Traditionally, Valentine’s Day has been a day about expressing romantic love, but thankfully for the unattached, over the last few years this narrative has evolved.
With the emergence of Galentine’s Day, a celebration for besties on 13 February, the date has also been claimed as national self love day – the ideal opportunity to show ourselves some much deserved self-care.
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Self-care remains a trending theme as one of the best expressions of love is prioritising yourself. This year #SelfCareSunday falls on the eve of Valentine’s Day and is the perfect time to spoil yourself with a little motivational me-time.
If Spotify’s 2021 top-streamed lists are anything to go by, it seems that motivational playlists and podcasts as well as those related to self-care have proved very popular. For those planning to celebrate YOU this February 13th, take inspiration from some of these top picks and browse Spotify’s Wellness hub to help you create your perfect self-love day.
The latest data from Spotify has revealed that globally, 1,116,121 Valentine’s Day playlists have been created by users and that users are also making use of playlists to soundtrack activities for the day, like Valentine’s Day dinner or Valentine’s Day yoga.
Not sure where to start? Ensure you are rested for your day ahead by getting an early night. Drift off with a selection of sleep related playlists to help you get those all-important zzz’s. You’ll wake up supercharged and ready to centre yourself with some Peaceful Meditation or a relaxing yoga session. Take a walk in the beautiful outdoors with some mood booster feel good songs to keep you company and immediately lift your spirits. Dance it out by streaming your Guilty Pleasures because we all have those songs that we only listen to when we’re alone. For some added encouragement take a listen to the Self Love Fix with Beatrice or let Jay Shetty’s conversations with insightful people inspire you in On Purpose with Jay Shetty. End off your beautiful day by opening your favourite bubbly and dishing up a delicious meal while you relax over some Chill Dinner sounds.
Music is a universal language that connects people and there’s nothing better than bonding with a friend over a shared love of music. Share Galentine’s Day by enjoying all the music you both love, together. Create a unique playlist personalised to you and your besties’ tastes with Spotify’s Blend feature that lets you invite a friend to share a playlist, which will automatically fill up with your favourite songs. The Blend playlist updates every day, which means that you and your bestie will always be in sync!
And if you happen to share an address with said bestie (or live with your partner) and would like to gift them something just for the two of you, then explore Spotify Duo. With Spotify Duo, you’ll each get your own Spotify Premium account under one plan for R79.99. You can listen to your playlist anytime, uninterrupted, and still get access to the exclusive Duo Mix – a playlist made just for the two of you to discover the audio you both love.
If romance is the theme for Valentine’s Day, then a thoughtful message can seal the deal but instead of a store-bought card, why not creatively craft a ‘love note’ by creating a playlist especially for your significant other, that spells out exactly how you feel using song titles.
Explore romance on Spotify and whether you’re planning an intimate dinner or a picnic in the park, Spotify’s extensive catalogue ensures you can find the perfect soundtrack to complete the day. If you need a little inspiration, take a cue from the most popular Valentine’s Day-related playlists in South Africa including, All The Feels and Love Ballads. Spotify has also just released the 100 Best African Love Songs, a playlist that features iconic songs celebrating love across the continent from the 2000’s to date, as well as the Love Back playlist made up of all of South Africa’s best love songs.
Those wanting to create Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day playlists made up of the songs local listeners have enjoyed, the latest Spotify data has also revealed songs that have been included most in Valentine’s Day (and related) playlists in South Africa. ‘All of Me’ by John Legend is the song that has been included the most, followed by ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran and ‘thank u, next’ by Ariana Grande in third place. The fourth and fifth songs that local listeners included in their playlists are ‘Shout Out to My Ex’ by Little Mix and ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’ by Taylor Swift.
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