Tyla is a South African musician
Billboard has crowned South African superstar Tyla as the number-one Afrobeats artiste in the United States for 2025.
This latest accolade secures her place in the record books as the first act ever to claim the top spot in two consecutive years, having also led the year-end ranking in 2024.
The announcement was part of Billboard’s recently published 2025 year-end chart data.
The publication credited Tyla’s dominance to an impressive 11 chart entries throughout the year.
Key among these was the collaboration ‘Dynamite’ featuring Nigerian icon Wizkid, which peaked at No. 2 on the weekly charts. Her solo track ‘Mr. Media,’ a No. 8 hit, also contributed significantly to her chart performance.
Tyla’s chart supremacy extended to the song rankings as well. Her 2025 single ‘Shake It to the Max (Fly)’ was named the year’s best Afrobeats song in the U.S.
Remarkably, her global viral sensation ‘Water’ — which catapulted her to fame in 2023 — proved its enduring popularity by securing the No. 2 position on the same year-end songs list.
The ranking of top Afrobeats artistes highlighted the continued strength of Nigerian talent, which claimed eight of the top ten spots.
Following Tyla, Wizkid landed at No. 2. He was joined by a powerhouse lineup of compatriots: Rema, Burna Boy, Davido, BNXN, Asake, Shallipopi, and Seyi Vibez. Ghanaian artiste Moliy rounded out the top ten, representing the vibrant pan-African scope of the genre.
“Tyla takes first place on the 2025 U.S. Afrobeats Artists year-end chart, defending her title from 2024 and becoming the first act to repeat the feat,” Billboard stated in its analysis.
This year-end recognition follows another significant moment for Afrobeats on the Billboard platform earlier in the year.
In August, the publication honoured Nigerian legend 2Baba, naming his timeless 2004 classic ‘African Queen’ as the greatest Afrobeats song of all time.
Billboard hailed the track as “a love letter to a generation of women from the continent,” celebrating its heartfelt lyrics and iconic music video for cementing its status as a cultural touchstone.
