First Ever Official Afrobeats Chart Debuts In The UK

FUNSHO AROGUNDADE

The first Official UK Afrobeats Chart  —a new Top 20 weekly rundown spotlighting the fast rising Afrobeats scene in the UK — will be launched this week.

According to a statement from the Official Charts Company, the initiator of the charts as well as the organisers of the celebrated festival Afro Nation, the Official UK Afrobeats Chart is to be compiled using UK sales and streaming data from over 9,000 outlets, incorporating audio and video streams, downloads and physical sales.

Understood to be one of the world’s first official charts for the genre, the chart is described as a landmark moment for a genre whose growing influence on popular music culture is exploding across the globe – driven by a growing community of independent and major label artists.

P.M.EXPRESS learnt that the very first chart will be unveiled in a special ‘The Official UK Afrobeats Show’ on BBC Radio 1Xtra on Sunday 26 July from 1pm-3pm.

It will feature a range of hosts and artists from around the world celebrating the launch of the Official UK Afrobeats Chart.

Already, pundits are suggesting Wizkid would be a contender for early success in the Official UK Afrobeats Chart.

The Top 20 chart will be published every Sunday thereafter at 2pm via a weekly Spotify ‘Official UK Afrobeats Chart’ playlist, along with a bonus slot to spotlight a new release for listeners to discover.

A weekly video countdown on the Afro Nation and Official Charts social channels, with the full chart published on OfficialCharts.com.