Why Afrobeats Blew Up Globally – Joeboy Explains

Nigerian Afrobeats star Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus, popularly known as Joeboy, has shared insights on the rise of Afrobeats as a global phenomenon.

In a recent interview with Zwart, Joeboy credited the genre’s worldwide success to a mix of Nigeria’s abundant talent and the vibrant, expressive spirit of its people.

“Afrobeats is here now because it has been a long time coming. And there’s so much talent, it’s only right that we just spread it to the world,” he said.

Joeboy highlighted Nigeria’s large population at home and abroad as a key driver in popularizing the genre, along with the influence of social media and the high-quality music coming out of the country.

“Thankfully, Nigeria has a very huge population back home and even in the diaspora. Naturally, we are very loud. That’s what they said. So, we are very out there. And, wherever we are in the world, we like to represent [our culture]. That also played a huge role [in Afrobeats gaining global attention].”

According to Joeboy, Afrobeats’ global breakthrough is the result of both cultural pride and exceptional musical talent fueled by Nigerians worldwide.