Over the past decade, Nigerian music, especially the vibrant genre of Afrobeats, has transformed from a regional sound into a global cultural force.
PwC recently estimated that Afrobeats contributes roughly $2 billion annually to the wider global music economy, underlining the genre’s rising influence.
At the same time, streaming platforms like Spotify have reported that Nigerian artists earned over N58 billion in royalties in 2024 alone, more than doubling what they made the previous year.
One of the main platforms fueling this expansion is YouTube, where creators who qualify for the YouTube Partner Program benefit from revenue sharing via ads, subscriptions, and, more recently, Shorts. As these channels grow, so does their access to monetization tools that reward viewership, global reach, and engagement.
This article spotlights some of Nigeria’s musicians with the largest YouTube channels by subscriber count, based on data at the time of publishing, offering a snapshot of who is leading the stream in turning global visibility into creative and financial impact.
- No of subscribers: 5.18 million
In just six years, Nigerian sensation Rema has evolved from a teenage prodigy to one of Africa’s most influential music exports. With his YouTube channel in 2019, the Calm Down hitmaker has drawn over 2.24 billion views and nearly 200 videos, a digital footprint that mirrors his meteoric rise from Benin City to the Billboard charts.
- His 2022 single Calm Down became a defining moment for the global Afrobeats movement, with its remix featuring Selena Gomez peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending a record 58 weeks atop the Billboard Afrobeats Songs Chart.
- Signed to Jonzing World, an imprint under Mavin Records, Rema (born Divine Ikubor) quickly carved out a niche he calls Afro-Rave, a fusion of Afrobeats, trap, house, and hip-hop.
- His debut album, Rave & Roses (2022), broke streaming records and became the first African album to surpass 2 billion streams on Spotify.
Onstage, he’s just as magnetic, performing at high-profile events like the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, a testament to his cross-continental appeal.
In 2024, he doubled down on artistry and ambition with his sophomore project HEIS, an introspective, drum-heavy record that delves deeper into self-identity and Edo culture. The album debuted at No. 2 on the UK Official Albums Chart before rising to No. 1, earning Rema his first Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
