Being served breakfast by a partner you love hits hard. It’s like getting stabbed in the chest with a sharp knife, except in this case, it’s your emotion that is getting stabbed. And sometimes, the only thing that can soothe the pain is a good song.
Luckily, Nigerian Afrobeats artists have got us covered. From tearjerkers to anthems of resilience, these seven Nigerians share Afrobeats songs that have helped them navigate the treacherous waters of heartbreak.
Cassie, 28
It’s WYW from Show Dem Camp’s “Palmwine Music Vol. 3”. The album generally focuses on love in Lagos, and WYW is so real because she [Bellah, the featured artist on the song] didn’t have to pretend and say, “Oh, I know you hurt me but I wish you the best” or something modest. My ex hurt me, so I wished them the very worst, and the album just happened to come out then. We’re both Show Dem Camp fans, so as I sang, I somehow hoped that when he heard that track, it’d speak to him.
August, 24
Chike’s Out of Love and Insecure helped me through a heartbreak. I was hurt and cried to these songs, but they helped me reflect and find closure. In fact, the whole “Boo of the Booless” album did a lot for me. I jam it occasionally now for the beauty of it, not because I need healing again.
Mohammed, 26
It was Deja Vu by Burna Boy for me. Heartbreaks make you feel empty, so that song, just three minutes long, helped me feel secure in my feelings. I was addicted to the pain too. I played it consistently for two months to feel that pain. I listened to it about 12 times per day. But over time, the frequency reduced. I play it once every four months now. It still reminds me of an old lost love that could have been.
Boluwatife, 27
The song is Shame on You by Prettyboy D-O and Phyno. In my case, it wasn’t exactly a relationship — it was an emotional situationship that ended badly. We went out separate ways because the person kept fucking up repeatedly. I don’t have a suitcase at home full of grace to dash anyone. That’s why my line is “Shame on you, go ahead. Go”. It hurts a lot, but I mostly feel like it’s a good riddance.
Sknny, 23
The tape titled “I Think I Need Therapy” by 9T9 and Omata came at the exact time I needed it. The project dropped after I ended a relationship with someone. 9T9 sang about my life at that time in these songs. They’re good for when you’re going through relationship issues and breakups.
It has a song called Spec which is my favourite. It’s about a lover telling their supposed partner to leave them alone if they can’t reciprocate the love and effort put into their relationship. The song expressed my feelings: Stop treating me like shit; there are other people feeling me too.
Chiamaka, 26
Strangely enough, Somebody’s Son by Tiwa Savage. There’s a saying that “misery loves company” and I think I found that company, that kindred spirit, from listening to it. She was saying all the words I felt at that time.
Then, what really held me down in the song was Tiwa’s optimism in the chorus. Yes, the lyrics are all about how heartbroken she felt and the weight of the pain she carried. But despite it all, she still believes that somebody’s son will find her one day.
Chike, 27
It was Chemistry by Falz and Simi when I was in uni. I liked a babe but she didn’t like me back.
This song isn’t a heartbreak song but it has gotten me through three heartbreaks. “Maybe we can try to be together, maybe there’s something here,” was the line that resonated with me at the time. So, whenever a heartbreak happens, it’s the default song I always go back to first.
