Nigerian artists have slowly but steadily made a name for themselves through collaborations with international artists, with most of these collaborations becoming global hits that put Afrobeat on the map. Some of these songs have won a Grammy, while others have climbed to unexpected heights on streaming platforms; all of these feats have done a great service to the export of Afrobeat as a genre.
- Come Closer
This 2017 song by Wizkid featuring Drake was one of the songs that started the global Afrobeat domination. “Come Closer,” released during its era, helped introduce Wizkid to a wider audience, which in turn brought attention to the Nigerian music industry. The song currently stands at over 174 million streams and is still hailed as one of Drake’s best Afrobeat features.
- Blow My Mind
Davido has always been an Afrobeats fave in international waters, but his 2019 song titled “Blow My Mind” featuring Chris Brown was the beginning of another era. The collaboration between these two artists ushered in an era of Chris Brown collaborating with Afrobeat artists and, more importantly, opened Afrobeat to a different audience. The song currently has over 77 million streams on Spotify.
- Brown Skin Girl
It is impossible to mention collaboration between Nigerian and international artists that put Afrobeat on the map without including the Grammy-winning song, “Brown Skin Girl.” Beyond the song’s success, a collaboration between one of the biggest names in music (Beyoncé) and one of the biggest names in Afrobeats (Wizkid) drew in one of the most diverse audiences for Nigerian music. Released in 2019, Brown Skin Girl was a viral hit for weeks and currently has over 158 million streams on Spotify.
- Wait For You
One of the most recent songs on this list, “Wait For You,” not only broke records, with Tems becoming the first African female artist to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify, but also put Afrobeat on the map. The 2022 track featuring Drake, Tems, and Future was a global hit, and with 1.3 billion streams, it is the greatest showcase of a collaboration between international artists and a Nigerian singer working perfectly.
- Calm Down
Although Rema’s 2022 hit song “Calm Down” was a viral hit before his collaboration with Selena Gomez, the collaboration by the two on the remix of the song earned it a top 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and over 1.8 billion streams on Spotify. “Calm Down” helped introduce Rema and the Afrobeats sound to a diverse audience that may never have paid attention to the genre before the song’s viral stint
