Have you noticed how short music is becoming?

Last week, Friday to be precise, I was listening to a midday show on the radio when the presenter brought up this fact after playing a song and feeling that it ended too quickly. Have you noticed this trend in our recent kind of music?

I have felt what the presenter felt many times. Sometimes, I would be so deep into a song, enjoying every single thing—from the beat to the lyrics and the way it tingles my head—and before I knew it, the song would just finish. I mean, it would just stop playing, and I would be like, "Ooohhh! Why so quick!" This is one of the reasons I put songs on repeat—since they are short, they might as well play repeatedly.

Apart from the local and native songs most of us grew up with, such as highlife and others that sometimes lasted up to seven minutes, songs used to last for at least three minutes. But now, you will hardly find a newly released song that reaches three minutes. The longest duration I have seen recently has been around two minutes and maybe twenty seconds.

I do not know about you, but I do not like this recent style at all. These songs feel rushed; a lot of elements are removed just to fit into the standard length that has become the norm these days. It sucks!

There is this song that has been making my head buzz due to how well-crafted it is. It is so short that I cannot get enough of it, which is why it has been on repeat.

Okay, no lies—I know that even with the shortness of songs, it pays the artists more than the three- or four-minute songs. Maybe it is actually a way to save them from putting in too much effort because, obviously, a four-minute song will require more content, such as lyrics, compared to a two-minute song.

But with this trend, it shows that artists are all out for the money and no longer interested in the depth of the craft, especially when it comes to lyrics. These days, the only songs you will find with a three-minute length are the ones featuring multiple artists—sometimes three or four artists on one track.

Take a look at this song, Overkilling by Djinee—just one artist, yet it has four minutes of playtime. This song is not just filled with beats and rhythm all through; it is full of words. This song was released eleven years ago, in 2017.

Now, compare it to Na Scra by a new artist, Famous Pluto, who is being supported by famous people in the industry. His first release is just two minutes and thirty seconds long.

I am not saying that all songs released in recent times, especially in this modern age, are just two minutes long. Some still reach three minutes, but they are very few.

What does the future hold?

So, I have been thinking—will songs in the years to come be shortened to just one minute? Do you not see that coming? A lot of these artists will jump on the trend because, why waste lyrics on a two-minute song when you can actually split it into one-minute tracks instead?
Problem go dey ooooh! Lol😂

Thanks for reading.

Thumbnail is my screenshot