How Fido’s 'Joy Is Coming' Became The Number 1 Song of 2025

The year 2025 has been a chaotic mix of genre-bending sounds and fierce competition. Yet, amidst the noise of street-hop and global Afropop collaborations, one track offered a singular message of hope. Fido’s "Joy Is Coming" has officially been crowned the No. 1 song of 2025 in Nigeria. 

The data comes from TurnTable, the country’s standard music charting system. 

The numbers are staggering. According to TurnTable Charts, Fido’s song, released in December 2024, amassed 87.2 million on-demand streams.

It dominated radio with 1.56 billion impressions. Fido did not just top the charts; he achieved a "clean sweep." This rare feat means the song topped every single chart metric in the country. No other artist has managed this in the last two years. The song spent six weeks at the summit of the Official Nigeria Top 100. It also spent a record-breaking 19 weeks in the top ten.

 Fido now joins an elite club of year-end winners. He sits alongside past heavyweights like Dj Neptune’s ‘Nobody’ with Mr. Eazi & Joeboy (2020), Omah Lay’s ‘Godly’ (2021), Kizz Daniel & Tekno’s ‘Buga (Lo Lo Lo)’ (2022), Asake’s ‘Lonely At The Top’ (2023), and Kizz Daniel & Davido’s ‘Twe Twe (Remix)’ (2024) for the Year-End No. 1 Songs since TurnTable began tracking.

It was a year of promise, and Fido provided the soundtrack.

While Fido claimed the throne, the industry giants refused to go quietly. 

Davido continued to affirm his status as a certified hitmaker with ‘With You,’  a collaboration that bagged a Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance at the upcoming 68th Annual Grammy Awards, scheduled for February 2026. The track, featuring Omah Lay, landed at No. 2 and was a massive success. Davido’s consistency is unmatched. He has placed a song in the year-end top ten almost every year since 2020.

Taking the No. 3 spot is the street king, Shallipopi. His hit song, ‘Laho,’ was a monster success, but its journey to the top was a bit complicated for the chart trackers.

The confusion is simple: the song had two lives. It started as ‘Laho,’ the original hit. This version was so popular on the streets and online that by the middle of the year, it was ranked the biggest song in the country. Then, Shallipopi teamed up with Afro-fusion giant Burna Boy, for an official remix called ‘Laho II.’

This new version gave the song a second boost, especially on the radio. To figure out the true winner, TurnTable added up the success of both ‘Laho’ and ‘Laho II’ because they are essentially the same song. Since the Burna Boy remix (‘Laho II’) ended up bringing in most of the total streams and airplay, it got the final credit.

Combining the power of both versions helped the song move up one place to secure the No. 3 spot for the entire year. In short, Shallipopi’s two versions combined were streamed over 62 million times and garnered 1.46 billion airplay impressions (Year-End No. 4 on Radio). That’s why he won the bronze medal.

Wizkid also proved his enduring power. His late-year release, ‘Kese (Dance),’ secured the No. 4 spot. It was the No. 1 song on radio for the entire year with 1.87 billion impressions. However, the veterans had company. 

2025 was the year of the underdog. Dagbana Republic sensation FOLA also saw his song ‘Who Does That?’ hold down the No. 5 spot, while Kunmie’s heartthrob anthem ‘Arike’ took the No. 7 spot. These breakout stars proved that viral success can translate into genuine chart dominance.

The hip-hop scene witnessed history this year. ODUMODUBLVCK became the first rapper to score multiple entries on a Year-End Top 10 list.

He landed at No. 6 with ‘Funds’ alongside Davido and Chike, and at No. 8 with "PITY THIS BOY" featuring Victony, off his THE MACHINE IS COMING mixtape. The Native Record’s superstar has broken the ceiling for rappers in a pop-dominated market.

Meanwhile, Seyi Vibez returned from a hiatus (given the frequency of his releases since 2022) with a vengeance. His track "SHAOLIN" closes out the top ten. It debuted at No. 1 and proved his fanbase remains one of the most loyal in the country. 

Mavin superstar Rema also made his mark at No. 9 with his smash ‘Baby (Is It A Crime),’ a track that went viral months before its release due to a clever sample of Sade Adu's 1985 classic. As the year closes, the charts tell a clear story. The heavyweights are safe, but the new guard is here to stay.

1. ‘Joy is Coming’ – Fido

2. ‘With You’ – Davido with Omah Lay

3. ‘Laho’ – Shallipopi 

4. ‘Kese (Dance)’ – Wizkid

5. ‘Who Does That?’ – FOLA ft. Bella Shmurda

6. ‘Funds’ – Davido ft. ODUMODUBLVCK & Chike

7. ‘Arike’ – Kunmie

8. ‘PITY THIS BOY’ – ODUMODUBLVCK ft. Victony

9. ‘Baby (Is It A Crime)’ – Rema

10. ‘SHAOLIN’ – Seyi Vibez