Aya Nakamura’s accomplishment underscores the increasing global influence of female African artists, who are establishing themselves as pioneers within the music industry.

South African singer Tyla recently attained the distinction of being the first African solo artist to achieve one billion streams on Spotify in February 2024 with her breakout single Water from her self-titled debut album.

In a similar vein, Nigerian singer Tems became the first African female artist to secure one billion Spotify streams, reaching this milestone with WAIT FOR U, her collaboration with Future and Drake.

With close to 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Aya ranks among the most streamed French-speaking artists globally. She has joined an exclusive circle of international superstars such as Taylor Swift, Adele, and Shakira, who have also garnered billions of views on YouTube for a single track.

While artists like Swift and Adele dominate the English-language music scene, Aya has shattered barriers by achieving comparable success with a French song—an accomplishment that only a limited number of non-English-speaking artists, including Luis Fonsi (Despacito) and PSY (Gangnam Style), have realized.

Aya Nakamura, born Aya Coco Danioko in Bamako, Mali, in May 1995, was inspired by her mother, a traditional Malian singer. She commenced her music career at the age of 19 with her song Karma and subsequently released her debut album Journal Intime in 2017.