Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, professionally known as Tems, has become the African artist with the highest number of monthly listeners on Spotify. She surpassed South African star Tyla to claim the top spot.
The Grammy-winning singer recently reached a new peak of 38.3 million monthly listeners on the global streaming platform. This milestone pushes her ahead of Tyla, who previously held the record with 38.2 million monthly listeners. Tems now ranks as the most-streamed female African artist on Spotify, with a combined 4.7 billion streams across all credits.
Her recent surge reflects a wave of strategic releases and international collaborations. Notably, the “Colors” version of her song “What You Need” has gained strong traction. In addition, “Bounce Road Blues,” featuring American rappers J. Cole and Future, has boosted her global numbers. Her collaboration with British rapper Dave, titled “Raindance,” also continues to perform well across international charts.
With this momentum, Tems is closing in on another milestone. She could soon challenge the all-time record for the highest monthly listeners by an African artist. Tyla currently holds that record, after reaching 40 million monthly listeners during the global success of her hit single “Water.”
Beyond Spotify, Tems continues to dominate major charts. She recently became the first African female artist to secure seven entries on the Billboard Hot 100. This achievement places her alongside leading African stars like Burna Boy and Wizkid in global digital reach.
As her audience expands, Tems remains one of the strongest exports from the Afrobeats and Alté scenes to mainstream Western music.
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