Spotify has published listening data from its South Africa launch in 2018, showing that female artists from Miriam Makeba to Tyla continue to drive the country’s musical identity and global reach. The figures, released to mark Women’s Month, highlight the most-streamed acts, fastest-growing talents, and those with the largest international audiences.
Most-Streamed Female Artists
Tyla ranks as South Africa’s most-streamed female artist on Spotify, with more than 7 billion global streams across measured categories. She also leads in international audience size and global playlist inclusion.
The top 10 most-streamed South African female artists since 2018 are:
- Tyla
- Nomcebo Zikode
- Alice Phoebe Lou
- Babalwa M
- MaWhoo
- Zee Nxumalo
- Nkosazana Daughter
- Uncle Waffles
- Ami Faku
- Makhadzi
Fastest-Growing Artists
Azana recorded the highest stream growth among South African female artists since 2018. The top 10 by growth are:
- Azana
- Nia Pearl
- Boohle
- Lady Du
- Tyla
- Naledi Aphiwe
- DBN Gogo
- Ami Faku
- Nomfundo Moh
- Shandesh
Most Prolific Since 2020
Makhadzi has released more new tracks than any other South African female artist since 2020. The top 10 by volume of new music are:
- Makhadzi
- DBN Gogo
- MaWhoo
- Lady Du
- Nkosazana Daughter
- Hlengiwe Mhlaba
- Tyla
- Moonchild Sanelly
- Kharishma
- Azana
International Audience Rankings
Tyla also tops the list of South African female artists with the largest international audiences, followed by Nomcebo Zikode and Alice Phoebe Lou. The full top 10 includes:
- Tyla
- Nomcebo Zikode
- Alice Phoebe Lou
- Moonchild Sanelly
- Busiswa
- Miriam Makeba
- Yugen Blakrok
- Uncle Waffles
- Babes Wodumo
- Ami Faku
Local Language and Cultural Ties
While international reach is one metric, artists such as Nomcebo Zikode, Ami Faku, Nkosazana Daughter, Babalwa M and MaWhoo continue to drive strong local listening, with music performed in South Africa’s indigenous languages remaining popular. The data indicates that audiences engage deeply with music reflecting their own communities and cultural experiences.
Platform-Wide Presence
More than 780 South African female artists are available on Spotify. In the past year, nearly 700 were streamed by international audiences, while 645 were streamed within South Africa, underscoring the depth of the local talent pool and demand for music by women.
