Afrobeats star Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, popularly known as Oxlade, has called on fellow Nigerian musicians to return to making longer songs.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) page on Thursday, the singer wrote:

“Bring back 5 minutes songs.”

His post quickly sparked reactions from fans and industry followers, many of whom agreed with his stance.

In recent years, the Nigerian music scene has been dominated by shorter tracks, often running just over two minutes. This trend was popularized by stars like Wizkid and Mr Eazi, and later adopted by newcomers such as Rema, Joeboy, Omah Lay, and Ayra Starr, who all rose to fame between 2019 and 2021.

Interestingly, Oxlade himself once embraced the trend—his global hit “Kulosa” (2022) runs for only 2 minutes and 31 seconds.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Amapiano genre still leans heavily on extended playtime, with songs often stretching up to seven minutes or more.

Oxlade’s call appears to be a push for depth and richer musical experiences in an era where short, catchy songs dominate streaming platforms.