Today, Spotify is officially unveiling Wrapped 2019, an annual end of year summary that reveals the top artists, albums, songs, playlists and podcasts streamed on the platform. ‘’Wrapped’’ showcases how more than 248 million people around the world listened to and discovered music and podcasts in 2019, taking a look at music, culture and streaming through the eyes (and ears) of the fans and artists that made it all possible.
When it comes to 2019, Spotify can reveal that, globally, Post Malone is the most streamed artist this year. This is the first time the rapper-singer-songwriter tops Spotify’s “Wrapped” list, just over 12 weeks after dropping his latest album, Hollywood’s Bleeding, which is also the second most streamed album globally and the most streamed album in South Africa this year.
Khalid came in at the top spot for the most streamed artist in South Africa followed by Post Malone and Drakerespectively.
AmaPiano dominated South African dance floors in 2019, so it comes as no surprise that AmaPiano breakout star, Kabza Da Small, is the most streamed local artist in South Africa this year, followed closely by DJ Maphorisa, with Hip Hop mega star Nasty C taking the third spot.
Female voices were a force on Spotify in 2019, with Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande coming in as the second and third most streamed artists globally. Our second most streamed artist of 2019, 17-year-old singer/songwriterBillie Eilish, had an earth-shaking breakout year. She surpassed 6 billion streams this year alone, and her album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? is 2019’s most streamed album of the year on Spotify, marking the first time a female-led album has topped “Wrapped.” Billie Eilish also made it onto the most streamed artist in South Africa list at number 5 and WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? was the second most streamed album in South Africa. Shekhinah, who recently opened for legendary RnB singer Toni Braxton, remained the most streamed local female artist in South Africa. Lady Zamar, whose much anticipated second album Monarch, churned out more chart-topping hits, followed in second place with Afrikaans rock artist, Karen Zoid, claiming the third spot.
The year’s most streamed song globally is “Señorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello with more than 1 billion streams, followed closely by Billie Eilish’s hit track “bad guy” with more than 990 million streams.
While Post Malone and Billie Eilish dominated global streaming lists, they also featured prominently in South Africa’s most streamed songs for 2019. Post Malone claimed the first and fifth spots, with “Sunflower” featuring Swae Lee as the most streamed song and “wow” in fifth position and Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” taking the fourth spot.
Closer to home, South Africans showed their support for local artists with “Drive” by Black Coffee and David Guetta (featuring Delilah Montagu) maintaining its position as the most streamed song, spearheaded by a local artist. ‘’Fetch Your Life’’ by Prince Kaybee and Msaki is the second most streamed song in South Africa, with“Dames” by Biggy, the song that became a viral sensation locally, in at number three.
Prince Kaybe and Kabza Da Small also feature on the list of most streamed South African albums in South Africa. Prince Kaybee’s “Re Mmino” topped the list with Kabza Da Small and DJ Maphorisa’s “Scorpion Kings” in the second most streamed album slot.
2019 was a massive year for podcast growth on Spotify. Globally there are now more than 500,000 podcast titles available on platform and Spotify’s global podcast audience has grown by more than 50% since the start of the year.
A snapshot of the “Wrapped” 2019 Top Global and South Africa results can be found below..
Later this week, Spotify will unveil personalised Spotify “Wrapped”, which provides Spotify users with bespoke insights on the artists, songs, music genres and podcasts they listened to most, as well as fun facts like how many minutes of music they heard and how many songs they “liked.” For the first time, listeners will be able to access this experience directly in the Spotify app on mobile and tablet and via a website at spotify.com/2019. Additionally, Spotify is creating share cards highlighting fans’ personal tastes making it available for them to post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.
Most Streamed South African Artists in South Africa
2. DJ Maphorisa
3. Nasty C
5. Spoegwolf
6. Black Coffee
8. Sjava
9. Snotkop
10. AKA
Most Streamed South African Tracks in South Africa
1. “Drive” – Black Coffee, David Guetta, Delilah Montagu
2. “Fetch Your Life” (Edit) – Prince Kaybee, Msaki
4. “Amantombazane” – DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Mfr Souls, Samthing Soweto
5. “Akulaleki” – DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Samthing Soweto, Sha Sha
6. “Vula Vala” – DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Nokwazi, Vigro Deep
8. “Kokota” – Bizizi, KayGee DaKing, Killer Kau
9. “Gugulethu” – Afro Brothers, Indlovukazi, Prince Kaybee, Supta
10. “Whipped” – Nasty C, Shekhinah, Tellaman
Most Streamed South African Albums in South Africa
2. “Scorpion Kings” – Kabza Da Small, DJ Maphorisa
3. “Emakhaya” – Mlindo The Vocalist
4. “Strings And Bling” – Nasty C
6. “Isphithiphithi” – Samthing Soweto
8. “Die Platinum Reeks” – Snotkop
9. “Africa To The World” – Sun-El Musician
10. “Alles Van Die Beste” – Die Heuwels Fanstasties
Most Streamed South African Female Artists in South Africa
1. Shekhinah
2. Lady Zamar
3. Karen Zoid
4. Simmy
6. Ami Faku
8. Zonke
9. Sho Madjozi
Most Streamed South African Male Artists in South Africa
2. DJ Maphorisa
3. Nasty C
5. Spoegwolf
6. Black Coffee
7. Sjava
8. Snotkop
10. AKA
