Published
Fri, Jul 24, 2020, 13:06
- The inaugural top 20 will be broadcast on BBC Radio 1Xtra this Sunday.
The official UK music charts will soon highlight Afrobeats.
The Official Charts Company is launching the new chart in partnership with Portugal-based festival Afro Nation. The celebrate the new chart, BBC Radio 1Xtra will broadcast the inaugural top 20 this Sunday, July 26th, from 1 to 3 PM BST. (The show will be archived here.)
The addition is credited to the Afrobeats massive success on the charts in recent years. "Afrobeats artists collectively spent 86 weeks in the Official Chart Top 40," according to Official Charts, whereas in 2017, that numbers was 24 weeks. "The number of tracks entering the UK Top 40 with either a lead or featured Afrobeats act more than doubled in the same period."
Ahead of the broadcast, Official Charts has collected the top 20 Afrobeats tracks of the past year in a Spotify playlist, led by J Hus (pictured) and Burna Boy, as well as featuring Aya Nakamura, WizKid, NSG, Darkoo and more.
For more, see Official Charts' timeline of Afrobeats sounds.
Photo credit: J Hus