Oxlade Urges Afrobeats Artists to Make Longer Songs
The singer says short tracks are limiting creativity, calls for a return to five-minute records.
Afrobeats singer Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, popularly known as Oxlade, has urged Nigerian artists to move away from the growing trend of short songs and return to longer records.
In a post shared on his X handle on Thursday, the Kulosa crooner wrote:
“Bring back 5 minutes songs.”
His appeal quickly gained traction, with many fans and industry followers echoing the sentiment in the comment section.
In recent years, mainstream Afrobeats has leaned heavily toward shorter tracks, often lasting just over two minutes. The style, popularized by Wizkid and Mr Eazi, became dominant as newcomers like Rema, Joeboy, Omah Lay, and Ayra Starr embraced it between 2019 and 2021.
In contrast, genres like South Africa’s Amapiano are known for extended playtimes, with tracks often running beyond seven minutes.
Interestingly, Oxlade himself once contributed to the short-song trend—his global hit Kulosa released in 2022 clocks in at just 2 minutes 31 seconds.
His latest call reflects a push for more expansive musical expressions in Afrobeats, sparking conversations on whether the industry should balance brevity with depth.
