How Afrobeats has become an unstoppable musical force on the global stage
The first Afrobeats album in eight years came out in April. And this time, it was a hit, earning the group the number-one spot on the Billboard charts with a release of ‘The Dreamer (Drinks)’.
The last time Afrobeats released a new album, they were signed to a record label and created with a team of producers in mind. However, in the two-and-a-half years since the band’s debut, a global movement dedicated to the culture of their native continent has sprung up around them.
“Afrobeats has a lot of power to get things done,” says the group’s producer, Yaya DaCosta, who has worked with the band on two of their previous albums. “We’re one of the most unique musical groups in the world. There’s nothing else like us. When we perform at festivals and at award shows, we’re the only Afrobeats artist performing at these events.”
While the group’s songs can be heard on YouTube, Facebook and mobile apps like LINE, they were also able to connect with a lot of people on social media, thanks to a strong presence on Instagram which made it easy for users to follow their journey on the social media platform.
Instagram now boasts over 600 million people worldwide, which is the second-most popular social media site after Facebook. Yaya DaCosta says the company’s focus on social media was one of the main reasons why the music made on Instagram is different from that of other social platforms.
“You can take a picture of an actor and his character and use it as a picture of the actor,” says DaCosta. “It’s really cool that you can do that with music.”
Not only are Instagram users seeing the pictures of Afribeats artists in real-time, but the