Monthly Music Playlists // September (2025)

MONTHLY MUSIC PLAYLISTS

September Edition

Hello there. Sonic lovers

August has come…

And gradually it’s slipped away into a moment in time. A time we once had, a bundle of experiences. Holding in its jaws the freshness of summer. September has now rushed in, the days counting down as quickly as it began. Bursting with endless possibilities.

September captains the ship of the ember months. Like a lighthouse channeling us toward the sights, towards the end of the year.

But September has only just begun, and we have to make it count! A new month, a new day, means time for a fresh start. So as we embrace this newness of the Ember month, let’s promise ourselves, a solid September to remember

And what better way to kick things off with the bright, sunny, and fizzy energy of POP MUSIC.

‍

You betcha!

And so in line of this inspiration, “Pop Songs: A September to remember”. We’ll be going back in time, across different eras and phases of our lives, where pop meant something. Or something to the ones before us. From Afropop to Disco pop, to pop rock, indie pop, and just pop, pop it all the way with us and let’s have a September to Remember; pop style.

 If this is where your head's at

Well then let's begin

A Night to Remember: Shalamar

First trip on the agenda, is back in time to ‘A Night to remember’. We are slide-stepping and boogieing into the 80s with this Shalamar classic.  “Shalamar” is a dynamic music trio, of two men (Howard Hewett, Jefferey Daniel) and a woman (Jody Watley), which originated from the US TV Show “Soul Train” and are known for their catchy feel-good dance music, as well as their trend-setting fashion style. This song is a post-disco pop song with beautiful elements of soul, funk and R&B, released in the year 1982 and still remains till date, a timeless beauty. ‘A night to Remember’ just the kind of song that helps to put your worries out the door, and bodies out on the dancefloor. This song is out of this world groovy, upbeat and eccentric.  It perfectly captures that black funk; a perfect mix of fun, a good time, and soul, as they pour all that essence into the music. And just in tandem with our mood, it’s the promise of a night to remember. So with further ado, Get your Afros out and your tight boot-cuts, the flared pants and the slacks, maybe some funky shades, and prepare yourself for a night, a month, a 2025 to remember. September must count and here’s a song to make sure it does!

Domino: Jessie J

On our next stop, we’re circling into another era of pop! The year of  2011! and who says time traveling has to have a time frame or happen chronologically? No one ever or no one cool.

2011 was the period where pop music gained a new form of eccentricity. It’s where EDM gained a soul and a time when music felt so alive. When every song was interlaced with that bubbly, energetic, feeling and what better way to capture all that fun into a memory than with Jessie J’s Dynamo.  

There’s something about Dynamo that just gets right into your bones, like your heart can’t help but beat so loudly in your chest.Like you just need the speakers of your radio a little higher. This song is weekend drives and the promise of fun. It feels like your childhood. Your adolescence, the starting of your youth. Like strong finishes or happy beginnings. It feels like water slides and splashes in your faces. Like swimming trunks and dance parties. Like face painting. Can you picture it all? Cus I can. Fall into that cotton candy feeling of nostalgia. Do your ugly dances, your head spins and join us, dancing in the moonlight with Jessie J's ‘Dynamo’ Fingers crossed, you’ll have a good time daydreaming with this one. Bonus points if you’re folding laundry, now you’re really living by reliving!

Oleku: Ice prince ft Brymo

Dialing it back a year behind, we have ‘Oleku’ from 2010

‍

‍

Before 2011 swept us up, 2010 was doing something great in the Nigerian music industry, and one of the great things it left us with was this hit track by Ice prince and Brymo. Let’s be honest, the moment your heart saw this, it blessed me a little.

Oleku! Is that timeless bop of all bops. It gives you that feeling like you’re about to explode with joy, like you’re swelling with the music and as the beat drops you drop with it, straight into a satisfying ease. When Brymo hits the chorus and we all hit a moment of slow whines, and big smiles, you’re reminded that hey maybe life isn’t so bad after all.

I’m not only grateful for stars at the forefront of this music, but the stars behind. Sometimes I wonder what the genius  producer was thinking, adding every little quirk that makes the music so rich, from the magnetic chimes, to the kick-ass snare, to the interesting chords, to the melody, and that consistent chord that holds everything together. Everything about the music feels full and rich, spaced in a way that you can hear every sound and lets you know that this music was intentionally built. Built to fit the magic of both rapper and singer. It’s a banger and not just because of how great the music is but also how much it unites Nigerians anywhere and everywhere. Still stealing hearts in the clubs and house-parties, it’s a true classic and we’ll never get tired of  feeling the boy. Oleku, we’ll never forget you.

Call Me Maybe:

2011 set the pace, but then came 2012 and the heat intensified. And in this year we had an absolute bash with the song of the Summer ‘Call Me Maybe’. I don’t know about you but Call me Maybe certainly went platinum in my household, and I promise it’s not just me, because this song magnificently, spent a whole of 9 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 charts, so much so that it actually earned the title “Song of the Summer” (true story) and sold over 12 million copies in 2012 alone. Call Me Maybe was (and is) the perfect for song for shooting your shot, for the daydreamers that plan your wedding from one encounter. Or the shy ones who want to take a step forward and drop that silly little confession, that risky text, no matter the outcome. From the catchy summer bash, to the hilarious music video, Carly Rae Jepsen definitely kept us on our toes with ‘Call Me Maybe’, don’t miss out on it!

Candy Man: 3rty

We’re now back to 2025 baby and Nigerian indie pop is here!!! If this is news to you, well welcome, we listen and we judge with just one eye open, because 3rty is a Nigerian indie-pop artiste who blends soul and Afrobeats, as well as storytelling, in English and Pidgin, to share his art with the world. His music is well stacked with emotional, intimate and healing feelings. His sweet, chocolaty, smooth sailing voice, is like a beautiful ride to an island of sugar and spice, everything nice. His song ‘Candy man’ keeps your head woozy and floozy, like clouds of cotton candy, getting you straight in a fog of pretty emotions. Beyond indie pop, 3rty also draws inspiration from jazzy, soul, funk and infuses every bit of the magic in his songs. His music can well be described as ‘sweet, honest and a little dangerous’.

` Well that’s all for today folks, I hope we had a fun time, down the memory lane of Pop music and I’m wishing every single one of us a Solid September to Remember. Until Next Time, xoxo.

‍