There’s a playlist for every kind of Sunday.
The slow day where you don’t leave bed until noon and you survive entirely on leftovers and IG reels. The hyper-productive day when you’re suddenly reorganising your wardrobe and deep cleaning your bathroom like your life depends on it. The easy Sunday filled with candles, closed curtains, face masks, and soak in the bathtub. The chaotic Sunday, where you’re recovering from “owambe” exhaustion, dates, and one too many “just one more drink” decisions from Saturday night.
The music always reflects what kind of Sunday it is. Before the food is ready or the deep cleaning begins, you already know what you want to hear:
Easy Mornings
The music for this kind of Sunday is soft but full of feeling. The songs sit in R&B, soul, and mellow Afrobeats, with steady rhythms and smooth vocals.
All the songs flow into each other. Nothing jumps out sharply, but nothing feels flat either. Each track blends into the next in a way that keeps the listening experience continuous. For this playlist, you don’t need to skip because every song is already in the same emotional space.
If you lean towards Afro-jazz, this is your moment. Tems’ silky sound. Asa’s soft guitar. Brymo’s storytelling. Johnny Drille’s gentle vocals. If you’re into Gospel and Church Hip-Hop, morning is when Limoblaze and TY Bello feel most at home.
Midday: Lazy and Lush
By midday, the pace picks up just a little. This is when Highlife and Juju find their place. There is something about Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Ade that just raises the energy. The talking drums create an amazing backdrop. This is the soundtrack for cooking rice, frying plantain, or making stew. If you are more of an Altè soul, midday might call for BOJ or Amaarae. The beats are smooth. The mood is relaxed.
Nostalgic Evening
As the sun begins to set, Sunday takes on a different tone. There is a gentle nostalgia in the air. A quiet preparation for the week ahead. This is when Afrobeat and Afropop meet in the middle.
Burna Boy’s deeper cuts. Rema’s softer tracks. Ayra Starr’s reflective pieces. These songs hold energy without being loud. They bring a sense of closure without being sombre. They remind you that the week ahead can be good, even if it is busy.
If your Sunday ends with friends around the table, this is when the playlist becomes communal. Everyone adds a song. Someone plays an old Highlife record that makes everyone sing along. Someone else brings in a new discovery that sparks a conversation. The playlist becomes a shared experience rather than a personal one.
Every Sunday Playlist has its own characters.
The Sunday Minimalist prefers one genre and sticks to it. One artist. One album. Played from start to finish. There is comfort in the repetition. There is peace in the familiarity.
The Sunday Curator treats the playlist like an art piece. Five songs. No more. Each one chosen for how it flows into the next. This person believes that less is more and that a short, well chosen list beats a hundred random tracks.
The Sunday Mixer cannot settle on one mood. The playlist shifts from Gospel to Fuji to Afro-jazz to Street Pop in one sitting. It reflects the layered nature of the day itself. Restful and reflective and a little bit playful all at once.
The Sunday Nostalgic reaches for the classics. The songs their parents played. The records that remind them of childhood afternoons and family gatherings. The music feels like home, and home feels like safety.
Building Your Own Sunday Playlist
Start with one song that captures how you want the day to feel. Build around it. Add something that makes you smile. Add something that makes you think. Add something that makes you want to move, even if it is just your fingers tapping on the table.
In a country as rich in sound as Nigeria, your options are endless. From the drums of Fuji to the strings of Afro-jazz, from the vocals of Gospel to the beats of Afropop, there is a sound for every mood and every moment.
Your playlist is an expression of taste, but it is also an expression of care. Care for yourself. Care for the atmosphere you want to create. Care for the small moments that make Sunday feel different from every other day.
Some people find themselves in rhythm. Some people find themselves in lyrics. Some people find themselves in the silence between songs.
So what will your Sunday sound like this week? Will it be soft and reflective? Will it be warm and nostalgic? Will it be a mix of everything that makes you feel like you?
Written by Aliyah Olowolayemo
