Giants of Africa Closing Concert presented by Spotify: Tyla thrills with exceptional performances in Kigali

For the first Giants of Africa Festival, Spotify collaborated with the non-profit organization to mark its 20th anniversary. Basketball was used as a means to educate and encourage African kids to dream big during the week-long event that was hosted in Kigali, Rwanda, and included youth from 16 different nations. On Saturday, August 19, a packed house attended the final concert, which was sponsored by Spotify. The packed house waited with anticipation as Bruce Melodie, Tyla, Tiwa Savage, and Davido dazzled the pan-African audience with outstanding performances. Given that the majority of their Spotify users are between the ages of 18 and 24, the four artists were an excellent choice to round off a week of motivating youngsters through sports, music, and dance. Tyla, a Spotify Africa RADAR artist, took the stage first and sang her Amapiano, which incorporates pop, R&B, and Afrobeats. She began her performance with her joint song with Kooldrink, Getting Late, which, according to Spotify data, is also her most streamed song. It’s interesting to note that Nigeria streams South African music the most, followed by her native nation. This is probably because of the Girl Next Door song she made with Ayra Starr of Nigeria, which is currently her second-most streamed song and was played at her Giants of Africa performance. Other nations that are grooving to Tyla’s music include Tanzania, Kenya, and Ghana. Her other hits, including To Last, Been Thinking, and her most recent, were also made available to the audience. Her other top singles, including To Last, Been Thinking, and Water, were also made available to the audience. Tyla and her dancers flawlessly executed planned dance movements, leaving the audience in wonder. An Amapiano show wouldn’t be complete without them. Next up was Bruce Melodie from Rwanda, who opened with Sawa Sawa, his second-most streamed song on Spotify and a collaboration with Khaligraph Jones. Bruce took the audience on a twenty-minute musical journey through his whole discography, including Ikinyafu, Saa Moya 7:00, and Funga Macho. When Rwandan producer, singer, and songwriter ELEMENT EleéeH joined Bruce on stage to perform their song FOU DE TOi, the audience went crazy. Bruce then led the crowd to church while preaching the gospel. Before concluding with Katerina, his most streamed song on Spotify, he played the gospel tune Urabinyegeza, another of his most popular Spotify tracks. East Africa makes up the majority of Bruce’s Spotify audience; Kenya is the country where his music is streamed the most, followed by Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi. Following him, Davido gave one of the most eagerly awaited performances of the afternoon. The performer, who hails from Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia and has fans all over the continent, left the crowd enthralled and eager for more. One of his most streamed songs on Spotify, Over Dem, off his Timeless album, served as his opening song. Davido then used hit after hit to take the crowd back in time, including songs by Dami Duro, FIA, Jowo, As well as If, Fall, and Risky. High, Ke Star, and Champion Sound were performed as part of the spectacle. Unavailable, Davido’s most streamed song on Timeless and the most exported single among 18 to 24 year olds, finally saw the light of day and became the soundtrack to numerous dance videos. Davido’s last performance has it all—the song, the dance skills, and more. The last performer on the Giants of Africa stage was Tiwa Savage, the queen of Afrobeats. Tiwa’s Spotify audience is also pan-African, including listeners from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda.

Vibe ✅
Audience ✅ @TiwaSavage ✅
The #GOAFestival Closing Concert has it all. 💃🏽

📷 @artvillain pic.twitter.com/AA7clinGXA

— Spotify Africa (@SpotifyAfrica) August 19, 2023

  She started off her performance with one of her most streamed tracks on Spotify, 49-99. She then followed with Ma Lo, her second-most streamed song, and a succession of other successes, KEYS TO THE KINGDOM, LIKE, PICK UP, and an acapella rendition of Somebody’s Son were then followed by a succession of other successes.   Her most streamed song on Spotify, Koroba, as well as Who Is Your Guy, were also favorites of the audience. Tiwa’s performance demonstrated why she is still the undisputed king of Afrobeats by concluding with Stamina, her top exported track among 18- to 35-year-olds. It was a delight to work with Giants of Africa, especially for the closing concert, which gave the audience a chance to see some of the continent’s best performers. After the concert, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy remarked, “Africa’s youth represent the continent’s future, and we are thrilled to continue supporting them via partnerships like this one.