Nigeria's biggest music export, Wizkid turned 33 yesterday 16th July. Wizkid has always been a trailblazer, setting the pace for younger generations of artistes to come. In honor of his birthday, here are five ways Wizkid has proved his star power through his music.
Records: Wizkid's music has transcended the borders of Africa making him the most decorated Nigerian artiste of all time. In 2021, Wizkid became the first artiste to receive a Guinness World Record for the first artiste to reach one billion streams on Spotify. This came after his viral hit collaboration with Drake for One Dance.
Awards: Wizkid remains the most awarded Nigerian artiste of all time. He has won both local and international awards. He became the first Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy award. He won the category for the Best Music Video for his feature in Brown Skin Girl by Beyonce and Blue Ivy. Wizkid has won 4 BET Awards, 20 Headies Awards, 3 Billboard Awards, 3 Soul Train Awards, 3 iHeartRadio Music Awards, 4 MOBO Awards, among others.
Streams: Wizkid became the most-streamed Nigerian artiste in 2022 with over 8 billion career streams across streaming platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Pandora, Audiomack, and Boomplay.
Albums: From his debut album Superstar which shot him to limelight in 2011, to his fifth studio album More Love Less Ego, Wizkid's star power continues to radiate while blazing the trail in the African music industry.
Wizkid continues to showcase his musical prowess and this is evident in his fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. Made In Lagos the album was released on October 30, 2020. The album is unarguably the highest charting Nigerian album of all time on the Billboard Top 20 chart. It is the longest charting Nigerian album of all time on the Billboard 200. One of the songs in the album Essence, also has the record for the longest charting single on the Hot 100. Made in Lagos surpassed a billion streams across 6 platforms in 10 months of its release. The album also bagged a Grammy nomination in 2022.
Shows: In September 2021, Wizkid sold out O2 Arena, a 20,000 capacity space which is the biggest in London City, three times in a row.
He sold out all three shows in a short period of time, making it one of the fastest selling shows of all time alongside artistes like Rihanna, Beyonce etc. He was also given a certificate of recognition for holding successful shows at the O2.
On November 16 2022, Wizkid sold out the Madison Square Garden in New York City, one of the biggest arenas in the world, making him the second African artiste to do so after Burna Boy. Wizkid has sold out other arenas in the world such as the Ziggo Dome, Accor Arena etc. He is set to sell out Tottenham Hotspur stadium, an 80k capacity in London on July 29th.
Undeniably, Wizkid is the perfect description of a global superstar. At 33, the biggest bird, as he is fondly called, continues to break barriers in music both locally and internationally.
Records: Wizkid's music has transcended the borders of Africa making him the most decorated Nigerian artiste of all time. In 2021, Wizkid became the first artiste to receive a Guinness World Record for the first artiste to reach one billion streams on Spotify. This came after his viral hit collaboration with Drake for One Dance.
Awards: Wizkid remains the most awarded Nigerian artiste of all time. He has won both local and international awards. He became the first Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy award. He won the category for the Best Music Video for his feature in Brown Skin Girl by Beyonce and Blue Ivy. Wizkid has won 4 BET Awards, 20 Headies Awards, 3 Billboard Awards, 3 Soul Train Awards, 3 iHeartRadio Music Awards, 4 MOBO Awards, among others.
Streams: Wizkid became the most-streamed Nigerian artiste in 2022 with over 8 billion career streams across streaming platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Pandora, Audiomack, and Boomplay.
Albums: From his debut album Superstar which shot him to limelight in 2011, to his fifth studio album More Love Less Ego, Wizkid's star power continues to radiate while blazing the trail in the African music industry.
Wizkid continues to showcase his musical prowess and this is evident in his fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. Made In Lagos the album was released on October 30, 2020. The album is unarguably the highest charting Nigerian album of all time on the Billboard Top 20 chart. It is the longest charting Nigerian album of all time on the Billboard 200. One of the songs in the album Essence, also has the record for the longest charting single on the Hot 100. Made in Lagos surpassed a billion streams across 6 platforms in 10 months of its release. The album also bagged a Grammy nomination in 2022.
Shows: In September 2021, Wizkid sold out O2 Arena, a 20,000 capacity space which is the biggest in London City, three times in a row.
He sold out all three shows in a short period of time, making it one of the fastest selling shows of all time alongside artistes like Rihanna, Beyonce etc. He was also given a certificate of recognition for holding successful shows at the O2.
On November 16 2022, Wizkid sold out the Madison Square Garden in New York City, one of the biggest arenas in the world, making him the second African artiste to do so after Burna Boy. Wizkid has sold out other arenas in the world such as the Ziggo Dome, Accor Arena etc. He is set to sell out Tottenham Hotspur stadium, an 80k capacity in London on July 29th.
Undeniably, Wizkid is the perfect description of a global superstar. At 33, the biggest bird, as he is fondly called, continues to break barriers in music both locally and internationally.