Giants of Africa Closing Concert Presented by Spotify: Tyla Thrills in Kigali
Tyla. Photo: Janeirohy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tyla went on to win the Grammy for Best African Music Performance twice: with “Water” in February 2024 and with “PUSH 2 START” in February 2026. Her second album, A-POP (styled A*POP), was set for release on July 24, 2026. Davido released his fifth album, 5ive, on April 18, 2025, and Tiwa Savage set her fourth album, This One Is Personal, for August 29, 2025. Giants of Africa came back to Kigali for a second festival from July 26 to August 2, 2025, and no 2026 edition has been announced.
Spotify and Giants of Africa in Kigali
The 2023 closing concert ended the first Giants of Africa Festival, held in Kigali, Rwanda, from August 13 to 19, 2023. The festival marked the 20th anniversary of Giants of Africa, the non-profit founded by Masai Ujiri, and Spotify was its music partner.
During the week, basketball was used to teach young Africans and push them to dream big. Young people from 16 countries took part.
On Saturday, August 19, a sold-out BK Arena hosted the closing concert, sponsored by Spotify. Rwanda’s The New Times put the crowd at more than 10,000.
Bruce Melodie, Tyla, Tiwa Savage and Davido gave the pan-African crowd four strong sets. Most of these artists’ Spotify listeners were aged 18 to 24 at the time, so the lineup was a natural way to end a week about inspiring young people through sport, music and dance.
Tyla opens the night with Amapiano
Tyla, a Spotify Africa RADAR artist, went on first. Her sound mixes Amapiano with pop, R&B and Afrobeats. She opened with “Getting Late,” her song with Kooldrink, which Spotify’s data showed was her most streamed track.
According to the same data, Nigeria streamed Tyla’s music more than any other country, ahead of her home country, South Africa. One likely reason is “Girl Next Door,” her song with Nigeria’s Ayra Starr. At the time it was her second most streamed song, and she performed it in Kigali. She also had a growing audience in Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana.
She also played “To Last,” “Been Thinking” and her newest single at the time, “Water.” Tyla and her dancers hit every move of their routines in sync, which no Amapiano show is complete without.
Tyla’s later years have been some of the biggest in recent African pop:
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Late 2023 | “Water” goes viral on dance videos and peaks at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 |
| February 2024 | “Water” wins the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance |
| October 2024 | “PUSH 2 START” arrives as the lead single of TYLA +, the deluxe edition of her debut album |
| February 1, 2026 | “PUSH 2 START” wins Best African Music Performance at the 68th Grammy Awards, making her the first artist to win the category twice |
| July 24, 2026 | Release date set for A-POP, her second album |
Bruce Melodie takes the crowd across his catalogue
Rwanda’s Bruce Melodie came on next. He opened with “Sawa Sawa,” his song with Kenya’s Khaligraph Jones and his second most streamed song on Spotify. Over about 20 minutes he worked through his catalogue, including “Ikinyafu,” “Saa Moya” and “Funga Macho.”
The arena erupted when Rwandan producer, singer and songwriter Element EleéeH joined him for their song “Fou De Toi.” Bruce then turned to gospel with “Urabinyegeza,” one of his most popular Spotify tracks. He closed with “Katerina,” his most streamed song on Spotify.
Most of Bruce Melodie’s Spotify listeners are in East Africa. At the time of the concert, Kenya streamed him the most, followed by Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi.
A few weeks after the concert, “Funga Macho” got a second life. Jamaican reggae star Shaggy joined Bruce on a remix, “When She’s Around (Funga Macho),” which came out on October 27, 2023, through S-Curve Records. That October, Bruce also became the first Rwandan musician to win a Trace Award.
Davido brings the hits
Davido’s set was one of the most anticipated of the night. The Nigerian star has fans across the continent, with big audiences in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia, and he kept the arena hooked from start to finish.
He opened with “Over Dem,” one of the most streamed songs on Spotify from his album Timeless. He then went back through his career hit by hit, playing “Dami Duro,” “FIA,” “Jowo,” “If,” “Fall” and “Risky.” He also performed “High,” “Ke Star” and “Champion Sound.”
The big moment was “Unavailable.” It was the most streamed song on Timeless and, according to Spotify, the most exported single among 18 to 24 year olds. It was also behind countless dance videos online. Davido’s set had it all: the songs, the dancing and the energy.
Davido released his fifth album, 5ive, on April 18, 2025, after pushing it back from an earlier March 14 date. His song “With You,” featuring Omah Lay, was nominated for Best African Music Performance at the 2026 Grammys, where Tyla won.
Tiwa Savage closes the show
The last act on the Giants of Africa stage was Tiwa Savage, often called the queen of Afrobeats. Like the others, she has a pan-African Spotify audience, with listeners in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda.
Vibe ✅ Audience ✅ @TiwaSavage ✅ The #GOAFestival Closing Concert has it all. 💃🏽 📷 @artvillain pic.twitter.com/AA7clinGXA, Spotify Africa (@SpotifyAfrica) August 19, 2023
She opened with “49-99,” one of her most streamed tracks on Spotify. Next came “Ma Lo,” her second most streamed song, and a run of other hits: “Keys to the Kingdom,” “Like” and “Pick Up.” She also sang an a cappella version of “Somebody’s Son.”
The crowd loved “Koroba,” her most streamed song on Spotify, and “Who Is Your Guy.” She finished with “Stamina,” her most exported track among 18 to 35 year olds, and showed why she is still the queen of Afrobeats.
Tiwa announced This One Is Personal in April 2025 as her first album in five years. It was set for release on August 29, 2025, with Skepta among the guests on the tracklist.
What Spotify said
Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s managing director for Sub-Saharan Africa, said the company was delighted to work with Giants of Africa, especially on a closing concert that put some of the continent’s best performers in front of its fans. “Africa’s youth represent the continent’s future, and we are thrilled to continue supporting them via partnerships like this one,” she said after the show.
Giants of Africa after 2023
The festival returned to Kigali from July 26 to August 2, 2025. The organisers said 320 young people from 20 African nations took part. Uncle Waffles headlined the opening weekend. The closing concert at BK Arena on August 2, 2025, featured Kizz Daniel, Timaya, Rwanda’s The Ben and Ayra Starr. NBA star Kawhi Leonard also joined the week to mentor campers.
FAQ
Who performed at the 2023 Giants of Africa closing concert?
Davido, Tiwa Savage, Bruce Melodie and Tyla played the closing concert at BK Arena in Kigali on Saturday, August 19. Spotify sponsored the show, which ended the week-long festival. Local press reported a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000.
Was this the first Giants of Africa Festival?
Yes. The 2023 festival in Kigali was the first one, held to mark 20 years of Masai Ujiri’s Giants of Africa. A second edition followed in Kigali in 2025, from July 26 to August 2.
Did Tyla perform “Water” in Kigali?
Yes. “Water” was her newest single then, and she played it alongside “Getting Late,” “Girl Next Door,” “To Last” and “Been Thinking.” The song blew up later that year, and in February 2024 it won the first Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
How many Grammys has Tyla won?
Two, both for Best African Music Performance: “Water” in 2024 and “PUSH 2 START” at the 68th Grammy Awards on February 1, 2026. That made her the first artist to win the category twice.
Who performed at the 2025 Giants of Africa closing concert?
Kizz Daniel, Timaya, The Ben and Ayra Starr played the closing concert at BK Arena on August 2, 2025. Uncle Waffles headlined the opening weekend.
Is there a Giants of Africa Festival in 2026?
No 2026 festival has been announced. The last edition was the 2025 festival in Kigali, so for news on the next one, check the Giants of Africa website.
Sources
- Giants of Africa: GOA Festival page and festival announcements
- The New Times (Rwanda): coverage of the 2023 and 2025 Giants of Africa Festival concerts
- KT Press: “Davido, Tiwa show what they do best at Giants of Africa”
- Pollstar: inaugural Giants of Africa Festival lineup
- Recording Academy (GRAMMY.com): Best African Music Performance category
- Music In Africa: Tyla’s 2026 Grammy win and her A-POP album
- News24: “Tyla’s PUSH 2 START wins Grammy for Best African Music Performance”
- Pulse Nigeria: Davido’s 5ive release date
- The Guardian Nigeria and notJustOk: Tiwa Savage’s This One Is Personal release date
- Universal Music Canada and Jamaica Observer: Bruce Melodie and Shaggy’s “When She’s Around (Funga Macho)”
About this article
- Fact-checked before publication.
- Published · Updated
