Skales Hits 2 Million Spotify Monthly Listeners Following Viral Success of Afrobeats Hit ‘Shake Body’
Nigerian music star Skales is enjoying a major career resurgence, thanks to the massive success of his upbeat Afrobeats track, Shake Body, which has gone viral on TikTok and catapulted his streaming numbers to unprecedented heights.
In April 2025, Skales reached a milestone of 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify for the first time in his career. Just a month later, the momentum hasn’t slowed — the artist has now doubled that figure, clocking 2 million monthly listeners on the global digital streaming platform.
This digital success story marks a turning point for the 34-year-old Kaduna-born singer, who has long been respected in the Nigerian music industry but had yet to experience this level of international streaming traction.
TikTok and the Lamine Yamal Effect
The resurgence can be traced back to March 2025, when Spain’s teenage football sensation Lamine Yamal posted a video on TikTok dancing to Shake Body alongside fellow players Nico Williams and Samu Omorodion. The video was part of their celebration after Spain’s UEFA Nations League victory over the Netherlands — and it exploded online.
With Yamal’s massive following of over 31 million fans on TikTok, the video garnered more than 180 million views and 16 million likes in a matter of days. The buzz didn’t stop there. Soon after, another clip showed Yamal grooving to the same song with Barcelona legend Gerard Piqué and renowned Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, adding even more fuel to the track’s viral status.
Global Recognition and Chart Success
As a result of its popularity on TikTok, Shake Body made its debut on the Global Spotify Viral Songs chart at #98. Even more impressively, it is now charting on the viral playlists of over 30 countries, including Spain, France, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland.
This sudden rise in popularity has placed Skales firmly on the radar of international listeners and has opened doors previously unseen in his career. The independent artist, who retains full ownership of his music, expressed his gratitude in a heartfelt post on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
“Wow!!! This is mind blowing for an independent artiste with full ownership… thank you Jesus.”
Meeting His Champions
The excitement didn’t end online. Skales has since met Lamine Yamal in person, along with Barcelona’s left-back Alejandro Balde. He even performed Shake Body at a private celebration event for the football stars, cementing the cultural crossover between music and sport.
With the song’s impact still growing, Skales is already preparing to extend the moment. He recently teased a new track titled Dance Like Lamine Yamal, a tribute to the 17-year-old football prodigy whose viral support helped elevate his sound to new heights.
A Defining Chapter for Skales
For Skales, who has been in the music scene for over a decade, this viral moment represents more than just a spike in numbers. It’s a global breakthrough, a career-defining chapter, and a powerful reminder of the reach and relevance of Afrobeats on the world stage.
With two million monthly listeners and a worldwide audience at his fingertips, Skales is poised to take his sound to even greater heights — and it all started with a dance.
