A key trend emerging in the Kenyan music industry in 2023 is older artists making a comeback this year.
This is according to the latest data from Swedish digital music platform Spotify.
According to Spotify, this nostalgia was evident in the chaotic excitement at last Saturday’s American Boyz II Men concert at Nairobi’s Uhuru Gardens.
Following the buzz and hype that accompanied the announcement that the legendary band had been selected to headline the nearly sold-out yet disappointing Stanbic Yetu Festival, Spotify saw a spike in streaming numbers for its Boyz II Men catalog last month. I realized that I was doing This band dominated her RnB airwaves in his early ’90s.
In addition to Boyz II Men’s surge in streams, Spotify also noticed a surge in streams for older Skull artists by tracking artists who released music for the first time before 1990.
Also read: List of Top 10 Kenyan Artists Streamed on Spotify in 2022
“Nostalgia is such a powerful force and seeing Kenyans connected with music and artists from all over the world is inspiring how music can be a gateway to revisiting memories and different eras of our lives. It was also great to see Kenyans streaming legendary music from across the continent,” said Monica, East African Artist and Label Partnerships Manager at Spotify. Kemori Savanne said during a creative hangout.
Last month, the most streamed artists who brought back nostalgia were the late South African legend Lucky Dub, the King of Pop Michael Jackson, and legendary Lingala maestro Kofi Oromaid, according to data. was.
Topping the list of artists with the biggest increase in streams last month was the late Tina Turner, who released her first song before 1990, with a 454% increase in streams after her death in May this year.
Known for the work of John Nzenze, a legendary Kenyan musician. angelic twist Banger, who dominated the airwaves in the ’70s, saw a 139% increase in music streaming last month.
Ivory Coast singer Alpha Blondie, known for his reggae hit “Jerusalem,” who performed twice in Ivory Coast, also saw a 128% increase in streams of his music during the same period.
Spotify says its use and analysis of data not only tracks local support for artists, but also helps identify key trends that could affect artist growth.
Also read: Afrobeat Magic Dominates Spotify’s Top 10
