Shakira’s latest entry on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart — her second appearance there decades after the first — is a reminder that careers are long games. The song in question, “Dai Dai,” which features Burna Boy and marks a chart debut for him on that format, didn’t arrive as a flash-in-the-pan moment. It’s the product of cross-genre reach, collaboration, and the slow accumulation of audience touchpoints that grow a catalog over time.

A second shot on Adult Contemporary

Adult Contemporary (AC) isn’t the first chart people think of when they hear Shakira’s name; her biggest footprint has been across Billboard’s Latin charts, where the focus is on Spanish-language music and regional formats. Yet this recent entry shows how a single release can land in a very different radio and streaming ecosystem. AC listeners skew older and respond differently to playlists and radio programming than younger, genre-specific audiences.

For artists, that’s the point: a single recording can travel to multiple audiences if it’s positioned and promoted correctly. Collaborations with artists from different scenes — in this case a global Afrobeats superstar — can act like a bridge, giving a track new life and access to formats that may have been out of reach a decade earlier.

Catalog building is a craft, not an accident

Sustained success across charts doesn’t happen by chance. Building a catalog that keeps giving returns involves deliberate choices about releases, partnerships, metadata and timing. A catalog is a collection of assets that can be reintroduced, remixed, or repackaged to reach fresh listeners.

Think of each release as an investment: singles and features seed new audiences, while album tracks and older songs become discovery points when playlists or radio programmers circle back. For established acts like Shakira, prior hits and a global profile make it easier to leap into different formats. For independent artists, the mechanics are similar — just executed at a different scale.

What indie African artists should notice

This Shakira–Burna Boy moment carries direct lessons for independent artists across Africa:

• Collaborations expand reach: Teaming up with artists in other markets opens doors to playlists, radio formats, and fanbases you might not reach alone.
• Target multiple touchpoints: Don’t aim only for one chart or one streaming playlist. Consider radio, curated playlists, social syncs, and regional stations as separate channels to seed the same song.
• Keep releasing: A slow, steady stream of material builds a larger catalog that can be promoted in waves — seasonal pushes, anniversary campaigns, and remixes all extend a song’s life.
• Mind your metadata and rights: Accurate credits and registered splits make it possible to monetize every reuse and to claim credit when a track resurfaces.

Those are strategic building blocks more than shortcuts. They require consistent effort and planning, but they scale: a catalog assembled over years becomes a machine for discovery.

Practical steps for growing a catalog that works

Independent artists can adopt tactical steps that mirror what larger acts do, on a budget:

• Plan releases with intent: stagger singles so each has room to breathe. Use features and remixes to refresh a track six to twelve months after release.
• Collaborate strategically: pick partners who bring new territory — different language zones, radio formats, or playlist curators.
• Secure metadata and splits early: clear credits and registered royalty splits reduce friction when a song gains traction later.
• Pitch for multiple formats: create versions tailored to radio, streaming playlists, and sync placements (radio edits, acoustic versions, instrumental stems).
• Revisit and repurpose older tracks: anniversaries, best-of collections, or themed playlists can revive catalog tracks for new listeners.

These actions are practical and repeatable. They don’t guarantee a chart entry, but they make it far more likely that a given song will find the right listener at the right time.

Measuring success and planning next moves

When a track starts to register on a new chart or format, that’s a signal to double down on that audience. Move quickly to support growth with targeted promotion: localized radio outreach, tailored playlist pitches, and region-specific social content work well. At the same time, protect the upside by ensuring rights and credits are clean so revenue can be collected and shared accurately.

Key takeaways:

• A strong catalog is cumulative: every release is a building block for future opportunities.
• Cross-genre and international collaborations can open unexpected doors for formats like Adult Contemporary.
• Tactical release planning, metadata hygiene, and targeted promotion increase a song’s chances of crossing formats.

Shakira’s return to a chart she first touched decades ago is more than a trivia line — it’s a case study in how artists can keep mining their work for new audiences. For independent artists focused on the long game, tracking where streams and spins come from is essential; you can learn more about using analytics to find those new audiences with ORB’s streaming analytics that show where your fans are listening.

Source: Forbes