Spotify, a global online streaming platform has described Ahmed Ololade (Asake)’s newest release “Work of Art” as a sprawling compendium of auditory splendour that demonstrates the breadth and depth of Asake’s sonic ingenuity.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Victor Okpala, Spotify’s Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa, on Thursday.
Asake is a multi-award-winning Nigerian Afrobeat singer and songwriter.
The “Work of Art”, which was released on Spotify on June 16, has 14 tracks.
Okpala said that the tracks showcased Asake’s prowess and ability to seamlessly blend various genres such as afrobeat, pop, and R&B to create a unique sonic experience that keeps listeners engaged and wanting more.
He said Spotify had revealed that since Asake’s arrival on the mainstream music scene in January 2022, he had maintained his sizzling form with his EP “Ololade Asake” and his debut album “Mr. Money With The Vibe”.
“The first of these, Omo Ope, is Asake’s first song to cross one million streams on Spotify, hitting the threshold in March 2022- just weeks after its official release.
“The track which was produced in collaboration with Olamide Baddo, founder of YBNL Nation where Asake is signed, kicked off the artiste’s blistering run on the world stage.
While Nigeria makes up the largest market for Asake’s music, the bulk of his total Spotify streams were coming from outside of the country.
“The UK is the second biggest market for his music, with the United States, Canada and France rounding out the top five.
“Looking at this data, it is almost hard to believe that Asake is still relatively new on the music scene.
“Spotify is excited to be part of his journey, as he shares this new album and his talent with a growing global audience,” he said.
Okpala noted that Asake’s debut album “Mr. Money With The Vibe” dominated the soundscape and propelled him to superstar status, producing six of his most streamed songs on the platform including the Burna Boy remix of Sungba.
He said the track was Asake’s number-one streamed song on Spotify and his most exported track.
“Amapiano, the third single from “Work of Art”, is already doing numbers since its release last month.
“It currently occupies the number ten spot among Asake’s most playlisted songs. The singer’s tracks have already featured on over 2.5 million user-generated playlists on Spotify,” he said.
Asake emerged winner in the “Best African Artiste Of The Year” category at the 24th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards held at the Grand Arena, Accra International Conference Centre Ghana.
Asake’s 2022 single “ORGANISE” which became a major jam across the continent of Africa cruised past songs of fellow Nigerian musicians; Burnaboy, Kizz Daniel, and Ayra Star as well as songs from “The Therapist from Sierra Leone” and Libianca from Cameroon to win the award. (NAN)
