Get Ready With Music: Create The Vibe, Set The Trend

MUSIC’S UNAVOIDABLE INFLUENCE

American rapper 50 Cent’s major label debut is not just a hip-hop classic: the gritty lyrics ride on the back of hard-hitting beats, rhythms that are sometimes fast (as is on Bloodhound), mid-tempo (cue in In da Club), or mellow flow (21 Questions). The album announced 50 Cent as a trajectory shifter and perhaps a cultural icon, even in some backstreets in Lagos.

Nothing cemented that more than how 50’s affinity for body-hugging tank tops (either in white or black) that showed his ripped physique popularised the fashion sense. It was common to find young people on the streets of Lagos imitating his fashion choice.

Before him, rappers like Missy Elliott and Mase made shiny suits a cool fad.

In Nigeria, rapper Naeto C, at the peak of his influence, made wearing white jalabiyas a cool fashion statement. For many Lagos boys, “yes boss” and a freshly pressed white jalabiya was a starter pack for being hip to the game. It also helped that he was arguably the hottest rapper in Nigeria at the time and had a number of hits that put the charts in a chokehold.

Or who could forget the proliferation of ‘Alobam’ t-shirts after rapper Phyno dropped a monster hit of the same name?

THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC AND FASHION

Such was the relationship between pop music and fashion at the start of the 21st Century. Music fans aped the fashion choices of their favourite artists and strutted around as the walking influence of the artists. More often than not, such influence creeps on fans without a warning since music and fashion exist in the same pop culture bubble.

These days, however, the relationship between music and fashion has evolved into a more intimate phase, with social media serving as a generous enabler.

“The reason why fashion and music became so intricately linked is because music became a method of demonstrating individuality, political beliefs, and ideas rather than just homogenised entertainment,” wrote fashion consultant Antonia Sardone in a 2021 article.

Music apps are one of the formidable purveyors of the synergy between music and fashion. Per SimilarWeb, Spotify is the second-ranked music app on both the Play Store and App Store in Nigeria as of July 27.

GET READY WITH ME PLAYLISTS: A GROWING TREND

Recent figures released by Spotify show the app is an essential component of the daily fashion routines of hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians. As of July 2024, there are at least 900,000 playlists globally with titles like GRWM, Get Ready With Me, Makeup, Get Ready with Music, and Get Ready with. People in Nigeria created 900 of these playlists.

Playlists with such titles grew by 552% between 2022 and 2023. The growth of such playlists in Nigeria saw an astounding 4900% uptick within the same period. It is even more impressive in Lagos where GRWM playlists shot up by at least 6533%. Meanwhile, Nigeria tops the list of Sub-Saharan African countries where the most GRWM playlists have been created in the last 90 days.

But the growth has yet to peak. Over 400 GRWM playlists have been created on Spotify in Nigeria in 2024 so far. 300 out of those were created in Lagos, making Lagos, the City that Never Sleeps, the epicentre of Nigeria’s fashion-music convergence.

“Every day, music sets the rhythm for our beauty routines,” Miche Atagana, Spotify’s head of communications and PR in Sub-Saharan Africa, told Guardian Life.

The top countries streaming GRWM or makeup-related playlists in Sub-Saharan Africa in the last 90 days are Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Côte d’Ivoire, and Namibia.

LOCAL AND GLOBAL TRENDS IN GRWM PLAYLISTS

In Lagos, the top streamed track in GRWM playlists is Favourite Girl by Darkoo and Dess Dior. In Nigeria, it’s Holy Ghost by Omah Lay, while in Abuja, Favourite Girl also takes the top spot. Globally, Tum Kya Mile from the film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is the most streamed.

The most frequently streamed artists in GRWM playlists globally include Ariana Grande, while in Nigeria, Ayra Starr tops the list. The top five artists streamed in Lagos in the last 30 days are Ayra Starr, Tems, BNXN, Tyla, and Qing Madi.

The most popular day for streaming GRWM playlists globally, in Nigeria, Abuja, and Lagos, is Saturday. The peak streaming times are 4 pm globally, 11 am and 12 pm in Abuja, 11 am in Nigeria, and 11 am in Lagos.

Globally, male listeners create more GRWM playlists than females, with the 35-44 age group leading the creation. In Nigeria and Lagos, the 18-24 age group dominates playlist creation.

THE DEMOGRAPHICS DYNAMICS

When it comes to listening, Gen Z and female listeners dominate the audience across all regions, with the 18-24 age group leading in Lagos, Abuja, Nigeria, and globally. From this data, it’s easy to see the growing influence of music on beauty routines and fashion choices.

The popularity of Get Ready With Me videos on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok has spiked in the last couple of years, highlighting the intersectionality between the fashion subsector—makeup—and music.

A CULTURAL MOVEMENT

Tapping into the beauty industry’s GRWM trend, Spotify, in collaboration with Maybelline, hosted an influencer-led experience in Lagos, following successful outings in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Titled Get Ready With Music, the event played at the intersection of makeup and music.

“We were thrilled to partner with Maybelline for our ‘Get Ready With Music’ event and playlist to showcase this fascinating intersection, celebrating how these two worlds mix perfectly into our daily lives,” Atagana said.

Held at The Art Hotel in Lagos, the event featured curated playlists, personalised gifts, and immersive experiences, highlighting how music enhances beauty routines. Attendees enjoyed performances from Qing Madi (one of the top artists featured on GRWM playlists in Lagos and Nigeria), dinner, and a slumber party.

The event emphasised the growing popularity of GRWM playlists, particularly among Gen Z and male listeners. The collaboration showcased how music and makeup can create a transformative and enjoyable preparation process.

One of the things that stands out in the GRWM data from Spotify is the fact that while makeup is associated more with females than males, male Spotify users “create GRWM playlists more than female listeners across all regions.” Although males aged 35-44 were the top creators globally, Gen-Z men aged 18-24 were the chief playlist creators in Lagos, Abuja, and Nigeria.

While males were the major creators, females were the dominant consumers of the playlists, with Ayra Starr being the most frequently streamed artist on the playlists. “Gen Z and female listeners dominate the audience across all regions, with the 18-24 age group leading in Lagos, Abuja, Nigeria and globally,” Spotify said.

‘A PERSONAL EXPRESSION’

The Spotify and Maybelline collaboration shows how the GRWM trend is more than just a social media phenomenon; it’s a cultural movement that merges sound and style in new and exciting ways. Through music, beauty routines become more than just preparation—they become a performance, a ritual, and a personal expression of style.