the country is now boldly remixing, reclaiming, and broadcasting a new sonic identity to the world, pointing toward an exciting, unpredictable future,” the platform said in a statement to newsrooms.

1.      Bien

2.      Sauti Sol

3.      Wakadinali

4.      Toxic Lyrikali

5.      Bensoul

6.      Watendawili

7.      Njerae

8.      Nyashinski

9.      Lil Maina

10.  Okello Max

1.      Drake

2.      Bien

3.      Kendrick Lamar

4.      Future

5.      Chris Brown

6.      Travis Scott

7.      Gunna

8.      The Weeknd

9.      Vybz Kartel

10.  Sauti Sol

Top streamed Kenyan songs

1.      Aki Sioni (Njerae)

2.      Beta (Mutoriah)

3.      Sina Noma (Charisma)

4.      Inakubalika (Matata, Watendawili)

5.      Extra Pressure (Bensoul, Bien)

6.      Backbencher (Toxic Lyrikali, County Hype)

7.      Chinje (Toxic Lyrikali)

8.      Cham Thum (Watendawili)

9.      Hadi Kesho (Watendawili)

10.  Show You Off (Savara)

Top streamed Kenyan albums

1.      Alusa Why Are You Topless? (Bien)

2.      Midnight Train (Sauti Sol)

3.      Unintentional (Njerae)

4.      En Route (Watendawili)

5.      The Motions (Charisma)

6.      Afrikan Sauce (Sauti Sol)

7.      Disko (Kodong Klan)

8.      Live and Die in Afrika (Sauti Sol)

9.      The Party & The After Party (Bensoul)

10.  Ndani ya Cockpit 3 (Wakadinali)