Kenyan stars dominate Spotify’s dinner playlist as Greasy Tunes lands in Nairobi

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Spotify has brought its Greasy Tunes experience to Nairobi, launching a 12-day pop-up that blends music, street food and creative culture in a celebration of the city’s vibrant youth scene.

The Greasy Tunes Café Kitchen, opened in partnership with Nairobi nightlife collective The BAG, officially kicked off at Heltz House, transforming the venue into a hub where food, live performances, podcasts and community events collide.

Nairobi becomes the third African city to host the experience after Johannesburg, where Greasy Tunes debuted in 2023, and Lagos, which welcomed the concept in 2025.

The opening night reflected the spirit of the city, with DJs, creatives and music lovers gathering around local cuisine, conversations and performances. The BAG, known for its energetic nightlife events and DJ-led experiences, helped set the tone for what promises to be nearly two weeks of immersive cultural programming.

The café kitchen itself was created with Jikoni Studio Nairobi and local chefs, featuring a menu inspired by Kenyan street food and familiar local flavours. The idea is to create a space where discovering new music feels as natural as sharing a meal.

Running until July 26, Greasy Tunes will host 20 events spanning music, fashion, comedy, podcasts, sport and art. The line-up features communities and creators including Studio 18, BluePrint, Fishermans Experience, Assembly, Bambika TV, Ongeza Volume, Standup Collective, Nakili Session and Strictly Soul. Fans can also attend live recordings of the Mic Cheque Podcast and 30 Percent Podcast.

The event is backed by new Spotify listening data showing just how closely music and mealtimes are connected for Nairobi’s Gen Z audience.

According to Spotify, the period between 6pm and 9pm accounts for 20.9 per cent of all daily music listening among Nairobi users aged 18 to 24, making it the city’s biggest food-related listening window.

Kenyan musicians dominate those dinner-time playlists, taking seven of the top 10 most-streamed tracks during the period. The list is led by Ywaya Tajiri’s “Chai ya saa kumi”, alongside hits from Wakadinali, Mutoriah, Toxic Lyrikali, Sauti Sol and Njerae. Regional stars Alikiba and Bien, together with global acts Dave, Tems and Drake, also feature prominently.

“What stands out in this data is not just that Kenyan artists dominate the dinner playlist, but that they sit naturally alongside names like Dave, Tems and Drake,” said Agnes Opondo, Spotify’s Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for East Africa.

“Young Nairobians are not choosing between local and global music. They’re moving between both in the same evening, and Kenyan artists are holding their own in that mix.”

With food, music and community at its core, Greasy Tunes aims to capture the soundtrack of Nairobi’s evenings while spotlighting the creatives shaping the city’s fast-growing cultural scene.