Wizkid: Biography:
“Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun” popularly called “Wizkid” has dominated the afro beats scene for over a decade both in Nigeria Music and internationally.
The talented singer, songwriter and performer is a superstar around the world, he was born on the 16th of July 1990 and began his music career when he was just 11 years old.
The singer recorded his first track, Lil Prinz, in 2001 in collaboration with Glorious Five, a group consisting of the singer and some of his friends from his church in Lagos.
In 2006 he began pursuing music full-time; initially, he collaborated with various Nigerian music icons such as OJB Jezreel, Naeto C and Banky W.
The musical maestro is one of the biggest musical talents in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. By 2011 the singer was ready to enter the music industry as a solo artist under Banky W’s label Empire.
Mates Entertainment (EME for short). Under EME he released his debut studio album “Superstar” and rose to fame across Nigeria and Africa. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at The Headies 2012.
He released Holla at Your Boy as the album’s lead single on 2nd January 2010.
Holla at Your Boy was nominated for Best Pop Single but earned him the Next Rated award at The
Headies 2011, while the music video was nominated for Most Gifted Newcomer Video at the 2011 Channel O Music Video Awards.
The release of his second studio album “Ayo” meets some hitches due to disagreements with the label and multiple delays.
Finally, Ayo was released in 2014 and was the singer’s biggest push into the international spotlight with features and guest appearances from Femi Kuti, Banky W., Seyi Shay, Phyno, Tyga, Akon, and Wale. His international breakthrough track “Ojuelegba” took him to the international scene.
The song received awards both locally and internationally and cemented his status as one of the greatest afrobeat pop stars in Nigeria.
Ojuelegba was remixed by drake and Skepta and further pushed Wizkid into the American and UK music
industry. He went on to feature in Drake’s 2016 multiple award-winning tracks One Dance.
In March 2017, Wizkid signed major deals with RCA and Sony International and released his third LP, Sounds from the Side, later that year. SFTOS debuted at number 107 on the US Billboard 200. It also
debuted at number 58 on the Canadian Albums Chart. Several singles were released before the album, including Sweet Love and the Drake-backed Come Closer.
In October 2018, Wizkid released his two singles Master Groove and Fever to celebrate Nigeria’s
Independence Day. The following year he was featured in the Beyoncé and St. John track Brown Skin Girl from her album The Lion King: The Gift and released his own single Joro.
In 2019 the singer released his EP Soundman, Vol.1 by his label Starboy Entertainment.
Wizkid’s fourth album, Made in Lagos, was released in his October 2020 after being involved in a
controversial and successful protest against Nigeria’s Special Anti-robbery Force (SARS).
The album was a big critical and commercial success; many and he reached number 15 in the UK
Albums Chart. The record’s fifth single, the Grammy-nominated Essence (featuring Nigerian female
artist Tems), became a worldwide hit, peaking at number 17 in the UK and becoming the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix featuring Justin Bieber was released after the track became a hit.
At 31, he is the most awarded African artist at the One Grammy award; 3 MTV EMAS,3 BET Awards, 2 Soul Train Awards, 3 Billboard Awards, 2 iHeartRadio Music Awards and 5 MOBO Awards, 12 Headies awards, 4 NAACP Image Awards; 7 Afrimma awards; 5 African Entertainment awards.
He also received his ASCAP shield for his songwriting contributions to Drake’s One Dance. Wizkid was named one of the 100 most influential Africans in 2019 by New He African Magazine. He is also the artist with the most awards in the history of the Headies Awards.
Wizkid: Net worth
Wizkid is an award-winning artiste and a top entertainer, he has featured on the billboard hot 100, the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK.
According to thinknews.com.ng, Wizkid’s net worth is estimated at over $35 million, which he has accrued over the years from endorsement, streams, tours and performances around the globe.
He has signed mega endorsement deals with big cooperation such as Pepsi, Guinness, Pulse Nigeria, a 5-year modelling endorsement with Nike’s footwear for the Nigerian Football Federation in 2018, an
International Fashion collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana, an endorsement deal worth $3 million (the equivalent of 1 billion naira at the time) with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), an endorsement deal with Puma, a sportswear brand, etc.
He is not only a musician but a businessman with partnerships with major fashion brands and other big establishments.
He is, without doubt, one of the highest-paid artists in Africa and one of the biggest musical exports doing incredibly well outside the shores of Nigeria.
Owing to his international influence and collaborations, the singer sold-out the 20,000 capacity London 02 Arena where he performed his ‘Made in Lagos’ concert in front of a sold-out crowd.
This feat was performed for three days from November 28 to December 1, 2021 At the concert, he performed songs from his album Made in Lagos, as well as other songs from his previous albums. Guest performances by Chris Brown, Skepta, Ella Mai and Buju rocked the musical event.
The massive concert was graced by Hollywood actress Gabrielle Union, UK drill rapper Stormzy and
current Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku. It also attracted other notable celebrities from all over the world.
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