by Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
Nigerians would be the first to admit that they have a familiar relationship with suffering, with some refusing to sing gospel songs such as the classic Me I No Go Suffer. The justification was always that everyone suffers, so do not lie to yourself. But it was not until Afrobeats singer Omah Lay dropped his debut studio album, Boy Alone, that a term was coined for the genre of sad songs— Afrodepression.
Close to three years later and the term has proven to be impossible to shake off. From modern hits like Ayra Starr’s Last Heartbreak song to classics like Styl-plus’ discography have been labeled under the Afrodepression umbrella.
Omah Lay might have poured his heart out on the 14-track album, but Styl-plus once famously sang, “The very last girl said, she knew I’d be ashamed of her. She said that I should forgive her but that she was having another man’s baby girl.” Their Imagine That track had the whole nation— dare I say continent— waist whining to some of the most devastating lyrics ever sung.
The term might be two years old, but we have always had a soft spot for these types of music. Now, data shows we even have a favourite season to tune into these songs. Poetically, it is the season filled with so many metaphors for love— the Valentine season.
Nigeria’s Valentine’s Day Soundtrack: How Heartbreak Songs Dominate the Season
Valentine’s Day in Nigeria might not be what you expect. While love songs traditionally set the mood for romance, new data from Spotify suggests a different reality—Nigerians are embracing heartbreak anthems more than ever during the season of love. According to Spotify’s latest insights, heartbreak song streams have surged by a staggering 626% from 2022 to 2024, making Nigeria the leader in Sub-Saharan Africa for streaming sorrow away in February. Data from Spotify also revealed that there is a specific time that Nigerians tune into these heart-wrenching tracks.
Spotify insider reveals that data suggests that while many are grabbing their first coffee of the day, Nigerians are musically getting in their feelings. ”Nigerians listen to heartbreak songs most often between 9 AM and 11 AM,” she says. This makes heartbreak an unexpected part of many morning routines. While heading to offices, cubicles, or workspaces, Nigerians start their day with emotional ballads, using music as a form of therapy to tackle the realities of love and loss. The most fascinating part of the statistics is that these moody songs are popular with a specific gender.
Nigerian men stream more heartbreak songs on Valentine’s Day—by a wide margin.
There’s a common belief that women are more expressive about heartbreak, but Spotify says otherwise when it comes to music consumption. On Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362% increase compared to 169% among women.
This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions. Irrespective of the psychology behind it, one thing is clear—when love is in the air, so is heartbreak, and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected. While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day – more than what’s publicly shown.
Now that we know the data, who are the artists at the crime scene?
The songs that defined Nigerian heartbreak
One heartbreak that Nigerians collectively mourned was the tragic passing of street pop artist Mohbad. It’s no surprise that the data shows that on Valentine’s Day in 2024, Egwu by Chike and Mohbad ranked among the top three most-streamed songs by Nigerians. Other tracks that topped the charts include One Love – Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film by Wizkid, ranking at number one, and Shallipopi and Odumodublvck’s Cast at number three.
In 2023, Omah Lay’s deeply emotional song Soso, a melancholic cry for relief from pain, was among Valentine’s Day’s top three most streamed songs. It was joined by K-pop sensation J-hope’s Arson.
As I hit replay on Marvin’s Room by Drake, I wonder what song would top the Nigerian Spotify data this year. Will it be one of their playlist’s 100 Best African Love Songs or the End In Tears playlists?
