We’ve rounded up the 26 greatest Nigerian love songs ever made. Which of these is your forever favorite?
The greatest emotion you can possibly feel has to be the one that has your heart pumping, not out of fear but rather affection. That’s the love emotion. Love triggers a cocktail of changes in your body and has your heart fluttering in excitement.
Love can even be your biggest inspiration, particularly as a creative person. It’s why you see writers pen down happy thoughts through their writings simply because they’re in love; you see singers shutting their eyes and yelling sweet melodies into the microphone because they have a heart full of love; a painter scribbling ease into his craft because what fills his veins is a combination of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin.
It’s why it’s often saddening when you have no one to trigger these cocktails of emotions in you, but not totally hopeless for you because just as love triggers things in you, there are things that can also trigger the feeling of love within you. How exciting! It’s why there are lovers of rom-com movies, lovers of breezy music, and consumers of romance fiction and non-fiction — because it helps them connect to what they seemingly lack in reality.
But the focus here is music. Music is a great trigger to unleash that yearning for love, that yearning for affection, and it’s why when you hear Ric Hassani sing about love, you’re transported to a time when you eventually feel exactly what he’s able to convey through his music. The bliss of love songs is the hope for an eventual reality, or the comfort residing in an actual reality.
It’s nowhere close to Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion that has to do with love, but how about covering some of the greatest Nigerian love songs ever, just to remind you what loving feels like, and fire up the fluttering for those who are lucky to have love?
Honestly, if we could cover all of the greatest love songs, we would, but how about just twenty-four of them? The ones we’re sure if you had to listen to them on blasting stereos, you’d understand why they fall under the chosen twenty-six?
Here are the twenty-six songs we consider greatest Nigerian love songs of all time:
1. Wande Coal – Ololufe
This writer believes that there’s yet to be a love song greater than “Ololufe” off the stables of Wande Coal’s debut album Mushin 2 Mo’Hits.
When Wande Coal released “Ololufe,” songwriting was at its peak among Nigerian artists, and for every song released, there were intentions behind them. So an artist wasn’t just singing about love for the fun of it; he wasn’t singing about the body parts of a woman he seemingly wanted to spend the rest of his life with; he was singing from the depth of his heart and was singing poetry with rhythm.
This is what Wande Coal achieved with “Ololufe,” and ideally, it’s part of what makes him such a legendary artist given how he’s an ace when it comes to making music of all kinds.
2. Paul Play – Angel of My Life
A song that opens with Spanish rhythm and eventually settles into R&B that swerves really well, “Angel of My Life” is yet another track that feels like chocolate that melts right on the tongue.
There’s always the opinion that if ever you need to serenade a lady with words, you’re good to go taking a line or two from Paul Play’s “Angel of My Life,” and unless your babe is an avid music OG, she’d barely catch you red-handed.
But that’s how good this track is — it’s a melodious track that reminds you of how bad single life can be, while also reminding lovers of how lucky they are to have found love.
3. Paul Play – Forever
There has often been the conversation about which is best between Paul Play’s “Forever” and “Angel of My Life,” and while this writer thinks it’s the former, this just shows how much of an artist Paul Play is. He made such good music, he has people fighting over which is a better love song. The power of good penmanship and singing!
Paul Play sounds like a seducer with his voice on “Forever,” and the calm demeanor he shows off on this track makes it impossible not to consider this such a great Nigerian love song.
Regardless of how watery the rap might be halfway through the song (which, as at when it was at its prime, was considered super amazing), it doesn’t water down the impeccable nature of this track, and that is why it’s one of the greatest Nigerian love songs to ever exist.
4. 2face – True Love
2face Idibia might not be the perfect model for how a lover should be, but his song definitely is. His music is the perfect soundtrack for when you know you’re a mess but still want to go all out for your lover — because that’s how toxic men often move.
That’s how “True Love” is. 2face opens the song being a mess and throwing “true love out,” then reverts to how he’s lonely without it. In all honesty, “True Love” is such an intimate love song for the messed-up lovers, the messy partners, and the toxic ones. A love song through and through, but it resonates best with individuals shaped like 2face himself.
5. Styl-Plus – Olufunmi
The Styl-Plus crew belongs to the 2% of Nigerian artists who made good music during their prime and outside it. “Olufunmi” sounds like intimacy, with the juiciness of the boys’ vocals and how they succinctly picture love through the imagery of a lady supposedly named Olufunmi. A lady named Funmi would be swelling with pride at having such a beautiful track in her name.
Imagine having a partner named Olufunmi — you wouldn’t need to do much to reassure her other than a private dinner for two, dim lights, and this cool tune playing in the background, especially if the lyrics ring like your exact situation with your babe.
6. Davido – Aye
Davido snapped when he released “Aye,” with the ever-popular line, “she no want designer/she no want Ferrari/she say na my love o,” which is an ironic three-liner for Nigerian women who are lovers of everything material. It’s also super ironic for the artist who recently gifted his wife a $300,000 Richard Mille wristwatch as a wedding gift.
“Aye” comes with a traditional melody that appeals on a humorous level to lovers without the material things to prove their love. It’s the track you’d use to console yourself that “love >> love + money,” and to be honest, that’s fair. But off Davido’s discography, “Aye” stands as his greatest love song, despite him knowing deep down that his lyrics are not true. Who doesn’t want a designer?
7. Wizkid – Wiz Party
As opposed to thoughts of “Love My Baby,” “On Top Your Matter,” or even “Picture Perfect” being Wizkid’s best love song, this writer believes it’s “Wiz Party.” Yes, that bonus track off his debut album, Superstar — here’s why: “Wiz Party” opens like it’s the first page of a romance fiction when Wizkid sings, “maybe it was a dream, but I know once we’ve been together.”
Wizkid might have re-attempted to make such a love track with some of his other love tunes, but they don’t come close to “Wiz Party.” A track of reassurance, utter head-over-heels-in-love vibes, and everything affection.
8. D’banj – Fall in Love
Aside from the fact that D’banj’s “Fall in Love” is an equal party banger in its own way, “Fall in Love” is such a feel-good track when it comes to matters of the heart.
At some point in every artist’s life, they’ve been terribly in love, they had no choice but to pen it down, and this track is D’banj’s contribution to his discography.
It particularly made waves when, in the music video, he featured Nollywood’s finest, Genevieve Nnaji, and it was rumored that they had a relationship. It made the song extremely iconic and a staple at weddings and love-themed events — because really, you’ve made someone fall in love.
9. Faze – Need Somebody
There’s the likelihood that whenever love songs are talked about, Faze from the now-defunct Plantashun Boiz isn’t talked about enough — especially since he’s the mastermind behind the song “Need Somebody.”
“Need Somebody” might not necessarily cause you to crave love or appreciate that which you have, but it reminds you of your worth, particularly since we now live in a world where the worth of an individual isn’t appreciated by whosoever chooses to be with that person.
Faze’s vocals are raspy in “Need Somebody,” laced with reggaeton melodies, and that’s perhaps the best part of the song — aside from the gospel of knowing your worth, which he croons from start to finish.
10. Mr Eazi ft Efya – Skin Tight
When Mr Eazi dropped “Skin Tight” in 2015, it was the redefinition of Afrobeats R&B. Mr Eazi was just fresh into stardom, and with the release of “Skin Tight” featuring Efya, he made music that felt like a cool breeze sweeping against your skin on a Sunday afternoon.
“Skin Tight” is such a go-to love song and will forever be, and that’s because it’s patterned as a Gen Z type of loving — the one that comes with tender assurance, all while not losing your cool.
11. Wande Coal – Again
Having dropped such a masterpiece as “Ololufe” at the start of his career, it was believed that Wande Coal might not be able to do something as epic again. Perhaps the belief was right, but do well not to downplay how good “Again” is.
“Again” is the reinvention of Wande Coal and his love side. It holds so much intensity in how he croons, and his penmanship earns it a spot on this list. You’d be wrong to listen to “Again” and not feel the jitters of love — except you’ve given up on the four-letter concept.
12. Runtown – Mad Over You
Mr Eazi’s “Skin Tight” wasn’t just a redefining moment for Nigerian music — Runtown’s “Mad Over You” in 2016 was as well.
This writer thought it beautiful that couples who married in 2016 were so lucky because they got to use “Mad Over You” as part of their wedding playlists. It was that cool!
13. Nonso Amadi – Tonight
Nonso Amadi’s “Tonight” is poetry in its musical finest. The artist has always been identified as a softie whose music — whether he’s talking heartbreak or love — will make you feel it at your core, and that’s what you get to feel in “Tonight.”
This writer believes that this love thing isn’t really so complex. There’s nothing a little love song can’t do, and a good place to start might be playing “Tonight” on a cool evening with your lover.
14. Di’ja – Awww
Di’ja dropped “Awww” for the lover girls, perhaps having noticed how crazy it is that women have to drown in love songs made by men.
“Awww” plays over percussion and is an intense track full of emotions from a lady to her lover, all while not being too serious. It’s a playful and feel-good track, conveying just how your heart feels for that boy who probably doesn’t know just how much you love him.
2014 was indeed a good time when Di’ja released “Awww.”
15. P-Square – I Love You
If you ever listen to “Omoge Mi” and hear the heartbreak in Peter and Paul’s voices as they sing about betrayal from their lover and best friend, you’ll feel that same energy in their every love song — from “Ifunanya” to “More Than a Friend” to “No One Like You” and even “I Love You.”
Wande Coal is a god at making love songs, and there’s also P-Square — the duo who dedicated a good part of their prime to making music worthy of a love playlist.
“I Love You” is a mid-tempo R&B track, featuring the raspiness of the brothers and their use of the Igbo language to convey their heart’s desire from the bottom of their hearts — and isn’t that what love songs should be about?
16. Adekunle Gold – Sade
Long before Adekunle Gold rebranded himself as Big Fish (Ejanla), he was once decked in the dullest form of adire outfits, with eyes closed and making renditions of traditional Yoruba folklore love songs.
“Sade” is a rendition to a lady, Sade, who Adekunle Gold yearns for desperately and pleads with to follow him home to meet his parents, as he sings in Yoruba.
The beauty of “Sade” is how appealing it is to Yoruba culture, and if you’re an avid consumer of everything romance, you might at some point have seen it used at traditional Yoruba engagement or introduction videos.
17. Banky W – Made for You
Banky W seemingly released “Made for You” as part of the soundtrack to the blockbuster romance film The Wedding Party, which was released in 2016. It was shortly after this that he announced his engagement to the lead actress, Adesua Etomi, and then “Made for You” started to make sense — it was for Adesua Etomi.
The music video even portrays this angle, as it features them both and shows him professing his eternal love to Adesua.
Banky W might have been a big-time player, but it’s always the players with the sweetest mouths — as is evident in “Made for You.”
18. Sean Tizzle ft Tiwa Savage – Igi Orombo
“Igi Orombo” might be an unconventional love song, given it’s not your typical R&B — slow and sensual — but it really is a good love song and should be regarded as one.
The collaboration between Sean Tizzle and Tiwa Savage gives it a good mix, a proper balance. The song opens with Sean Tizzle’s realization that he could never let his lover go, and with a higher proportion of Yoruba language over traditional rhythm, it glides into Tiwa Savage’s verse, which adds sensuality to the fast-tempo melody.
19. Seyi Shay – Right Now
Sensuality at its finest finds its way through Seyi Shay’s vocals in “Right Now.” The artist sings of the many things she’d do for her lover — all for love — and to be honest, we get it!
The artist sings for ladies who, when in love, are willing to go the extra mile for their lovers and appreciate the beauty of nostalgic memories, as Seyi Shay croons in the song, revealing memories so good they cause her to surrender as she sings, “that is why I surrender / there is no contender.”
20. BlackMagic – Repete
Still yet to find an opening to a song harder than “I love it when you smile at me / I’ll be the happiness that moves your heart and when you sleep I’ll find my way into your dream.”
BlackMagic snapped when he released “Repete,” a love song from the walls of alternative sound, and all this he did while merging singing with rapping on the song, delivering stealth lines and being cool with it.
21. J’odie – Kuchi Kuchi
Long before all of the iconic love songs we’re very much familiar with, J’odie’s “Kuchi Kuchi” existed; a love song we believe is inspired by Indian culture, given the kuchi kuchi phrase.
Newer generations might not necessarily relate with this track, but older generations would; it’s possibly seated on the throne alongside Paul Play and Tosin Martins’ love songs.
22. Duncan Mighty – Obianuju
Port Harcourt’s biggest music export (if you exclude Burna Boy, well), Duncan Mighty’s biggest love song has to be “Obianuju,” where, singing in the typical South-South tone, he renders a raw love song that needs no brandishing to hit close to home.
Love songs that do the work don’t necessarily have to be smooth and polished to poshness — sometimes it takes being raw to do the work, and that’s what “Obianuju” does.
23. Vector ft GoodGirl LA – Early Momo
Here’s a scene or imagination to best describe Vector’s “Early Momo,” released in 2021, where he featured GoodGirl LA — you’re in love but you’re a type shi kind of guy and need to express your love, so you pull out “Early Momo” as a song to express your feelings.
Thus, you express your emotional and carnal feelings to your lover, and if your crush or lover digs your vibe, they’d be swooned by this act of expression. That’s the best way to describe “Early Momo” — an epic love song from the 2020s.
24. Reminisce – Ponmile
Before DOTTi the Deity walked with “Forever Sweet,” Reminisce did the crawling with “Ponmile,” a Yoruba-themed love song deeply rooted in culture.
In Yoruba, Reminisce pleads with his woman not to hurt him, be with another man, or “ka e mo corner pelu boda shamu.” It’s a song where he expresses his affections to his lover but urges her to speak up should she love him no more.
25. Sunny Neji – Oruka
What’s a love song compilation list without Sunny Neji’s “Oruka”? It’s the song we all remember as a wedding entrance staple for a joyful announcement that two lovely individuals are now joined together in holy matrimony.
“Oruka” is an old-school gem, and for lovers of classics, it works perfectly as a timeless love song.
26. Tosin Martins – Olo Mi
Rounding off this list is the evergreen Tosin Martins’ “Olo Mi,” which sits comfortably in the same league as Sunny Neji’s “Oruka” — an elite wedding playlist choice and an undeniable classic.
Sung entirely in Yoruba, Tosin Martins showers his love with praises, assuring her that nothing will ever tear them apart while whispering sweet melodies in her ear. We might not have grown up with this song or experienced the magic it held for lovers in the early 2000s, but its power remains intact. Just ask the older generation.
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