Some songs are made for the hours after midnight: quiet, honest and a little heavy. These ten African songs deal with peace of mind, loss, loneliness and love, and they sound best with the lights low.
1. Free Mind by Tems (2020)
Tems wrote and produced “Free Mind” with Omeiza, and it first appeared on her 2020 debut EP, For Broken Ears. It grew slowly until, in 2022, it topped the Billboard US Afrobeats chart and reached number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100.
2. Me & U by Tems (2023)
“Me & U” was the lead single from Tems’s debut album, Born in the Wild, and her first solo release in two years. It won Outstanding International Song at the NAACP Image Awards and the BET Award for Best Gospel/Inspirational song.
3. Soso by Omah Lay (2022)
On “Soso”, from his debut album Boy Alone, Omah Lay sings about his struggles with mental health and depression. It is one of the most honest songs in modern Afrobeats, and it deserves close listening. A remix with Ozuna followed in 2023.
4. Bad Influence by Omah Lay (2020)
From his debut EP, Get Layd, “Bad Influence” ended 2020 as the most-streamed Nigerian song on Apple Music.
5. Vibration by Fireboy DML (2019)
“Vibration”, from Fireboy DML’s debut album Laughter, Tears & Goosebumps, was a fan favourite and went on to be one of the most-streamed songs in Nigeria in 2020. He performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
6. Stronger by Young Jonn (2024)
On his debut album, Jiggy Forever, Young Jonn recorded “Stronger” about the loss of his mother. “I wasn’t planning on recording this type of song,” he said. “It wasn’t something I was keen to share because they were emotions I had buried. But when I started recording, I knew that I had to see it through because it was bigger than me.”
7. Glass in the Air by Young Jonn (2026)
The newest song on this list. “Glass in the Air” is from Young Jonn’s September 2026 EP, Dear London, and StyleRave described it as Young Jonn getting sombre. It is a strong pairing with “Stronger”.
8. Away by Ayra Starr (2021)
“Away” was the lead single from Ayra Starr’s 2021 debut EP. It reached number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 and number 17 on the Billboard Top Triller Global chart, and introduced one of the defining voices of the decade.
9. Bloody Samaritan by Ayra Starr (2021)
The lead single from 19 & Dangerous, “Bloody Samaritan” became the first song by a solo female artist to reach number one on its chart, and Ayra Starr’s first chart-topper. After it caught on in the UK, Kelly Rowland joined the remix and became a mentor to her.
10. Love Again by Black Sherif featuring Full Blown (2026)
The closing song of Black Sherif’s SUN SHERIF EP, “Love Again” features the Trinidadian duo Full Blown. Afrocritik read it as Black Sherif giving himself permission to believe in a love he had struggled to admit he deserved. It is a hopeful way to end the night.
Find these artists, with track previews and streaming links, in the AfroYard artist directory.
