By Aliyah Olowolayemo
Style isn’t always something you wear; it’s also something you are. Sometimes, it’s something you play. Your rhythm. Your volume. The kind of sound that makes you feel most like yourself. From morning devotion to Friday night turn-ups: our playlists have become deeply personal expressions of who we are.
Like our wardrobes, our playlists are carefully layered with meaning. And in a country as sonically diverse as Nigeria, those meanings extend across several genres, from Afro-jazz to Fuji, Juju, and Afrobeat. Each genre has a mood, and behind that mood, a type of person.
Afro-Jazz
The romantic and the idealist. You’re drawn to texture, musically and emotionally. You find beauty in restraint, and your style is clean but expressive. Asa and Brymo maintain permanent spots on your playlist. You can recite every song on any Fela album, and Lagbaja is your spirit animal. You like your music to breathe and your life to feel intentional. If a song doesn’t stir something, it doesn’t stay. You’re the type who curates Sunday afternoons and throws dinner parties with a five-song rule. You’re not loud, just unequivocally you!
Juju, Fuji & Highlife
You’re a walking culture archive. A Wasiu Ayinde and Ebenezer Obeyloyalist; you know their lyrics and the life stories behind them. You prefer parties that start with talking drums and end with owambe classics. You show up late to the party but bring the loudest presence. Sunny Ade brings you peace, and you still believe in dancing with two hands raised, not a phone in the air. You love gold jewellery, believe Amala is self-care, and you judge DJs who don’t know how to blend old-school with now. You’re everyone’s big cousin, even when you’re the youngest.
Afrobeat
You are the life of the party. You can’t stay still if the beat is good. You can recite Davido’s entire catalogue in your sleep, and you have a playlist titled “Outside Energy.”Adekunle Gold, Burna Boy, BNXN, and Rema soundtrack your life. Your playlists are upbeat and crowd-friendly. You love your friends loudly, spend freely (even when you shouldn’t), and believe life is too short not to dance. You probably have at least one photo on your feed with sunglasses indoors. You love love. You dress with colour. You believe music should lift moods, and you often do too.
Street Pop
You always rep hustle culture. You feel life in its rawest form, and your music reflects it. Mohbad, Bella Shmurda, Teni, and Naira Marley soundtrack your wins and your war stories. You don’t romanticise struggle, but you own every inch of your reality. You bring energy to every room, even when the room doesn’t ask. Your goal is enjoyment (you somehow understand proverbs) and carrying real stories in your playlists. There’s honesty in the beats you love: they aren’t always polished, but definitely always alive.
Afropop & Altè
You’re the playlist plug, the Instagram story curator, the person who’s always “putting people on” that new guy that no one has ever heard of. Your playlist is deeply rooted in “Gen Z” artists. Your typical crowd is Tems, Arya Starr and Fireboy. You’re expressive, social and plugged into every moment.
Gospel & Church Hip-Hop
You don’t separate vibes from virtue. You love a worship banger and a dancing chorus all in one set. You start your day with Limoblaze and end it with TY Bello. Your playlist is your sanctuary. Tope Alabi, Mercy Chinwo, Nathaniel Bassey, Limoblaze; you turn to them for clarity and calm. You hold your values close, and your music pulls you back to centre. Your music personality is grounded in faith and fuelled by gratitude. You say “God abeg” just as much as “Amen.” Your group chat knows you’ll always send them one uplifting song per week…without being asked.
Then, there are the genre-hoppers
Those whose tastes span are ever cycling; they often change based on their whim or mood. From Tems to Tope Alabi, from Johnny Drille to Terry Apala, from Fela to Naira Marley. These people defy categories. Their style is fluid, layered with influences, and completely unpredictable – in the best way. They see music as an atmosphere. Their playlists are fluid and always evolving.
