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Burna Boy makes history as UK’s Afrobeats chart show marks one year

By Guardian Nigeria
23 September 2022   |   4:10 am
The UK’s first-ever Official Afrobeats Chart Show is celebrating its one-year anniversary this Sunday on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Burna Boy

The UK’s first-ever Official Afrobeats Chart Show is celebrating its one-year anniversary this Sunday on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

The one-hour weekly show provides a destination for the Official Afrobeats Chart with a weekly rundown of the Top 20 biggest tracks, as compiled by the Official Charts Company, based on sales and streams across the UK.

Hosted by British-Congolese presenter, comedian and actor, Eddie Kadi, the show airs on Sundays from 3:00p.m to 4:00 p.m. on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

According to data from the Official Charts Company, Burna Boy’s recent hit Last Last, is the longest running Number 1 track from the past 12 months as well as the longest running Number 1 track ever recorded by the chart, with 13 consecutive weeks on top.

Burna Boy is also the artist that has appeared the most times in the UK’s Official Afrobeats Chart over the past 12 months with second and third place taken by Nigerian-born Afrobeats singer Asake and British Afro-swing collective, NSG.

However, the best performing track based on streams and sales in the UK over the past 12 months was Fireboy DML’s Peru featuring Ed Sheeran.

In recent years, Afrobeats has seen a sharp rise in popularity, crossing over into Western music charts and enjoying commercial success globally.

Burna Boy and Wizkid, two of Nigeria’s biggest stars, have headlined some of the most high profile music festivals in the world and both took home Grammys in 2021.

American pop stars, including Beyonce and Drake, have also eagerly tapped into the scene, featuring Afrobeats artists on their albums.

Burna Boy’s Last Last and Fireboy DML’s Peru are among the 11 tracks from the past 12 months that have crossed over from the UK’s Official Afrobeats Chart into the UK’s Official Singles Chart Top 100 and Top 40, peaking at Number 4 and Number 2 respectively.

Currently, there are four Afrobeats Chart-featured tracks also in the Official Singles Chart Top 40: For My Hand – Burna Boy ft. Ed Sheeran (22), Ku Lo Sa (A Colours Show) – Oxlade (24), Last Last – Burna Boy (26), and Calm Down – Rema (35).

To mark the one year anniversary, BBC 1Xtra will air a specially extended two hour Official Afrobeats Chart Show with Eddie Kadi on Sunday (September 25) 3:00p.m to 5:00pm, and be joined by some of the artists that have made the biggest impact on the charts over the last 12 months.

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