Gospel music streams surge as Kenyans embrace Easter

There was a surge of gospel music streaming on  Spotify across Sub-Saharan Africa during Easter holidays, highlighting a deep-rooted spiritual tradition that continues to thrive in the digital era.
Globally, over 800,000 gospel playlists were created over the Easter weekend, showing how listeners around the world tuned to gospel music as both a spiritual anchor and a celebratory soundtrack. Audiences in sub-Saharan Africa contributed more than 70,000 playlists.
As African gospel continues to expand its global footprint, Spotify data shows that ensemble-based worship collectives dominated Easter streaming across sub-Saharan Africa. US and Australian groups such as Maverick City Music, Elevation Worship, and Hillsong Worship continued to top the charts, reflecting the powerful influence of global worship movements on local audiences. Songs like Jireh and Firm Foundation (He Won’t) performed well for the third consecutive Easter, showing a strong appetite for emotionally charged, live-recorded tracks that capture the intimacy and energy of a Sunday service.
While international groups had a strong presence, homegrown ensembles also made significant waves across the continent.
Beyond individual songs, many listeners across the region tuned to curated gospel playlists with more than 70,000 gospel-themed playlists having been created in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa in the past three years. This playlist culture is transforming engagement with gospel, making the genre more accessible and reflective of personal and communal moments.

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