As the music industry gathers for Grammy Week, African music is playing an increasingly prominent role — not only on the awards stage, but across global pop culture.
That momentum will be on display in Los Angeles on Saturday at Pamoja, YouTube Music’s annual African music and culture celebration. Organizers say the theme reflects the collaborative and cross-border nature of African music’s global rise.
The event will honor nominees in the Recording Academy’s Best African Music Performance category and recognize Nigerian pioneer Fela Kuti with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Pamoja will also highlight the role of the African diaspora and international collaborators who have helped bring African sounds to global audiences.
The timing underscores a broader shift in the music industry. African artists are no longer niche participants in the global market — they are re-shaping it.
A global audience beyond the continent
Digital platforms have played a central role in that expansion. According to YouTube, more than 70% of watch time for the platform’s Top 100 African artists now comes from outside Africa, illustrating the genre’s growing international audience.
“YouTube is part of how fans everywhere discovered these artists in the early days,” said Tuma Basa, YouTube’s director of music culture. “A lot of the discovery happens organically. It’s borderless.”
That reach is increasingly reflected in touring patterns and global collaborations. African artists are selling out arenas across Europe and North America, while international acts are performing to large audiences on the continent.
Basa cited Nigerian star Rema’s performance in India in 2024 as a turning point in how global the audience has become.
“Fans didn’t wait for radio or a traditional gatekeeper to tell them who to listen to,” he said. “They found the music themselves.”
Other digital platforms reflect similar trends. In 2025, Burna Boy was the most streamed African artist on Spotify, but in January of 2026 Wizkid surpassed those streams becoming the first African to hit 10 billion streams, underscoring Afrobeats’ global pull. Nigerian artist CKay’s song “Love Nwantiti” has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, placing it among the most consumed African tracks ever. On Apple Music, streams of African music as a whole have grown four times faster than the overall platform streams, with Wizkid again surpassing 10 billion global streams.
The role of the diaspora
Industry leaders point to the African diaspora as a key driver of that global reach, helping translate regional sounds to international audiences while maintaining cultural context.
“If African music is the fuel, the diaspora is the transmission,” Basa said. “It helps carry that energy to different parts of the world.”
That exchange, he added, works in both directions, with global artists increasingly engaging African audiences directly.
An emphasis on authenticity
Pamoja has become known for its informal, unscripted atmosphere — a deliberate choice, according to organizers.
“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,” she said. “It came from people feeling seen and represented.”
Awofisayo said that approach is especially important for African music and culture, which have often been framed through external perspectives.
“Pamoja creates a space where the music and the culture can exist on their own terms,” she said.
The event draws hundreds of artists, executives and cultural leaders and is known for spontaneous moments both onstage and in the audience.
“When the energy is real, it builds trust and belonging,” Awofisayo said. “That’s when culture actually moves forward.”
Organizers say Pamoja is designed to spark lasting outcomes, not just a single night of celebration.
“With that many decision-makers in one room, the goal is to move past surface-level networking,” Awofisayo said. “We want collaborations, partnerships and long-term strategies to come out of it.”
The Grammys and recognition
This year’s Grammy Awards reflect Africa’s growing presence, from the Best African Music Performance category, introduced in 2024, to Kuti’s posthumous honor. South African-born host Trevor Noah continues to bring African representation to one of music’s largest global stages.
Basa cautioned against viewing the 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 recognized at this level.
“This is overdue recognition, not a trend.”
Industry leaders say African music’s next chapter will be defined by diversity rather than a single dominant sound.
“There’s still much more to come,” Awofisayo said, pointing to the growth of Amapiano — a popular South African hybrid genre of electronic dance music — African hip-hop, R&B and pop beyond Afrobeats.
She said YouTube will continue to function as a global equalizer, allowing artists to reach international audiences without relying on traditional industry gatekeepers.
“A young artist in Johannesburg can build an audience in New York or Tokyo,” she said. “And African culture is about more than music — it’s visual, it’s movement, it’s identity.”
For Pamoja, organizers say the goal is clear: to reflect African music’s place in the global mainstream — not as a novelty, but as a permanent and influential force.
“We’re seeing African music move from influence to infrastructure,” Basa said. “That shift is already underway.”
By CNN
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