Joshua Baraka’s Wrong Places has claimed the number one spot on Spotify’s list of the most-streamed songs in Uganda for 2025, outperforming a field heavily dominated by Nigerian artists.
The achievement is striking, given that Spotify Wrapped 2025 revealed that seven of Uganda’s top 10 most-streamed songs and six of the top 10 artists are Nigerian. Davido alone features twice in the top songs chart, with his albums 5ive and Timeless both placing in the top albums ranking.
Baraka’s success represents the culmination of a three-year trajectory that began with his debut EP Baby Steps, accelerated with 2023’s breakout track Nana, and peaked with this year’s album Juvie. His collaboration with British-Ghanaian producer JAE5 was pivotal, pairing Baraka’s vocal refinement with production values that could compete on a continental scale.
That a Ugandan artist has outperformed both Davido and Kendrick Lamar at home suggests the beginnings of a market correction. For years, streaming data from East Africa has served as an indicator of the success of Nigeria’s cultural export machine — Burna Boy, Rema, and Ayra Starr have become staples of Ugandan playlists, reflecting Nigeria’s sophisticated music industry infrastructure and the comparative fragmentation of East Africa’s.
The 2025 data confirms this imbalance persists. Nigerian albums fill four of the top 10 album positions, with Omah Lay’s Boy Alone, Ayra Starr’s The Year I Turned 21, Ruger’s The Second Wave (Deluxe), and Asake’s Work Of Art all charting. The Top Artists list reads as a roll call of Lagos and Port Harcourt studios: Burna Boy, Davido, Rema, Ruger, Asake, Ayra Starr, and Fireboy DML collectively occupy more than half the ranking.
Yet beneath Baraka’s headline achievement, other local artists are registering. Tabbu, a collaboration between the versatile Dax Vibez and rising star Ava Peace, sits at number nine on the songs chart — proof that local chemistry can generate commercial traction. FYNO UG’s Che Che, rooted in African dancehall, appears just outside the top 20, whilst Elijah Kitaka, a former session drummer turned Afro-soul artist, broke into the fringes of the Top Artists chart.
These are modest gains in a market still heavily tilted towards West African imports. But they suggest a growing confidence amongst Ugandan artists to compete rather than complement. Baraka’s Wrong Places is indicative of something larger: evidence that the infrastructure, production quality, and audience appetite required to sustain a local music economy are increasingly aligning.
The question now is whether this represents a sustainable shift or a fleeting moment. Nigerian artists benefit from decades of investment in studio infrastructure, distribution networks, and international partnerships. Uganda’s music industry, by contrast, remains fragmented and undercapitalised. Streaming platforms favour artists who can deliver consistent output and professional marketing — advantages still largely concentrated in Lagos.
But streaming data also reveals consumption patterns that Nigerian dominance alone cannot explain. The fact that Ugandan audiences are placing local tracks alongside — and occasionally above — continental heavyweights suggests appetite exists. Whether the industry can convert that appetite into structural change remains the more difficult proposition.
Spotify Wrapped 2025 – Top Songs in Uganda
- Joshua Baraka, JAE5 – Wrong Places
- Faceless, Serøtonin – Venus
- Kunmie – Arike
- Chella – My Darling
- Shallipopi – Laho
- Fido – Awolowo
- Davido feat. Fave – KANTE
- Alex Warren – Ordinary
- Dax Vibez, Ava Peace – Tabbu
- Davido, Omah Lay – With You
Top Artists in Uganda
- Drake
- Chris Brown
- Burna Boy
- Davido
- Rema
- Ruger
- Asake
- Ayra Starr
- Kendrick Lamar
- Fireboy DML
Top Albums in Uganda
- Chris Brown – 11:11
- SZA – SOS Deluxe: LANA
- Davido – 5ive
- Omah Lay – Boy Alone
- Davido – Timeless
- Ayra Starr – The Year I Turned 21
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX
- Ruger – The Second Wave (Deluxe)
- Asake – Work Of Art
- Tyla – TYLA
