Spotify’s Lagos show still has music fans buzzing

Tems and Runtown Bring Star Power and Nostalgia to Spotify’s Surround Sound in Lagos

Tems had the room singing. Runtown brought back the nostalgia. And Spotify gave Lagos music fans a front-row experience they could not stop talking about.

The two Nigerian stars headlined Spotify’s Surround Sound Lagos, an intimate live music experience designed to bring artists closer to their most dedicated listeners. Across two nights, familiar songs became unforgettable live moments, giving fans plenty to celebrate and plenty to share online.

Lagos came alive with music, nostalgia and fan excitement as Tems and Runtown took centre stage at Spotify’s latest Surround Sound experience. Held at Livespot on September 25 and 26, the exclusive event brought some of Nigeria’s most passionate music listeners into an unusually intimate setting with two artists whose music has remained influential across different eras of Afrobeats.

Unlike a traditional concert where thousands of fans stand or sit facing a distant stage, Surround Sound puts the audience much closer to the action. The concept is built around creating an immersive experience where selected Spotify Premium listeners surround the artist during a live performance.

The invitation-only format also made the experience feel more personal. Fans were selected based on their Spotify listening behaviour, meaning those in attendance had already demonstrated a strong connection to the featured artists and their music.

Tems Takes Fans Back to the Beginning

Tems opened the two-night experience by revisiting her acclaimed 2020 EP, For Broken Ears.

The project is an important part of Tems’ musical journey, containing songs that helped introduce more listeners to her distinctive voice and alternative R&B-influenced sound. Tracks including “Ice T,” “Damages,” “Mr Rebel,” “Try Me” and “Free Mind” gave fans a chance to reconnect with an earlier chapter of her career.

For longtime Tems listeners, the performance offered more than simply hearing familiar songs live. It was a reminder of how far the singer has come since the release of the project.

Tems also performed newer material, including “Love Me JeJe” and “What You Need,” giving the audience a glimpse of her evolution as an artist.

The intimate Surround Sound setup allowed fans to experience those songs differently. Instead of watching Tems from a distance, listeners were positioned close to the performance, making their reactions part of the atmosphere.

Runtown Brings Back the Nostalgia

The second night belonged to Runtown, whose performance tapped heavily into the nostalgia attached to his catalogue.

Runtown has been responsible for some of the songs that helped shape the memories of an entire generation of Afrobeats listeners, and his Surround Sound performance gave fans an opportunity to relive some of those moments.

One of the biggest highlights of the night was undoubtedly “Mad Over You.”

The song remains one of Runtown’s most recognisable records, and the crowd’s reaction demonstrated that its appeal has not disappeared with time. Fans sang along as the familiar hit filled the venue, turning the performance into one of the most talked-about moments from the event.

Runtown eventually returned to “Mad Over You” for a second performance to close the show, giving fans exactly the kind of memorable finale they had come for.

Adding even more significance to his appearance was the fact that Runtown performed with his band for the first time in 10 years. That detail made the performance feel like more than a routine appearance; it became a reunion with a part of his musical identity.

What Makes Surround Sound Different?

Spotify’s Surround Sound is designed around one major idea: bringing artists and their biggest listeners closer together.

Rather than relying on the traditional stage setup, where an artist performs at one end of a venue while the audience watches from rows away, Surround Sound places the artist at the centre of the experience.

The format allows fans to feel physically closer to the performance and creates an atmosphere where the artist can interact more naturally with the audience.

The Lagos edition also reflects Spotify’s wider effort to create experiences around the relationship between music, artists and listeners. The company uses streaming data to understand which listeners are particularly connected to an artist, making the event feel like a reward for genuine fandom.

And because the performances are captured for music films, the experience is not limited to the people who were lucky enough to be inside the venue.

Why Fans Kept Sharing the Moment

The online reaction to the event can largely be explained by two things: star power and nostalgia.

Tems and Runtown appeal to different parts of Nigeria’s music audience, but both have catalogues capable of creating an immediate emotional response.

For Tems fans, hearing For Broken Ears performed live brought back memories of the early stage of her career. For Runtown fans, “Mad Over You” provided the kind of nostalgic moment that can instantly transport listeners back to another time.

Spotify’s listening data further highlights the staying power of both artists. A significant percentage of listeners who played For Broken Ears years after its release continued listening to the project, while “Mad Over You” remained present across millions of user-created Spotify playlists.

That continued relevance helps explain why clips from the performances travelled so quickly online.

Fans who attended wanted to relive their favourite moments, while those who were not there got to experience the atmosphere through videos shared across social media.

The exclusivity of the event also contributed to the excitement. Because attendance was based on Spotify listening behaviour rather than a conventional public ticket sale, being inside the venue felt like being personally recognised as a dedicated fan.

Ultimately, Spotify’s Surround Sound Lagos succeeded because it turned streaming into something tangible.

Tems and Runtown were not simply performing songs that fans already knew. They were bringing those songs into an intimate space where listeners could sing along, reminisce and experience the music in a completely different way.

And with Tems revisiting For Broken Ears and Runtown bringing the nostalgia of “Mad Over You” back to life, the event gave Lagos music fans exactly what they wanted: a close-up encounter with artists whose music has become part of their memories.