Afrobeats artists shaping Australia's 2025 listening habits
Afrobeats has moved well beyond Lagos nightclubs and London listening parties. The sound now dominates playlists from Sydney to Perth, with streaming figures for Nigerian and Ghanaian artists climbing each year in Australia. Once a niche import heard mostly at African community events, the genre now shapes summer festival lineups, dominates university bar rotations, and influences local producers from Brunswick to Newtown.
Australia's multicultural fabric helps explain the crossover. Suburbs like Lakemba, Canterbury, and Parramatta host thriving Nigerian and Ghanaian communities, and their musical tastes ripple through mainstream radio. Triple J has championed emerging African artists for years, while SBS Radio and community broadcasters give the genre dedicated airtime. Spotify Australia's editorial team regularly features Afrobeats in flagship playlists, exposing millions of listeners to fresh voices each week.
The five artists below are the names Australian listeners keep returning to in 2025. Some are global superstars with crossover hits, others are quietly building devoted followings through word of mouth and viral clips. Each represents a different angle on where Afrobeats is heading, from street pop anthems to soulful slow-burners, part of a wider story of diasporic music reshaping local scenes that also runs through genres like salsa, as detailed in salsa roots and modern fusion.
Asake brings Yoruba street energy into the mainstream
Born Ahmed Ololade Asake in Lagos, he fuses Fuji-influenced percussion with amapiano log drums and rapid-fire Yoruba lyrics. His collaboration with French-Congolese producer Tayc on "Lungu Boy" became one of the most-played Afrobeats tracks on Australian Spotify throughout 2024. Live, his energy is relentless — expect frantic crowd call-and-response, even from Melbourne audiences who barely speak Yoruba.
His appeal in Australia ties to the way he blends familiar pop structures with unfamiliar rhythms. Triple J unearthed him back in 2022, and his streams have grown steadily on the back of bookings at Laneway and a memorable Listen Out set in 2023. Signed to YBNL Nation, he balances major-label polish with underground credibility. For Australians who discovered Afrobeats through Burna Boy or Wizkid, Asake feels like the natural next step.
Starting points for newcomers:
- "Mr Money" — the breakthrough single that put him on global radar
- "Joha" — amapiano-influenced cut that lit up dancefloors in 2022
- "Lungu Boy" — recent crossover track with French-Congolese flavour
- "Omo Ope" — early song that still sounds fresh years later
Rema keeps redefining the global crossover
Rema, born Divine Ikubor in Benin City, remains one of the genre's most consistent hitmakers. His Selena Gomez remix of "Calm Down" remains a fixture at Australian weddings, school formals, and suburban barbecues. The track reportedly crossed 1.5 billion streams globally and stayed on the Aria charts for over a year, a rare achievement for any African artist.
What makes Rema essential viewing in 2025 is his refusal to repeat the formula. His recent EP leans into rave-influenced production and Indian classical samples, hinting at a direction few peers are exploring. Listeners at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion, where he sold out two nights in late 2024, can attest that his live show now draws on a far wider sonic palette than his early hits. Expect more cross-genre experiments and high-profile collaborations as the year progresses.
Ayra Starr commands the Gen Z spotlight
At just 22, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe has become the most visible young woman in Afrobeats. Her song "Rush" reached the ARIA top 20 in 2024, an unusually fast climb for a Nigerian export. Ayra Starr writes her own hooks, performs her own choreography, and projects a confidence that resonates with Australian fans who grew up watching Beyoncé and SZA dominate their playlists.
Her fashion sense, mixing traditional Yoruba fabrics with streetwear brands popular in Sydney's Inner West, has caught attention too. Several Melbourne stylists cite her as a current reference. Musically, her recent work leans into folk-acoustic textures and bossa nova rhythms, a surprising pivot that should keep her on critics' lists throughout 2025. Collaborations with American producers have placed her firmly on the radar of pop audiences who previously paid little attention to the genre.
Streaming the sound: a quick comparison
Australian listeners access Afrobeats through a variety of channels, each with its own strengths. The comparison below outlines a few popular ways to keep up with the artists profiled in this piece.
| Platform or method | Best for | Typical Australian access |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify editorial playlists | Daily listening | Free with ads, premium for offline |
| Triple J rotation | Discovering new names | Free over FM and the ABC listen app |
| YouTube music videos | Visual discovery | Free with ads, premium for downloads |
| Fensta Band downloads | Offline tracks and videos | Free, no signup needed |
For those keen to explore further, finding trending tracks on Fensta Band is a solid starting point. The platform's trending pages reflect what Australian listeners actually stream, not just what major labels promote.
Tems keeps the soul alive
Tems, born Temilade Openiyi, brings the genre toward introspection. Her voice carries the weight of classic soul singers, and her production choices favour warm keys, brushed drums, and unhurried tempos. "Free Mind," "Wait For You," and the Oscar-nominated "Lift Me Up" with Rihanna established her international reputation, but her 2024 mixtape showed a sharper, more confident edge.
In Australia, Tems resonates with listeners who prefer their R&B with substance. Her songs appear frequently on community radio playlists in Adelaide and Brisbane, where indie stations give more space to slower, moodier tracks. Expect her to spend more time Down Under in 2025, possibly headlining WOMADelaide or appearing at regional shows in Byron Bay. Festival promoters in Melbourne have reportedly been in talks with her team about a summer slot at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Tracks worth queueing up:
- "Free Mind" — the song that put her on global radar
- "Wait For You" — Future-featuring slow jam
- "Move" — newer single showing her evolved sound
- "Not An Angel" — emotional ballad from her recent EP
Victony represents the new wave of emotional pop
Victony, born Anthony Victor, has built a reputation for melodic vulnerability. His song "Holy Father" became an unofficial anthem for diaspora communities, with thousands of TikTok clips filmed in suburban loungerooms from Blacktown to Liverpool in Sydney's west. His style blends guitar-driven Afropop with hints of alternative rock, appealing to listeners tired of formulaic beats.
His Australian fanbase skews younger, with many discovering him through Instagram Reels rather than traditional radio. The result is a grassroots following that grows without major label backing. For Australians exploring the genre, Victony offers an accessible entry point: his songs are emotionally direct, lyrically clear, and well-suited to headphone listening on long commutes. His recent collaboration with a UK indie band hints at further crossover ambitions.
For anyone ready to build a playlist around the artists above, Fensta Band lets you search songs, preview videos, and grab downloads in your preferred format. No account is needed, and the platform's YouTube-powered search makes it easy to track down remixes, live versions, and deep cuts you will not find on major streaming services.