Tyla Reigns as No. 1 Afrobeats Artist of 2024, ‘Water’ Is Top Song

December 13, 2024 E Jazz Reporter

Artistes

The South African singer’s breakthrough year leads to twin wins on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs scoreboards.

Tyla

Alvaro Beamud Cortes

Capping a banner breakthrough year, Tyla roars to No. 1 on the year-end Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs Artists recap for 2024. The South African singer, who finished at No. 14 last year, leaps into first place thanks to a flurry of hits from her self-titled debut album, released in March, and its runaway hit “Water,” which wraps the year as the No. 1 title on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs year-end chart.

Explore All of Billboard’s 2024 Year-End Charts

Tyla, who records for Fax Records/Epic Records, became widely known through “Water,” which reached No. 1 on the weekly U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in October 2023, just in time for the 2024 chart year, which ran from the charts dated Oct. 28, 2023, to Oct. 19, 2024. The single drowned the competition and charged to a 51-week domination on the list during the chart year, stepping aside for only one week during that time, for Asake and Travis Scott’s one-week champ, “Active.”

Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts dated Oct. 28, 2023, through Oct. 19, 2024. The rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology details, and the October-October time period, account for some of the differences between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.

After “Water” opened the gates, Tyla’s self-titled debut album reinforced her standing on U.S. Afrobeats Songs, where 10 of the album’s standard edition’s 14 tracks reached the chart. In addition to “Water,” three more tracks land in the top 10 on the year-end recap: “Truth or Dare” (No. 4), “Jump,” with Gunna and Skillibeng (No. 5) and “Art” (No. 9).

Tems, the top U.S. Afrobeats Artist two years ago, comes in at No. 2 on the 2024 edition thanks to the impact of her anticipated full-length debut, Born in the Wild. The set, released on Since ‘93/RCA Records in June, produced 15 charting titles on the weekly U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, including three different tunes that each peaked at No. 3: “Me & U,” “Love Me JeJe” and “Not An Angel.” The foremost pair’s extended trajectories help them finish at No. 3 and No. 7, respectively, on the year-end rankings.

Notably, with “Water,” “Me & U,” “Truth or Dare” and “Jump” accounting for four of the top five year-end slots on U.S. Afrobeats Songs, the only non-Tyla or Tems song in the region is the 2024 runner-up, Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down.” The track, which reigned atop the 2023 standings, nabs the silver medal due to its steady streaming levels. Though the collaboration has waned from its highest point, when it set a record 59-week run atop the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, a consistent level of streams has allowed the single to remain within the chart’s top three positions for the entirety of the charting year.

With help from “Calm Down,” Rema captures the No. 3 spot on the year-end artist rank for U.S. Afrobeats Songs, though it’s not the sole reason for his success. The Nigerian performer debuted 16 additional songs on the list in the 2024 chart year, from both his November 2023 EP, Ravage, and 2024 full-length album, HEIS. Chief among them was “Yayo,” which reached No. 9 in July and became his third top 10 hit on the chart.

Last year’s champ, Burna Boy, picks up the No. 4 position on the 2024 year-end artist recap, largely through cuts from his August 2023 release, I Told Them…, continuing their chart runs into the year. Notably, the international superstar achieved a new top 10 – his 14th total – with “Higher,” which managed a No. 6 high in July.

Asake, meanwhile, rounds out the top five on the 2024 class for the U.S. Afrobeats Songs Artists chart. While a run of 14 top 10s had already established the 29-year-old’s chops, he finally unlocked the penthouse in August with his first No. 1, the Travis Scott collaboration “Active.” A-list pairings proved a winning formula for Asake, with further hits coming via team-ups with Wizkid on the No. 7-peaking “MMS” and Gunna (“Happiness,” also with Sarz) and Central Cee (“Wave”), which both reached No. 8.

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