Spotify data has shown Nigerians are spending this Valentine’s season streaming more heartbreak than love songs, proving that for many listeners, it is less roses and more “see you in my feelings” playlists.
The streaming platform said listening patterns ahead of February 14 show a growing preference for playlists centred on longing, vulnerability and emotional recovery.
In a statement issued on Friday in Lagos, Spotify’s head of music for Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu said mood-led playlist creation surged in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, with heartbreak-themed listening rising faster than love-themed playlists.
Between January 1 and February 4, Okumu said Spotify recorded a sharp increase in “yearn playlists,” which jumped by 305 per cent from 2024 to 2025, followed by another 170 per cent rise from 2025 to 2026.
“While romance remained present, the figures suggested Valentine’s Day in Nigeria is increasingly becoming a season where listeners sit with complicated emotions rather than just celebrate love.
“Valentine’s Day in Nigeria is no longer a single-note romance moment.
“We are seeing listeners embrace love and heartbreak as equally valid emotional realities, and use music to move through both with honesty,” she said.
Spotify’s data also points to Gen Z as the main driver of the heartbreak wave.
Okumu said among listeners aged 18 to 24 on Valentine’s Day, nearly 60 per cent leaned toward heartbreak music, while almost 40 per cent chose love-themed listening.
She added that men made up over 65 per cent of heartbreak streams and 61 per cent of love streams, while women accounted for just over a third in both categories.
Lagos recorded the highest heartbreak listening numbers, followed by Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Benin.
Even with heartbreak dominating the mood charts, Spotify said Nigerians were not listening alone.
Okumu noted that Valentine’s Day 2025 was described as the “Blendiest” day of the year, with collaborative listening peaking as users combined Afrobeats, street-pop and R&B into shared playlists.
Top Blend tracks included Fido’s ‘Awolowo’, OdumoduBlvck’s ‘Juju’ (with Smur Lee & Shallipopi), and Rema’s ‘Fi Kan We Kan’.
“In direct song shares, listeners leaned toward emotionally direct records such as Future’s ‘Worst Day’ and Drake’s ‘Give Me A Hug’,” she said.
Okumu said the Valentine season was also expanding beyond romance into friendship and community.
“Globally, ‘Galentine’ playlist creation rose by more than 70 per cent year-on-year, reflecting how many young listeners are marking the day through peer support as much as romantic connection.
“Faith-based podcasts also remained highly visible on February 14, alongside relationship-centred conversations, pointing to a listening culture where romance, spirituality and community wisdom coexist.
“This year’s Valentine’s data presents a portrait of a generation redefining connection: emotionally fluent, culturally hybrid, community-oriented, and unafraid of contradiction,” she said.
