Heartbreak tunes, more than love songs, have dominated Nigerians’ listening this Valentine’s season, according to new data by Spotify.

The data shows playlists focused on longing, vulnerability, and emotional recovery.

In a statement on Friday in Lagos, Spotify’s head of music for Sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, said insights from the streaming platform showed that mood-led playlist creation had surged in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Okumu said data showed that heartbreak-themed listening rose faster than love-coded playlists.

According to her, between January 1 and February 4, Spotify recorded a steep increase in ‘yearn playlists,’ a signal of heartbreak and longing, which jumped by 305 per cent from 2024 to 2025. She said this was 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.

Okumu said Spotify’s data points to Gen Z as the clearest driver of the heartbreak trend.

According to the data, among listeners aged 18 to 24 on Valentine’s Day, nearly 60 per cent skewed toward heartbreak listening while almost 40 per cent leaned into love.

She said the pattern cuts across gender, with men accounting for over 65 per cent of heartbreak streams and 61 per cent of love streams, while women represented just over a third in both categories.

Okumu said that, geographically, heartbreak listening was most concentrated in Lagos, followed by Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, and Benin, highlighting how young Nigerians in major cities are using music to process romance, ambiguity, and healing.

She noted that even as heartbreak topped the mood charts, Nigerians were not navigating these emotions alone.

According to her, Valentine’s Day 2025 was described as the “Blendiest” day of the year, with collaborative listening peaking as users merged Afrobeats, street-pop, and R&B into shared playlists.

Top Blend tracks included Fido’s ‘Awolowo,’ OdumoduBlvck’s ‘Juju’ (with Smur Lee and 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.’

Okumu said the broader Valentine season was also expanding beyond romance into friendships 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,” Okumu said.

(NAN)