AceShowbiz
 
 

Wizkid Profile

Wizkid Profile Photo

Wizkid

Famous As
Singer, songwriter
Birth Name
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun
Birth Date
July 16, 1990
Birth Place
Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria
Famous As
Singer, songwriter
Popular for
His single "Holla at Your Boy" (2010)
Birth Name
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun
Birth Date
July 16, 1990
Birth Place
Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality
Nigerian
Education
  • Attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School

Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun on July 16, 1990, in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria, emerged as a defining voice of the global Afrobeats movement. A singer and songwriter of immense influence, his career trajectory from a Lagos church choir to international stardom charts the rise of African pop music on the world stage. His music, a vibrant fusion of Afrobeats, afropop, R&B, reggae, and dancehall, has broken numerous records and introduced Nigerian soundscapes to a vast, global audience.

His passion for music was evident from an extremely young age, as he began recording at just 11 years old. He formed a group called the Glorious Five with friends from church, releasing a collaborative album that served as his earliest foray into the industry. The major breakthrough came in 2009 when he signed with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E). The following year, he released the infectious single "Holla at Your Boy," which became a national sensation and announced the arrival of a new star. This track was the lead single for his debut studio album, Superstar, released in 2011, which solidified his fame in Nigeria with further hits like "Tease Me/Bad Guys" and "Don't Dull."

After releasing his second album, Ayo, in 2014 and subsequently leaving E.M.E., Wizkid's career ascended to unprecedented international heights in 2016. His collaboration with Drake on the global smash "One Dance" became a cultural phenomenon, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping charts in over a dozen other countries. This achievement earned him a place in the Guinness World Records, marking him as the first Afrobeats artist to do so. He later signed a deal with RCA Records and released his third album, Sounds from the Other Side, in 2017, which featured another collaboration with Drake on "Come Closer."

Wizkid's artistic and commercial peak continued with his critically acclaimed fourth album, Made in Lagos, released in October 2020. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard World Album Chart and spawned the historic single "Essence" featuring Tems. The song became the first Nigerian track to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and a subsequent remix featuring Justin Bieber propelled it into the Top 10, cementing its status as a global summer anthem. He followed this with his fifth album, More Love, Less Ego, in November 2022. In a deeply personal move, Wizkid released his sixth studio album, Morayo, on November 22, 2024, dedicating it to his late mother. The project broke the record for the biggest streaming debut for an African album on Spotify, underscoring his enduring and massive popularity. Through his evolving sound and landmark achievements, Wizkid remains a pivotal figure in popular music, carrying the Afrobeats flag to every corner of the world.