On February 23, more than 70 million songs, 2.2 million podcast titles, and over 4 billion playlists became officially available to Spotify listeners in Ghana for free.

Spotify launched with a tailored music experience for Africa with more than 100 expertly curated playlists across some of the most popular genres in the continent. But what got the fans listening?

The first 30 days demonstrated how Ghanian listeners overall love a mix of local and Pan-African artists, with 4 of the top artists being from Ghana and Nigeria.

Drake took the number 1 spot followed by Sarkodie and Kwesi Arthur who came in second and third respectively. Burna Boy came in fourth followed by Davido.

Local music is important to listeners in Ghana. The most-streamed track in the country over the past month was “Agyeiwaa” by O'Kenneth, Reggie and City Boy, followed by Kwesi Arthur and Joeboy “Baajo” and Yaw Tog, Kwesi Arthur, and Stormzy’s “Sore” (Remix).

With a strong appetite for both local and Pan-African sounds, it comes as no surprise that Hot Hits Ghana is one of the top-streamed playlists among users followed by African Heat which features the hottest songs from the continent. Today’s Top Hits,  hip hop playlists “+233 Bars” and  “Rap Caviar” are in third, fourth, and fifth place respectively.

When it comes to podcasts, listeners in Ghana seem to enjoy listening to diverse topics including business, self-motivation, relationships, and more. “Sincerely Accra”, a podcast featuring opinions of Accra-based residents on various topics is the most popular podcast for Ghanaians, followed by Adekunle Tolulope’s inspirational podcast, “Articulate One”, and “The Joe Rogan Experience”. “TED Talks Daily” and the “Joel Osteen Podcast” are also top of the list. 

Residents of Accra, Kumasi, Bawku, Kintampo, and Tema account for the most Spotify streams in Ghana.

So how did the first month of Spotify Ghana sound?

Top-streamed artists:

1. Drake
2. Sarkodie
3. Kwesi Arthur
4. Burna Boy
5. Davido

 Top-streamed songs:

1. City Boy, O'Kenneth, reggie - AGYEIWAA
2. Kwesi Arthur, Joeboy - Baajo
3. Kwesi Arthur, Stormzy, Yaw Tog - Sore (Remix)
4. Davido, Stonebwoy - Activate
5. Joey B, Sarkodie - COLD

Most popular playlists:

1. Hot Hits Ghana
2. African Heat
3. Today's Top Hits
4. +233 Bars
5. RapCaviar

Top podcasts:

1. Sincerely Accra
2. Articulate One
3. The Joe Rogan Experience
4. TED Talks Daily
5. Joel Osteen Podcast

Top streaming cities on Spotify: 

1. Accra
2. Kumasi
3. Bawku
4. Kintampo
5. Tema

Data based on Spotify user consumption between 23rd February and 22nd March 2021.