I listen to a lot of Nigerian music, and I enjoy it. I go out, I dance, I vibe. But when I’m alone, headphones on, no alcohol, no crowd, I realise how little of the music actually holds my attention.

A lot of it feels engineered for immediate reaction, not longevity.

 • Big intro drop

 • Catchy hook by the 15-second mark

 • Simple, repetitive lyrics

 • Beat doing most of the emotional work

And once you remove the club, the speakers, the hype, the music kind of… collapses.

I’m not saying club music is bad. Every culture needs it. But it feels like that’s almost all we make now. Songs aren’t really built to be sat with. You’re not meant to replay them quietly, or unpack lyrics, or notice small production details. You’re meant to move, shout the chorus, and move on to the next track.

Compare that to older Nigerian music, not even just Fela, but people like Lagbaja, Asa, Styl-Plus, even early 2Face. Those songs worked in multiple environments. You could dance to them and sit with them.

Now it feels like if a song doesn’t work in a club or on TikTok, it’s considered a failure.

I also think this is why so many Nigerian hits age badly. They sound incredible for six months, then completely disposable after that.

Some people may argue this is just “the times we’re in” or that Nigerians just want to have fun, and that’s fair. But I don’t think it’s wrong to want music that does more than stimulate your body.

What worries me is that we’re getting so good at making vibes that we’re forgetting how to make songs you actually want to listen to.

Maybe I’m overthinking it. Or maybe I’m just getting older 😅