0:00Tyla is the most-streamed South African R&B artist on Spotify in 2025.
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- South Africans spent more than 8.5 billion minutes streaming R&B on Spotify in 2025.
- Tyla tops the list of most-streamed South African R&B artists, followed by Sondae, Lloyiso, Elaine and Jordan G. Welch.
- R&B streaming is heavily concentrated in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban and Gqeberha, with Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Zambia ranking as the genre’s biggest continental markets.
In 2025, Tyla was the most-streamed South African R&B artist on Spotify, leading a genre that was bigger than ever in the country.
New Spotify data reveals that South Africans spent more than 8.5 billion minutes streaming R&B in 2025, the equivalent of over 142 million hours dedicated to one of music’s most enduring genres.
Those numbers confirm what artists, promoters and fans have been feeling for a while: R&B is having a major moment in South Africa, driven by a generation of young listeners who have made the genre their own.
Nearly half of all R&B listeners on Spotify in South Africa are aged 18 to 24, accounting for 40.9% of the audience. That younger audience is setting the pace for the genre’s growth.
A further 18.7% are aged 25 to 29. Together, they represent a demographic that is not just streaming the genre but actively shaping its future, embracing both classic R&B and the new wave of contemporary artists redefining the sound.
Behind Tyla on the list of South Africa’s most-streamed artists are Sondae, Lloyiso, Elaine and Jordan G. Welch, a lineup that spans established names and rising voices, all benefiting from an audience hungry for the genre.
Her dominance on the streaming platform adds to what has already been a historic run for Tyla. According to data confirmed by music analytics platform Chart Data, she recently became the first artist in history to spend a cumulative 100 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart.
Her latest single, Is It Love, pushed her to the milestone, joining Water, Push 2 Start and Chanel as her fourth chart-topping hit.
The milestone also serves as a buildup for her highly anticipated sophomore album, A*POP, scheduled for release on 24 July 2026.
The album has already produced massive hits, including She Did It Again featuring Zara Larsson, and holds the distinction of being the first album ever to have multiple number-one hits before its official release.
Across the continent, the picture is similarly strong. Africa’s most-streamed R&B artists in 2025 were Tyla, Tems, Ayra Starr, Omah Lay and Fireboy DML, while tracks like Venus, Baby (Is It A Crime), Arike, Lost and Gimme Dat dominated playlists. The genre’s biggest continental markets are Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Zambia.
In South Africa specifically, R&B streaming is concentrated in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban and Gqeberha, with Johannesburg standing out not just as a streaming hub but as a live music destination for the genre. Nearly two months ago, the city hosted the latest edition of Once Upon A Time In Joburg, one of South Africa’s leading R&B and neo-soul live music experiences, headlined by American singer SiR.
SiR, who has built a loyal following in South Africa, reflected on the reception from local fans during his visit. “The audience is always wonderful when I’m out here. The people are always showing love, and I definitely had a great time. I think this was one of my best shows,” he said.
He also praised the country’s growing R&B ecosystem, singling out local artist Manana as a standout discovery. “Having experienced him, man, I’m a fan already,” SiR said. “To find out that my mother was already a fan, I was in tears.”
READ | ‘I love where I’m from’: Tyla talks Toy Story 5 cameo and SA pride at FIFA World Cup
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