African music dominates globally during Grammy week celebration

As Grammy Week unfolded in Los Angeles, African music proved that it is not a fleeting trend but a defining force in global pop culture.

From sold-out arenas to major award recognition, African sounds are no longer on the margins; they are reshaping the very centre of the global music industry.

That momentum will be on full display at Pamoja, YouTube Music’s annual celebration of African music and culture, today. The event showcases the collaborative, cross-border spirit that has propelled African artists onto the world stage.

This year, Pamoja will honour nominees in the Recording Academy’s Best African Music Performance category and posthumously celebrate Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This makes him the first African to get Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fela Kuti, widely regarded as the father of Afrobeat, fused jazz, funk, highlife, and traditional African rhythms with bold political and social commentary, challenging corruption and authoritarianism in Nigeria. His music inspired generations of artists across Africa and the diaspora, influencing global genres and movements.

The celebration will also highlight the African diaspora and international collaborators who have amplified African sounds globally. From producers in the UK to DJs in the US, artists across continents have helped African music transcend borders and captivate diverse audiences.

Digital platforms have played a pivotal role in this rise. According to YouTube, over 70 per cent of watch time for the platform’s Top 100 African artists comes from outside Africa, demonstrating the genre’s vast international reach.

“YouTube is part of how fans everywhere discovered these artists in the early days,” Tuma Basa, YouTube’s Director of Music Culture, told CNN. “A lot of the discovery happens organically. It’s borderless.”

That borderless reach is evident in touring and collaborations. African artists are selling out arenas in Europe, North America, and Asia, while international acts continue to draw large audiences across Africa.

Basa cited Rema’s performance in India in 2024 as a pivotal moment, demonstrating just how expansive African music’s audience has become.  “Fans didn’t wait for radio or a traditional gatekeeper to tell them who to listen to,” Basa said. “They found the music themselves.

Global rise

Streaming figures highlight the continent’s global rise. In 2025, Burna Boy was Spotify’s most-streamed African artist. By January 2026, Wizkid surpassed that milestone, becoming the first African artist to reach 10 billion streams.

Nigerian sensation CKay’s Love Nwantiti also exceeded 1 billion streams, cementing its place among the most-consumed African songs ever. On Apple Music, African music streams have grown four times faster than overall platform growth.

The African diaspora plays a critical role in this expansion. “If African music is the fuel, the diaspora is the transmission,” Basa said. “It helps carry that energy to different parts of the world and connect audiences with artists they may never have discovered otherwise.”

Pamoja itself is intentionally informal, prioritising authenticity over spectacle. “For us, authenticity isn’t a curated aesthetic—it’s the foundation,” said Addy Awofisayo, Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa at YouTube. “When you look at previous Pamoja events, the impact didn’t come from a script. It came from people feeling seen and represented.” 

This year’s Grammy Awards further reflect Africa’s growing presence. The Best African Music Performance category, introduced in 2024, highlights contemporary artists pushing the genre forward, while Fela Kuti’s Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledges the foundations laid by pioneers. Kuti will be bestowed this honor alongside other international heavyweights, including Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cher, and Paul Simon.

In an official statement on the matter, Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of the Recording Academy, described the honorees as “an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres, and the very foundation of modern music.”

Although Kuti didn’t win a Grammy during his lifetime, he has received numerous posthumous awards for his expansive contributions to global music. Most notably, his 1976 album Zombie was inducted into the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame. 

African music’s growing influence can be seen across multiple categories, with collaborations between African and international artists making waves in pop, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music.

Still, Basa cautions against framing this moment as a sudden breakthrough. “It’s not a beginning or a turning point,” he said. “It’s a continuation of music that has always existed and is finally being recognised at this level. This is overdue recognition, not a trend.”

Looking ahead, African music’s future is defined by diversity from Amapiano and Afrobeat to African hip-hop, R&B, and pop.