Few records are as etched into our collective memory as Runtown’s “Mad Over You”. Its 2016 release fundamentally recalibrated the cadence of West African Pop and soundtracked an entire era of continental nightlife. Four years later, Tems released ‘For Broken Ears’, a soul-baring EP that served as a watershed moment for Alternative R&B out of Nigeria, setting off a global ascent that shows no signs of slowing down.

Though born from distinct cultural temperatures, both projects remain resonant, drawing in fresh ears while holding firm with day-one listeners. “Mad Over You” keeps transcending from a snapshot of a specific Lagos summer into a cross-generational staple, while ‘For Broken Ears’ is more or less like an open doorway, constantly onboarding millions of new listeners who use it as their initial entry point into Tems’ wider universe. Spotify’s data backs this up: ‘For Broken Ears has introduced nearly 19 million first-time for Tems listeners since 2023. Meanwhile, “Mad Over You” maintains its relentless momentum, crossing 140 million streams to date, with 2026 plays already eclipsing its entire 2025 total.

To celebrate these parallel legacies, Spotify brought its immersive Surround Sound experience to Lagos, placing both artists at the centre of an intimate, in-the-round setup designed to completely collapse the distance between performer and fan and capture how these distinct bodies of work continue to live, breathe and shape listener habits today.

We spoke to Victor Okpala, Spotify’s Senior Artist & Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa, about what the listening data reveals about these releases, why they were chosen for Surround Sound and what their sustained tailwind says about how audiences discover — and return to — African music.

‘For Broken Ears’ and “Mad Over You” came out at very different points in Nigerian music. What are you seeing in the data around how people are listening to both records now?

What is interesting is that, despite coming from very different moments, both continue to have a life on Spotify today. ‘For Broken Ears’ is an important early point in Tems’ catalogue, while “Mad Over You” has had years to become part of the cultural memory around Runtown and Nigerian music. With ‘For Broken Ears’, the project has reached 185 countries, and 21.6% of listeners in the January 2022 cohort were also listening to the EP in August 2026. We also have separate discovery data showing that the EP has introduced nearly 19 million first-time Tems listeners since 2023. “Mad Over You” tells a different catalogue story. The song has generated 140.7 million streams to date, including 36.6 million in 2026 year to date, already exceeding its full-year 2025 total. Nigeria remains its leading country, while 81% of streams in the geographic reporting table come from outside Nigeria. The key is not to force the two datasets into the same story. ‘For Broken Ears’ gives us evidence of continuing discovery as well as overlap between two listener cohorts. For “Mad Over You”, we can see substantial current listening and a broad geographic footprint, but this dataset does not tell us when individual listeners first discovered the song. Both are strong examples of catalogue having a life beyond its original release window.

What specifically made ‘For Broken Ears’ and “Mad Over You” the right records for Surround Sound in Lagos?

What made these two performances particularly interesting for Lagos is the relationship both artists have with Nigerian listeners, while their music has continued to travel well beyond Nigeria. The listening data reflects that. With ‘For Broken Ears’, Lagos is the second-largest city globally for streams of the EP. For “Mad Over You”, Nigeria is the leading country and Lagos is the leading city, while six of its top 10 cities by streams are in Africa. 

The two performances also give us different ways into Nigerian music and cultural memory. Tems revisits ‘For Broken Ears’ as an important origin point in her catalogue, while Runtown places “Mad Over You” at the centre of a performance that traces the wider journey of his music. That also connects naturally to the fan experience. Selected Spotify Premium listeners are being invited based on their listening behaviour, so the room is built around people who already have a relationship with this music. The data helps us understand that relationship; the live setting gives some of those listeners an opportunity to experience the artist and the music at much closer proximity. The performances are then captured as full-length films that can extend the moment beyond the room.

‘For Broken Ears’ is nearly six years old, but it still draws in new listeners every day. What does its shelf life say about how music lives on streaming platforms?

I think ‘For Broken Ears’ is a good example of how a project can continue to evolve with its listeners. In streaming, a release does not have to be defined only by the moment it first arrives. People can discover it years later or return to it in a different context. Spotify’s available discovery data shows that the EP has introduced nearly 19 million first-time Tems listeners since 2023, including 4.9 million in 2026 year to date.  Separately, 21.6% of listeners in the January 2022 cohort were also listening to the EP in August 2026. That does not mean uninterrupted listening, but it does show that some people present in an earlier cohort are still present years later. That is what makes catalogue music interesting. A project can take on different meanings as new audiences find it and earlier listeners return to it. Surround Sound gives us a reason to revisit that body of work through a live performance rather than treating its release date as the end of the story.

“Mad Over You” is a decade-defining hit. How are younger listeners, who were probably too young when it dropped, engaging with the song now?

Spotify’s demographic reporting cut shows that around 43% of “Mad Over You” streams come from listeners aged 18–24. That tells us younger listeners make up a meaningful share of current listening, but it does not tell us when or how they first discovered the song. So, I would not frame this as a measured discovery story. What the data does show is that the song’s present-day audience is not limited to people who experienced its original release. Surround Sound gives us an opportunity to explore what the song means to different generations now.

Why was it important for Surround Sound to place the artists in such a setting?

From a music and culture perspective, the intimacy matters because the artist is at the centre and fans surround them. Their reactions become part of the performance, especially when the music already carries strong memories and associations. For me, that closer artist-and-fan relationship is the key distinction. The full-length film then gives that specific Lagos moment another way to travel beyond the room.

Lagos is a global music capital, but its listeners also set the pace for what travels. What does the data show about Lagos as both a generator and consumer of culture?

The data in this briefing is stronger on how these Nigerian catalogue stories travel than on everything Lagos listeners consume from elsewhere, so I would not overstate that part of the question. What we can say is that Lagos ranks second globally for ‘For Broken Ears’ in the supplied city data and first for “Mad Over You”, while both stories also reach well beyond Nigeria. That is the Surround Sound connection: Lagos provides the cultural context, and the films let these specific performances travel.