In an unexpected twist in Nigeria’s music scene, gospel heavyweights have stormed the charts, surpassing several Afrobeats giants in YouTube Music’s global streaming rankings for Q1 2025.
According to data from Debut Hub, gospel artists Nathaniel Bassey, Mercy Chinwo, and Moses Bliss broke into the top 20 most-streamed Nigerian acts globally, with Bassey leading the holy trinity at No. 13 with 52.8 million streams. Mercy Chinwo followed at No. 17 with 46.4 million, while Moses Bliss secured the 19th spot with 41.5 million streams—leapfrogging afrobeats star BNXN.
Bassey’s spiritual hits are pulling divine numbers: “Yahweh Sabaoth” clocked 25 million plays, “TOBECHUKWU” (featuring Chinwo) earned 39 million, and “Jesus Iye” added 32 million. Chinwo’s enduring anthem “Excess Love” continues to shine with a staggering 133 million lifetime views.
Still, the afrobeats powerhouses aren’t backing down. Rema reigned supreme with 223 million streams—fueled largely by his global smash “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez, now boasting an eye-watering 2.5 billion total plays. Burna Boy followed with 171 million, while rising star Ayra Starr outpaced industry titans like Davido (113M) and Wizkid (102M) to claim the third spot with 169 million streams.
Here’s the full list of the top 20 most-streamed Nigerian artists globally on YouTube Music in Q1 2025:
1. Rema — 223M
2. Burna Boy — 171M
3. Ayra Starr — 169M
4. Davido — 113M
5. Wizkid — 102M
6. Omah Lay — 96.7M
7. Kizz Daniel — 67.9M
8. Ruger — 65.7M
9. CKay — 64.6M
10. Asake — 63.4M
11. Tems — 60.4M
12. Fireboy DML — 59.1M
13. Nathaniel Bassey — 52.8M
14. Oxlade — 52.4M
15. Tekno — 50.8M
16. Tiwa Savage — 45.3M
17. Mercy Chinwo — 46.4M
18. Victony — 42.5M
19. Moses Bliss — 41.5M
20. BNXN — 41M
