As Valentine’s Day draws near, new listening data reveals a striking shift in how Kenyans are marking the season of love.
While romance remains strong, heartbreak streams have surged by 62% between 2023 and 2025, signalling a growing appetite for reflection alongside celebration.
Over the same period, love song streams rose by more than 80%, underscoring the duality of the moment: roses are still being exchanged, but many listeners are also turning to songs that help them process loss, longing and complicated emotions.
Between January 1 and February 4, 2026, alone, playlist creation in Kenya grew by 58%, suggesting that listeners are preparing emotionally well before February 14.
The shift is particularly pronounced among young people.
Kenyans aged 0–29 are driving much of the activity, navigating modern relationships and “situationships” through curated playlists.
Since 2023, love song streaming among this group is up 84%. Ahead of Valentine’s Day 2026, Gen Z created 78% of “simp” playlists, 89% of “rizz” playlists and 92% of “yearn” playlists on Spotify, reflecting a highly expressive, online-driven culture of emotion.
International artists such as Billie Eilish, Lorde and Tate McRae are leading heartbreak listening locally, with subdued tracks that sit with sadness rather than dramatise it.
Contrary to stereotypes, heartbreak is not gendered. Women account for 51% of heartbreak streams and men 47%, with love listening showing a similar split.
Emotional processing, the data suggests, is a shared experience.
Among slightly older listeners, romance is expressed more softly. Quiet Storm and Vocal Jazz are the top-streamed genres ahead of Valentine’s Day 2026.
Locally, Bien’s “Chikwere” leads love listening, while international nostalgia is reflected in renewed interest in Celine Dion and Westlife.
Podcast listening has also spiked. On February 14, 2025, Episode 86: “SOuLMaTe” from The97sPodcast was the most streamed, while
The Weeknd’s song “Cry for Me” emerged as the most blended track.
Globally, playlist creation linked to Valentine’s and Galentine’s has nearly quadrupled in three years, with Galentine’s – inspired playlists alone growing by 389% between 2022 and 2025.
The figures point to a broader cultural shift: Valentine’s Day in Kenya is no longer just a single day of grand gestures. It has evolved into a multi-week emotional season, one where love and heartbreak run on parallel tracks.
