Classics pulling SA’s heartstrings

DATA shared by streaming giant Spotify shows that South Africans have been adding iconic love songs by artists like John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey to their playlists to express their feelings.

Amapiano might have a chokehold on South Africans’ hearts for the rest of the year, but when it comes to the month of love, it’s the classics that have been keeping them all entertained.

Their tastes also did not differ much from global favourites, with many of the same artists featuring in the global top 10 love songs added to playlists going into Valentine’s Day.

John Legend’s All Of Me is the most added love song both in South Africa and globally.

British pop star Ed Sheeran occupies two spots among South Africa’s favourite love songs with Perfect and Thinking Out Loud, which is no surprise given that globally he occupies the top spot when it comes to love songs.

Soundtracks to romantic movies also feature strongly among South Africa’s most played love songs, with Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, featured in The Bodyguard, Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do (I Do It For You) from the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Christina Perri’s Twilight theme song, A Thousand Years, all ranking in the top 10 most playlisted tracks.

While there are no South African artists in the top 10, Spotify EQUAL alumna Elaine is tugging on South Africans’ heartstrings. According to Spotify, her song You’re The One is the top-ranked South African love song.

The chart-topping artist has always said she was inspired by seeing other women flourish in the music industry.

“My biggest motivator has been watching women flourish in a world full of standards and expectations that are meant to limit and box them in. We carry the culture and play a huge role in transforming the way music is received and consumed. It feels great to be a woman, and it feels great to be in this industry.”

Moreover, I’m grateful to the EQUAL Africa programme for amplifying the voices of game-changing African women,” said Elaine.

Spotify’s head of music for sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, said: “Radar Africa alumni Elaine is one of the talented female artists from Africa who are making notable inroads across the continent and world. As an artist who is steadily building an audience as a global recording company signee, we are glad to have her join the EQUAL programme, and we are happy to be able to provide her with valuable resources, tools and support that we hope will further bolster her career.”