Wizkid
wizkid
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), popularly known as Wizkid,[6] is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.[7] Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement.[8] His music is a blend of Afrobeats,[9] afropop,[10] R&B,[11] afrobeat,[12] reggae,[12] dancehall,[12] and pop.[12] He began recording music at the age of 11 and released a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed. In 2009, Wizkid signed a record deal with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E). He rose to the limelight after releasing "Holla at Your Boy", the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar (2011), which also spawned the singles "Tease Me/Bad Guys" and "Don't Dull".
life and music career
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun was born on 16 July 1990, in Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos.[21][22] He grew up in an interfaith household with twelve female siblings. His mother was a Pentecostal Christian and his father practices Islam.[23] Wizkid attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School.[24][23] He grew up listening to King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti and Bob Marley.[25] In a radio interview with Tim Westwood in 2012, he said that "his father has three wives".[26] In another interview with Adesope of Factory 78 TV, Wizkid said he formed a group called the Glorious Five with a couple of his church friends.[27] They managed to release an album prior to disbanding. Wizkid went by the stage name Lil Prinz until 2006.[28] He later met OJB Jezreel, a record producer who prevented him from recording for a year.[27] While visiting OJB's Point Beat Studios frequently, he watched 2 Face Idibia record songs for his Grass 2 Grace album. He was also present during the recording sessions for Sound Sultan's debut album Jagbajantis.[29][27] He cited Naeto C as one of the people who mentored and coached him when he was 15 years old. Wizkid signed a record deal with Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009. He co-wrote "Omoge You Too Much", a song from Banky W.'s The W Experience album.[27][29] He also worked with Naeto C, Ikechukwu and M.I while developing his craft.[30] In mid-2009, he dropped out of Lagos State University (LASU). He later attended Lead City University, but dropped out after completing two sessions.[29]
award and normination
Wizkid's music has earned several achievements, including the Grammy Award for Best Music Video as a lead artist on Beyoncé's "Brown Skin Girl";[157] his first ever Grammy Award.[158][159][160] He is the most awarded African artist at the American Music Awards (2), MTV Video Music Award (1), Soul Train Awards (3), Billboard Awards (3) and iHeartRadio Music Awards (2), while also tying for the most at BET Awards (4), MOBO Awards (6).[161] He is also a recipient of an ASCAP plaque for his songwriting contributions to Drake's "One Dance",[162] which also earned two Guinness World Records, for being the first song to reach a billion streams on Spotify, and at the time being the most streamed song on Spotify.[163] Wizkid was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2019.[164] He is also the most awarded artiste in The Headies award history.[165] He was nominated in the Best Global Music Album and the Best Global Music Performance categories in the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Made in Lagos Deluxe Edition and "Essence" respectively.[166] In November 2021, Apple Music Awards announced him as the winner of Artist of the Year (Africa).[167]