IN A NUTSHELL
• Kabza De Small leads Spotify Wrapped 2025 as the top streamed artist in South Africa reflecting a major shift toward local music
• South Africans spent more than one point three billion hours streaming on Spotify in 2025 with local artists taking seventy percent of the top ten most streamed spots
• Amapiano dominates national listening trends while South African artists like Tyla and Black Coffee expand global reach
This time of the year it is all eyes on Spotify Wrapped and the 2025 results make one thing clear. South Africa made this the year of local heroes.
Amapiano royalty Kabza De Small rises once more as the top streamed South African artist leading a list packed with homegrown power. He is followed by Kelvin Momo, DJ Maphorisa JAZZWRLD and Thukuthela. South Africans spent more than one point three billion hours streaming music on Spotify in 2025 and local artists now account for seventy percent of the ten most streamed artists. This marks a complete reversal of 2024 when international artists dominated most of the chart.
Spotify data shows that the top ten artists in 2025 were streamed nearly one point five billion times rising from one point one billion in 2024. Average listening age this year sits at thirty one and video podcasts also saw major growth with a forty eight percent increase year on year.
Amapiano continues its run as the heartbeat of the nation. Kelvin Momo sits firmly in the top three and racked up more than seventy one million streams on Spotify in 2025 with two of his albums Ntsako and Thato Ya Modimo landing inside the top ten most streamed albums. Mobile listening drove nearly one hundred and fifty three million of his streams while desktop and TV contributed around fifteen million.
Kabza De Small followed closely with nearly two hundred million streams and DJ Maphorisa reached almost one hundred and fifty five million propelled by the ongoing success of Abantwana Bakho. The most streamed song in the country for 2025 is Isaka by CIZA followed by Vuma Dlozi by Issa sisdoh and Vuka by Oscar Mbo.
South Africans moved fluidly between Amapiano, Lekompo and other local genres showing the depth and richness of local sound. The albums chart highlights the nation’s long term listening habits. Mlindo the Vocalist’s 2018 album Emakhaya climbs from number ten in 2024 to number seven in 2025 with nearly thirty two million streams while Nontokozo Mkhize’s gospel album Lindiwe stands strong with more than twenty eight million streams. Kelvin Momo appears again with Ntsako and Thato Ya Modimo taking the number two and number five spots with more than seventy six million combined streams.
On the global stage 2025 marks a breakthrough year for South African artists. Tyla and Black Coffee lead as the most exported artists connecting far beyond local borders. Tyla dominates the most exported tracks list with seven solo songs in the top ten. Since being named an EQUAL ambassador in 2023 Tyla has reached listeners in one hundred and eighty seven countries and is nearing one point five billion global streams across Spotify’s EQUAL and RADAR programs.
With more than seven hundred million listeners worldwide Spotify continues to amplify the artists and sounds shaping culture. Local music in South Africa is no longer local only. It is global energy moving through playlists in cities around the world.
SEE COMPLETE LISTS BELOW:
TOP ARTISTS
1 Drake
2 Kabza De Small
3 Kelvin Momo
4 DJ Maphorisa
5 Chris Brown
6 JAZZWRLD
7 Thukuthela
8 Sjava
9 Kendrick Lamar
10 Zee Nxumalo
TOP SONGS
1 CIZA Isaka
2 Issa sisdoh Vuma Dlozi Lami
3 Oscar Mbo Vuka
4 JAZZWRLD Uzizwa Kanjan
5 DJ Maphorisa Abantwana Bakho
6 MaWhoo Bengicela
7 Dlala Thukzin Mali
8 Zee Nxumalo Ngisakuthanda
9 Umafikizolo Uyoncengwa Unyoko
10 Shandesh Sdudla or Slender
TOP ALBUMS
1 Menzi Music Sizesiguge
2 Kelvin Momo Ntsako
3 Kabza De Small Bab Motha
4 PARTYNEXTDOOR Some Sexy Songs 4 U
5 Kelvin Momo Thato Ya Modimo
6 SZA SOS Deluxe LANA
7 Mlindo The Vocalist Emakhaya
8 DJ Maphorisa NGOMOYA
9 Chris Brown 11 11
10 Nontokozo Mkhize Lindiwe
MOST EXPORTED TRACKS
1 Tyla Push 2 Start
2 Tyla Water
3 WizTheMc Show Me Love with Tyla
4 Jazzy No Bad Vibes
5 Tyla Truth or Dare
6 Tyla Jump
7 Tyla Is It
8 Tyla Art
9 Master KG Jerusalema
10 Tyla Bliss
MOST EXPORTED ARTISTS
1 Tyla
2 Black Coffee
3 DJ Maphorisa
4 Master KG
5 Lucky Dube
6 Tyler ICU
7 Kabza De Small
8 Nomcebo Zikode
9 Shimza
10 Nasty C
