Several years after its initial introduction into Nigeria, South Korean music has firmly established a significant presence in the country by 2024.
What started as a few individuals discovering and enjoying Korean music has blossomed into a vibrant community of K-pop enthusiasts.
This cultural shift has allowed like-minded individuals to come together, creating a connected scene that transcends borders.
Initially, this community found common ground in WhatsApp and Facebook groups, but it has since expanded to include live events such as the Korean Culture Festival organized by K-Vibe Nigeria and radio programs like Jaese’s Kpop Hitlist.
The impact of this growth is evident in music charts as well. In 2017, EXO made history by topping the iTunes Charts, paving the way for other K-pop acts to make their mark.
By 2022, Nigeria had become the third-largest market for K-pop in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the growing popularity of Korean music in the country.
Fast forward to 2024, and K-pop acts continue to dominate various Nigerian charts, including Spotify, YouTube, and the prestigious TurnTable Charts.
The collaboration between the premier chart team and Jaese, an agency dedicated to promoting K-pop in Africa, has shed light on the top-performing K-pop acts and songs in Nigeria.
According to Joella Nuer of Jaese, African audiences tend to gravitate towards similar K-pop songs each year, indicating a shared appreciation for the genre across the continent.
This sentiment was echoed in the chart data, which revealed that K-pop acts accounted for a significant percentage of various official charts in Nigeria.
In 2024, ROSÉ from BLACKPINK emerged as the top-charting K-pop artist in Nigeria, with her song “APT” featuring Bruno Mars making multiple appearances across different charts.
SM Entertainment’s Aespa also made waves with their album Armageddon, becoming the most-streamed K-pop album in Nigeria.
Notably, female artists continued to dominate the charts, with only a few male acts like DAY6, Jimin, and Stray Kids making an appearance. K-bands DAY6 and QWER also earned spots on the Album chart for the first time, showcasing the diversity of talent within the K-pop industry.
Despite the dominance of female artists, groups like LE SSERAFIM and IVE incorporated African sound-inspired tracks in their music, with “Smart” and “RESET” standing out on the TurnTable Charts.
While the number of K-Afro songs on the charts was limited, the influence of African music on K-pop remains a noteworthy aspect of the genre’s evolution in Nigeria.
