Former United States President Barack Obama has released his annual summer playlist for 2026, and for the first time in three years, Nigerian artists did not make the cut.
Obama’s summer playlist has featured Nigerian artists in 6 different years: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
This year’s playlist, which Obama described as songs he and former First Lady Michelle Obama have been enjoying, opens with a tribute to Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who died tragically this week in a motorcycle accident at age 56 .
“It starts with a song Michelle and I love by Glen Hansard, a great musician who passed tragically this week,” Obama wrote on social media. “Our hearts go out to his family” .
The 46-song playlist features a diverse mix of global stars, including Doechii, SZA, The Strokes, Coldplay, Drake, Johnny Cash, Damian Marley, Luther Vandross, A Tribe Called Quest, Neil Young, and South African singer Tyla, who is the only African artist featured this year .
Obama’s decision to exclude Nigerian artists marks a notable departure from recent years. In 2024, his summer playlist featured Rema’s “Yayo” and Tems’ “Love Me Jeje,” while his year-end favourite songs list for 2024 included Rema’s “Yayo” and Asake’s “Active” featuring Travis Scott.
Over the years, Obama has consistently included Afrobeats stars on his playlists. Wizkid and Tems were featured in 2020 with “Essence,” while Burna Boy and Rema made appearances in 2019 and 2022 with songs like “Last Last” and “Calm Down” . Davido and Ayra Starr have also been recognised in previous years . The only year with no Nigerian inclusion before 2026 was 2021 .
Despite the absence of Nigerian artists this time, Obama’s playlist continues his tradition of eclectic musical taste, spanning rock, folk, R&B, hip-hop, and soul. The former president has previously stated that he personally curates the lists on his iPad, rejecting claims that interns select the songs.
