Nigerian artists don’t just make love songs. They mirror feelings you can’t outrun. Over the years, Afrobeats has given us music for every statement of love. Whether it’s holding on to the idea of love, being in love or yearning for love that seems out of reach.
These songs don’t just play in the background. They sit with you. They say the things you don’t know how to place or put into words. And if there’s one thing Nigerians will do, it’s eat them up.
Now, are you a real yearner if these Afrobeats songs are not on your playlist?
1.ANADWO BY SARKODIE FT KING PROMISE:
Sarkodie, being one of the prominent voices of rap in Ghana, on his 2019 album, Black Love released one of the most sensual love songs in Afrobeats. Collaborating with King Promise, another leading Ghanaian artist, the track blends rap and melody so effortlessly that it feels like a conversation between desire and devotion.
The song talks about enjoying moments with a lover at night. The metaphors of candle light and satisfaction depict a typical romantic setting and the joy of being with a loved one. “Obi dehyie” The song being mostly in Twi adds to the beauty. And when he says “Eneɛ mesrɛ wo,” he’s practically pleading for his partner to allow him love her and be her light.
2. MAD OVER YOU BY RUNTOWN:
Of course, 2016 is never beating the allegations of being one of the best eras of Afrobeats.It literally birthed one of the most evergreen songs of all time.
Mad Over You is almost always trending. We would have said it was ahead of its time, but it was literally also perfect in its time. Runtown typically masters the depiction of how crazily in love he is with his lover on the track while also worshipping her features.
It is the perfect love song.
3. WIZ PARTY BONUS FREESTYLE BY WIZKID:
Released on Wizkid’s Superstar album in 2011, it is one of Wizkid’s love songs that truly stands out.It would no doubt be right to tag that as Wizkid’s ‘in love’ era. The lovers were so fed with songs like “Love My Baby,” “Pakurumo,” and “Holla at Your Boy.” Amidst all of these, this track still holds its own.
Wizkid is one of the OG lover boys, and this song also being a freestyle just proves it.
4. O2 BY OXLADE:
The success of new Gen Z acts, bringing new, refreshing sides and views to love songs in 2019, opened the door wide for even more intriguing sounds. When Oxlade captivated the scene with his EP Oxygene in 2020, we couldn’t help but tap in. 02 was one of the blessings from the EP with Oxlade’s voice, sultry and gliding over the subtle beats.
He compares his lover to ‘Oxygen,’ basically someone he cannot live without. The imitation of a person on oxygen in the intro of the song adds depth to the intensity of the song. It is the definition of pining.
5. PONMILE BY REMINISCE:
There’s a certain kind of love that makes you want to prove yourself over and over again. Not because you have to, but because you’re so deep in it, you’ll do anything just to be chosen.
On Reminisce’s Ponmile meaning Honour Me in Yoruba, he says he wants his lover to honour him, not cheat on him or choose another person.
He starts the song saying the things he can do to prove his love to this person. He can go to the ocean because of her, bathe in the sea, and even climb a pole to show how much he loves her.
If that is not yearning, I don’t know what is.
6. YOUR LOVE (MOGBE) BY BOJ FT TIWA SAVAGE:
“If your love ever leaves me, mogbe (I’m done for).”This song is basically pleading to a lover not to leave, to stay. It runs as a kind of back and forth, with Tiwa as the response, saying she won’t leave because he’s the one she loves.
It’s a typical call for reassurance, and the way their voices glide, sounding so sonorous on the track, just makes it hit even more.
7. OLOLUFE BY WANDE COAL:
With such a sensual and sultry voice as Wande Coal’s, every song feels and sounds perfect. Getting serenaded in Yoruba by Wande is simply a dream and Ololufe is the perfect Yoruba serenade.
As one of the Nigerian artists we can always bank on to deliver a solid love track, he sure never disappoints.
8. TRUE LOVE BY 2FACE IDIBIA:
2face definitely is unerring when it comes to professing affection with music. Certainly, we would expect nothing less from the person who blew our minds with African Queen.
True Love is no different. It is a mix of regret for fumbling love when he had it, and now longing for that kind of love again. It is the kind of yearning that comes from desperately wanting to feel what you once took for granted.
9. 5 and 6 BY NAETO C:
Sung in Igbo, Pidgin, and English, 5 and 6 paints a picture of a love that’s unbreakable like the numbers “5 & 6,” always together. This is mirrored in the repetition of the line “Ife ni le ineme, Ofoma”.
The song celebrates a partnership so perfect, so whole, it feels effortless.Listening to the lyrics, the blend of languages and emotions, you can’t help but feel both the intimacy and the energy of a connection that truly lasts.
10. WAIT FOR YOU BY MELVITTO FT OXLADE:
When we were introduced to Melvitto’s sound, it was new, it was unique. His voice had something about it that just drew you in. It was magnetic and eclectic. Being firstly a producer, he mostly works behind the scenes while featuring his own vocals from time to time.
And having Oxlade’s vocals on a Melvitto production? Pure bliss.
The track captures what it means to wait for the person you love, to let them know you’ll always be there whenever they’re ready. Knowing that your happiness is dependent on their timeline but still taking the risk anyway because you’re in love.
11. 4 NOTHIN’ BY MELVITTO FT GABZY:
Gabzy, known for his unique fusion of Afrobeats and UK soul indeed brought a fresh and invigorating sound to Afrobeats. Because of their seemingly similar sound, a Melvitto and Gabzy collaboration is always one for the books. 4 Nothin’ feels like reminiscing about a lover, a love that ended and wondering if it was all for nothing.
It literally portrays the questions left on our minds after a relationship. Of course, we mostly want to know if the other person felt the connection with the depth we did. This song beautifully captures that confusion.
12. MBANGU TE BY YA LEVIS:
Mbangu Te, a Congolese Afrobeats/R&B track released in 2019 means slowly. It is written in Lingala, a Bantu language, with significant French lyrics which is the typical language of love.
Its lyrics encourage taking a relationship slow. He literally says to his lover, I know you’re yearning, I am too, but let’s not take this too fast so we’ll make it.He talks to his lover about enjoying the journey of love without pressure.
13. FIRE BY AJEBUTTER FT JEFF AKOH:
Released in 2023 on Ajebutter22’s album Soundtrack to the Good Life, Fire is definitely a track that burns with desire and risk. It captures the feeling of being pulled toward someone, knowing it could hurt, but wanting it anyway.
“If that fire wan burn, I no go run.“
It depicts an intense feeling of attraction and emotions for a person. The kind of longing for a love that could burn but still wanting to stay and take the risk, basically permitting yourself to be burnt by the intensity.
14. BIBANKE BY AṢA:
Aṣa’s music isn’t just lyrics, melodies, and rhythm, it is a whole experience. Her profound ability to infuse Afrobeats and soul into her sound makes it hard to resist.Bibanke, from her highly acclaimed 2008 self-titled album Asa (Asha), is one of the most sonorous expressions of the complexities of love.
It is not a typical love song. It mirrors yearning for the one that got away. She sings, expressing her desire to be left alone, yet still wanting the one who hurt her.
“Iwọ ni kan ṣoṣo.” Despite everything, he is still the only one she wants.It is so real in the sense that love is not always black and white. You can love somebody even when you know they are not good for you. It is the push and pull of love and Aṣa captures it perfectly.
15. TONIGHT BY NONSO AMADI:
Tonight is another one of the unforgettable hits from 2016. “I don’t even mind a number two” shows the extent to which we yearn for love we can’t seem to have.It’s that track that plays in the club and sends your memories flooding back like 5 cocktails in. It was so definitive, people keep requesting for another Tonight from Nonso.
16. SADE BY ADEKUNLE GOLD:
One thing Adekunle Gold will do is spill his heart on a love track. 2017 was that era for him. Gold, the album gave us songs like Orente, No Forget with Simi, and Sade.
Up till today, Sade is still acknowledged as one of the best love songs of the past decade. The song reeks of intense pining for a love that seems unrequited. The repetition of “Wa fẹ mi” (come and marry me) says everything.
17. RIGHT NOW BY SEYI SHAY:
Right Now, from Seyi’s debut album Seyi or Shay. The lyrics signal the imploring of a lover to remember the good times.
“Do you remember the rhyme?”A quiet way of asking, “do you remember how in sync we used to be?”
She’s saying ‘Come back to me. Show me that love again. I yearn for it. I want to feel it again.’It’s pure yearning. It reflects the exact kind of love that you get once and feel like there can never be a repeat except from the same person. And all you want is to get that love again.
18. NEED YOU BY FIREBOY:
2019 was one of the most beautiful eras of love in Afrobeats. It felt like everyone was in love. Fireboy with his debut album, Laughter, Tears, & Goosebumps, Joeboy with his EP, Love & Light, Rema with his self-titled EP.
Need You was one of the songs from Fireboy’s album that truly stood out from that era.
19. GUM BODY BY BURNA BOY FT JORJA SMITH:
Released in 2019 on Burna Boy’s African Giant, Gum Body is an exemplary display of heartbreak and longing. The lyrics, the pining, the layering, the melodies, they all hit like a heartbreak you can’t shake. It’s the definition of love that got away.
“How did I ever let you leave?” he asks, full of regret for the love he fumbled and the second chance he wishes he could have. Every note carries that ache, that desperate hope to not make the same mistake again.
With Jorja’s soft entrance, you’re instantly pulled into the intimacy of the track, as if she’s whispering straight to you.
The song sets the perfect tone. Gentle, yearning, and impossible to ignore.
20. EKURO BY DAVIDO:
On his debut album Omo Baba Olowo: The Genesis, in 2012, Davido gives us Ekuro, one of the most beautiful renditions of love on a track. The hook, “Ekurọ la labaku ẹwa,” is a Yoruba proverb meaning palm kernel and beans are inseparable.
The song symbolizes an eternal and unbreakable love that thrives regardless of conditions, rain or sunshine.Ekuro walked so songs like Aye and Gobe could run and we won’t be wrong to consider fusing his language in his serenades Davido’s forte.
Maybe you don’t need all twenty. Maybe you only need one to remind you of the kind of love you’ve felt or the kind you are waiting on.
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