Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun who is popularly known as Wizkid was born on July 16, 1990, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Previously known as little Prinz, he changed his name to Wizkid in 2006. He is one from Africa and has had a huge effect on the world’s singing industries. Before we discuss the reason for his popularity let’s take a look at his life.

At the age of 11, he commenced producing songs and published a collaboration CD with the Glorious Five, a group he and a handful of his church friends created. The glorious five, his first- ever Playlist, which he launched at the age of 11, became a smash hit when 10,000 copies were sold in his homeland Nigeria. Wizkid took home two prizes at the 2021 MOBO Awards, Sunday night. Wizkid earned ‘Best Africa Act' and ‘Best International Act’ during the ceremony, which took place at Coventry Building Society Coliseum in Coventry. 

The event was presented by performer and actor Leigh-Anne Pinnock and humorist and announcer Munya Chawawa, and it was aired live on YouTube. He received a total of five MOBO awards, including the two most recent. Wizkid, on the other hand, had just won Best African Act at the MTV EMA Awards in 2021. Wiz was nominated for five BET Soul Train Awards in 2021 before EMA awards. He is the youngest African to be shortlisted for a Grammy, also, he is the first afro-pop artist to appear in the Guiness Book of world records.

Recent Songs were a hit

His most recent record, Essence, which premiered Justin Bieber, won him a great amount of attention. He had been in the spotlight for an extended period following its release.  Drake, the famous musician, was the first to highlight Wizkid to the Mainstream crowd when he approached him for a solo on his hit track ‘‘One Dance’’ that is considered as one of the most impactful soundtracks of the recent handful of years, this solo track paved the ground for individuals to recognize him as an ideal due to his unmistakable rhythms. Wizkid was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the track, which was hitherto the most-streamed music on Spotify. 

Album Broke Recent Records

One of Wizkids albums, which was published in 2020, broke numerous prior African musicians’ milestones. This album was included in Spotify’s Global Album Chart. The song was streamed 9 million times in the first 9 days, breaking records set by several other artists. His chart-topping single on Spotify catapulted him back into the spotlight. Wizkid collaborated with Nike to release his merchandise. Nike created clothing in the color goal is to provide education to youngsters in Nigeria. 

Excellent Vocal Talent

Wizkid’s vocal talents have brought him to the attention of Nigerians. Every year, Nigerians commemorate Wizkid Day in his honor to celebrate his contributions to the African country. Governor Dayton of Minnesota designated October 6th as Wizkid Day. He has been recognized as a major intellectual influencer. Wizkid Day is not only celebrated in Nigeria but in the UK, USA, and many other countries as well. Another interesting piece of information about Wizkid is that his scheduling gigs start at 152,000$ and go up to 6,00,000$, which is his largest gig to date. However, Wizkid donates his earnings to charity since he is attempting to improve education in Nigeria. The main reason for his popularity is his ability to write lyrics that resonate with the contemporary world. This is why Wizkid has enjoyed a recent string of victories, most notably with his Made in Lagos album, which was actually made in Lagos, which has received approximately 1 billion plays on iTunes. Essence, which features Tems, was also the first Nigerian album to remain a year on the Billboard World Album lists. Tiwa Savage and Wizkid, Nigerian music sensations and self-proclaimed besties, are set to perform two shows during the Livespot X Festival on December 17 and 19, 2021, consecutively.