Nairobi’s Gen Z Drives Multi-Genre Music Boom as Gospel Surpasses Drill on Spotify

New Spotify listening data from Nairobi reveals that listeners aged 18 to 24 accounted for 53.7% of all streams in the city during June 2026, giving Nairobi the highest share of Gen Z listening among the three African cities analysed. By comparison, 18–24 listeners made up 44.4% of streams in Lagos and 29.9% in Johannesburg.

The data, released ahead of Spotify’s Greasy Tunes programme in Nairobi (15–26 July), paints a picture of a generation whose listening habits are expanding in multiple directions at once rather than converging on a single sound.

Key Findings

Among Kenya’s 18–24 listeners, the year-on-year genre growth figures show simultaneous expansion across genres that rarely appear in the same conversation:

• Dancehall grew 95% year on year, the fastest-growing genre in the dataset
• Bongo flava grew 75%, reflecting accelerating cultural exchange between Kenya and Tanzania
• Gengetone, the genre born in Nairobi, grew 48%
• Gospel grew 37%, approximately six times the rate of drill (+6%)
• Amapiano grew 34%, continuing its expansion from South Africa into East Africa
• Afrobeats (+25%), R&B (+28%) and afropop (+21%) also posted growth

The data also reveals a clear generational divide in listening preferences. Among Kenya’s 18–24 listeners, deep house under-indexes at 0.50 (meaning young listeners are half as likely to stream it as the broader population), jazz at 0.53, classic country at 0.55, and rumba congolaise at 0.61.

A Generation That Listens All Day

Nairobi’s 18–24 listeners stream throughout the day, with listening strongest from midday into early evening. The highest hour for this age group is 12pm, while 6pm marks the peak for all age groups in the city. The work and focus window (10am–4pm) accounts for 39.7% of Gen Z’s daily listening, with the evening (5–10pm) contributing another 30.5%. Even between 2am and 5am, 18–24 listeners account for 55% of all streams in the city.

Beyond music, Nairobi’s Gen Z podcast share is 2.5 times higher than Lagos and 1.7 times higher than Johannesburg, with Arts, Society & Culture, Comedy and Health & Fitness among the leading categories.

“Greasy Tunes Nairobi brings the data to life by showing how young Kenyans actually listen: across genres, across formats, and across the social moments that shape the city. Over 12 days, we are creating space for artists, communities, food, conversation and sound to meet in one programme, reflecting Nairobi’s energy as a culture hub where music is not just streamed, but experienced together.” –  Agnes Opondo, Artist and Label Partnerships, East Africa, Spotify

About Greasy Tunes

Greasy Tunes runs from 15 to 26 July 2026 at Heltz House, Nairobi. The 12-day programme brings together music, food, fashion, sport, comedy, podcasts and community programming, reflecting the breadth of ways Nairobi’s Gen Z engages with culture and audio.

Programme highlights include live music performances, the Fresh Finds emerging-artist showcase, the Nakili Sessions, a Gospel and Alt Night, a football-adjacent watch-party experience, food programming with Jikoni Studios, podcast recordings with Mic Cheque and 30 Per Cent Pod, and a closing-day music panel discussion.

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