Top 6 Afrobeats Artists with Successful European Shows

Afrobeats, a genre that is bursting with brilliant melodies and captivating rhythms, has captivated fans all over the world. Afrobeats musicians have found great success in Europe lately, as exciting performances highlight the genre’s dynamic blend of modern sounds and African inspirations.

Join us as we explore the adventures of these gifted artists who have not only conquered the charts but also conquered European stages with their unparalleled energy and musical prowess. From sold-out arenas to intimate club venues, these six Afrobeats musicians have solidified their presence in the European music scene, drawing diverse crowds and igniting stages with their magnetic performances.

Burna Boy

The Nigerian Afro-Fusion singer, Burna Boy, began her career as a promising club performer before her debut album Life was released. Since then, she has developed into the first African artist to sell out stadium gigs in Europe and North America. Burna Boy is in a unique class of pop stardom thanks to those sold-out shows at London Stadium and Citi Field in New York. Since the release of his most recent album, I Told Them…, he has been grooving through European arenas and stadiums and selling out shows.

Remarkably, Burna Boy has shown that a compilation of creativity that draws both his devoted followers and casual listeners is frequently necessary to successfully sell out stadiums. Burna Boy has struck that equilibrium, as seen by his triumphant headline acts. During a day filled with varied performances by hip-hop, R&B, pop, and EDM artists, his show was particularly noteworthy for its upbeat and genre-bending tunes.

The fact that Burna Boy plays live on stage with full orchestration with his elite band sets him apart from other European arena performers. They are often with a horn section, rhythm section, and backing vocalists at most of the European shows. Burna Boy and his band ensure they expertly imitate the vibrant fusion of West African and Western sounds and styles found in most of his tracks – without a DJ. Even better, the band performs live as well alongside their instruments, which sometimes include portable drum sets, The Outsiders frequently take the front of the stage and dance alongside Burna Boy and the audience. These kinds of seemingly spontaneous occurrences are what elevate stadium events above mere entertainment.

When it comes to concerts and tours around Europe, Burna Boy is perhaps the most successful Afrobeats musician. We can also cite a lengthy list of European nations where he has performed to sold-out audiences in some truly outstanding shows. The Afrobeats Superstar musician Burna Boy astonishingly boasts that he has performed in every nation on earth – he remarked that by 2022, he will have performed in nearly every country in the world aside from Asia, Australia, and South America.

Wizkid

Nigerian musician, Wizkid, often renowned for setting the pace, has demonstrated that while fads and trends change throughout time, time and opportunity are important to all generations. The year 2021 saw the Afrobeats superstar Wizkid, entertain a 20,000-strong sold-out audience at his Made in Lagos London 02 Arena. Big Wiz made history by being the first major Nigerian singer whose O2 Arena tickets were sold out in less than 12 minutes after they went on sale. The performance was originally scheduled to run for just one day, however, due to ticket sales selling out in less than 10 minutes, the concert had to be postponed for two more days. The three days of the event were from November 28, 2021, to December 1, 2021.

The three-day concert at a 20,000-capacity arena that Wizkid AKA Big Wiz sold out opened possibilities for larger venues where Nigerian musicians could perform and increase their income from music tours. Furthermore, obtaining sold-out tickets at places like Wembley and the AT&T Stadium doesn’t seem like a pipe dream given the massive streaming figures on services like Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer. Even though Wizkid isn’t a very good dancer, his presence and grace on stage are incredible.

In 2021, he became the first Nigerian artist to play as the main attraction at New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG), where renowned performers such as Davido and Burna Boy later performed. In addition, the Nigerian musician received a plaque for being the first African artist to sell out Madison Square Garden in less than a month after tickets went on sale. Notably, Wizkid, who first gained notoriety in 2011 when he introduced his unique style of varied music to the French islands, had a huge year in 2022. Additionally, the 20,300-seat music hall was completely full, with patrons begging for one more day. At this show, Wiz descended onto the stage from the hall’s roof.

Finally, let’s all take a moment to reflect that in 2018, Wizkid sold out the 20,000-seat auditorium at the renowned O2 venue in London for his AfroRepublik show. Not many artists worldwide, let alone African artists, could draw an audience that large during that early stage of Afrobeats’ global appeal.

CKay

Thanks to his first worldwide hit, Love Nantiti, the Afro-Fusion star, CKay, has and continues to soar up charts around the globe. Remarkably, as the most streamed artist of the year in 2021, CKay became the first African artist to have two tracks simultaneously on the global Spotify Top 30. LOVE NWANTITI HAS BEEN APPROVED AS A PLATINUM OR MULTI-PLATINUM IN FIVE NATIONS, INCLUDING ITALY, INDIA, AND THE UNITED STATES. AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA, NEW ZEALAND, AND THE UK HAVE ALL GOLD CERTIFIED THE VIRAL HIT. With Love Nantiti, CKAY became the first African artist in fifty years to hold a top-5 position on the UK singles chart for four consecutive weeks.

Prior to receiving numerous accolades in Europe, CKay was inundated with plentiful opportunities. His accessibility expanded across the globe through Warner Music and his remarkable hits. This African superstar, Ckay, gained immense popularity on the global stage, solidifying his presence in Europe and North America, and orchestrating successful tours in major cities in the US, Canada, and Europe. CKay’s first peak began in 2022 when the emo Afrobeat artist and producer began his 22-city tour, the tour of his debut album, Sad Romance, in Oakland, California, around August, and concluded his European tour in London in November. Toronto, Brussels, Copenhagen, Cologne, and Paris were among the other stops.

Once CKay signed with Warner Music Africa, his 2019 single Love Nwantiti went to the top of the global charts, catapulting him into an international celebrity. He became the first Nigerian to reach one billion Spotify plays with the song, which made its debut on the Billboard Global 200 chart. Additionally, it was Shazam’s longest-running worldwide No. 1 song in 2021. The song’s impact, along with later releases like Emiliana, Watawi, and You, really raised expectations for his debut studio album – of course! he delivered excellently on the Sad Romance album.

Tiwa Savage

Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress acclaimed as the Queen of Afrobeats. Singing in English and Yoruba, her music seamlessly merges Afrobeats, R&B, Afropop, pop, and hip-hop. Throughout her career, Savage has made significant contributions to the Nigerian music industry, garnering numerous achievements along the way. Media reports surfaced in June 2016 claiming that Tiwa Savage had inked a management and publishing agreement with Roc Nation, she became the first Nigerian singer to be signed to the label when she announced the contract on her Instagram account on July 29, 2016.  Jay Z’s Made in America Festival featured performances by Sugarcane, MTV EMA, and Savage, who signed a record deal with UMG, on the Liberty Stage. She introduced Young Paris throughout her performance, and they sang Best of Me (Remix).

On August 24, 2018, Tiwa Savage took center stage at The O2’s Indigo venue for a concert that drew a full house, with general admission tickets selling out hours before the event. The electrifying performance also featured guest appearances by Don Jazzy, Reekado Banks, Di’Ja, Dr SID, WSTRN, Awilo Longomba, Mystro, and the Alternate Sound Band. Prior to the concert, Savage delighted fans with a pop-up shop on Berwick Street. Adding to her accolades, in November 2018, Savage made history as the first woman to clinch the Best African Act award at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Sometime around 2022, Tiwa Savage enjoyed an incredible Water & Garri tour in Europe. Notably, Tiwa’s fourth body of work is Water & Garri, a five-track EP that includes some of the biggest names in music, like Stefflon Don, Davido, and Sam Smith, to name a few. Porto, Portugal is the first location on June 24. Bern, Switzerland is the next location on June 25, and Paris, France is the location on June 29. The remaining concert days took place on July 01, 2022, and July 24, 2022. Since then, Tiwa Savage has performed in many shows around Europe and beyond, she also enjoyed a time to perform before elite guests at King Charles III’s Coronation.

Rema

Rema, at the youthful age of 22, is rapidly ascending to prominence on the international stage. As one of the key figures in the emerging wave of Afrobeats stars, he has solidified his position as a pivotal name in the genre. His most noteworthy and successful European tour has to be the Rave & Roses tour. Many people have been talking about Rema’s Rave & Roses tour to date because of the stunts and performances.

The young superstar gave performances in several European towns for more than a month. Rema sold out in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Paris! Armed with his debut full-length album and other successes, the Afrobeats phenomenon took Europe by storm with his collection of songs known as Afrorave. Notably, the song Calm Down, was initially released as a lead single before the publication of the Rave & Roses album in 2022 and included a huge success, inspiring the name of the tour. His performance on Monday at London’s 5,000-seat 02 Brixton Arena ended with a boom. Divine Ikubor, better known as Rema, wowed the crowd with a number of his hit tunes. The music icon included several Nigerian artists on the highly praised London leg of the tour.

With his innovative approach to music production and dynamic performances, Rema has garnered a dedicated fanbase and critical acclaim. His rise to fame showcases not only his talent but also the global appeal of Afrobeats’ style of music, cementing his status as one of the genre’s most influential and promising talents. As he continues to push boundaries and break new ground, Rema is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary music.

Davido

A few years ago, Davido embarked on his inaugural tour, hitting several festivals across Europe under the banner of ‘The We Rise by Lifting Others’ tour. The We Rise By Lifting Others Europe Tour kicked off from July 1 to September 3, 2022. This tour marked a significant milestone in his career as he brought his chart-topping hits and an array of talented artists to some of the continent’s most renowned festivals.

From the electrifying atmosphere of Afronation in Portugal to the vibrant stages of Stars of Sounds in Switzerland, the pulsating energy of Afrobeats Festival in Germany, the reggae vibes of Reggae Geel in Belgium, the sun-soaked celebrations of Rototom Sunsplash in Spain, to the rhythmic beats of Champion Sound in Sweden, Davido left an indelible mark on each stage he graced, captivating audiences with his infectious energy and undeniable talent. This tour not only showcased Davido’s immense musical prowess but also solidified his status as a global phenomenon, further elevating the Afrobeats genre onto the international stage.

Following the release of his acclaimed album titled Timeless (which received a Grammy nomination) in 2023, Davido had eagerly planned his Timeless European tour to commence later in the year. However, unforeseen circumstances arose, leading to the unfortunate decision to postpone the tour until 2024. Despite this setback, fans eagerly anticipated the rescheduled tour, eager to experience Davido’s electrifying performances. The multi-award-winning Afrobeats megastar had rescheduled his 2023 European tour from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024.

Davido mentioned in a statement he posted on his social media accounts that the postponement would give him and his crew more time to work out any production issues so that they could provide fans with a better event. Additionally, Davido declared that his performance in Manchester would be his final appearance in Europe in 2023 and that the other dates would be rescheduled for 2024.