According to Spotify’s data on Kenyan listeners, local artists such as Bien Aimé Baraza (Bien), Njerae, Mutoriah and Charisma are rising fast as young audiences blend homegrown sounds with global hits.
Since entering the Kenyan market in 2021, Spotify has become one of the leading platforms for digital music consumption, especially among young audiences.
Over the past five years, Kenyan users have continued to stream global superstars, with artists such as Drake, Chris Brown, Future, Burna Boy and Travis Scott among the most played on the platform in the country.
Kenya’s music scene is undergoing a cultural shift as young listeners redefine what it means to engage with music. Even as international stars remain prominent, a generation of Kenyan Gen Z fans is shaping a distinct soundscape that mixes global hits with local talent and viral trends.
Across the country, playlists reflect rapidly evolving tastes. Amapiano, the South African‑born genre, has surged in popularity in Kenya, with streams growing by more than 1,400 per cent between 2021 and 2025.
Other genres show strong upward movement as well, with gospel/praise up 1,103 per cent, R&B up 737 per cent, Afrobeats up 680 per cent and hip‑hop/rap up 520 per cent over the same period.
Kenyan listeners are not passive consumers. With over 9 million user‑generated playlists created since Spotify’s launch and the average listener streaming music from 124 different artists in a recent month, Gen Z is actively curating and sharing what they play.
Social platforms like TikTok continue to drive trends, often transforming lesser‑known tracks into overnight sensations through dance challenges and meme clips that feed into community playlists.
Alongside international stars, Kenyan artists are increasingly visible in national streaming data. Tracks such as “Inauma” by Bien, “Aki Sioni” by Njerae, “Beta” by Mutoriah and “Sina Noma” by Charisma have ranked among the most streamed songs in Kenya over the past five years.