Wizkid
Popular Nigerian afrobeat singer and songwriter, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, widely known as Wizkid, has been ranked Africa’s highest-earning artist on Spotify.
Wizkid is the top earner on the continent, bringing in an astonishing $1 million a month from the streaming service, according to data from the music analytics company Chart Masters.
Another Nigerian artiste Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu known professionally in the music scene as Burna Boy, who gained recognition in 2012 after releasing “Like to Party”, took the second position with $782,148 each month and Tems placed third place with $660,210.
Wizkid is perhaps one of the most sought-after performers on the continent, with his back-to-back hit songs dominating radio, television, and nightclubs throughout the continent and beyond.
After releasing “Holla at Your Boy,” the lead single from his first studio album, “Superstar,” in 2011, he gained notoriety.
Wizkid became well-known worldwide in 2016 after he and Drake collaborated on the hit song “One Dance,” which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at the top of the charts in 14 other countries.
He inked a multi-album contract with RCA Records in March 2017, and his third studio album, “Sounds from the Other Side,” was released later that year.
In October 2020, he released his fourth album, ‘Made in Lagos’, which became number one on the Billboard world album chart.
In 2016, Wizkid achieved international recognition following his collaboration with Drake on the hit single ‘One Dance’, which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in 14 additional countries.
In March 2017, he signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records, and released his third studio album ‘Sounds from the Other Side’, later that year.
In October 2020, he released his fourth album, ‘Made in Lagos’, which became number one on the Billboard world album chart.
Born on 16 July 1990 in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos Nigeria, Wizkid is credited with several hit songs, Wizkid released his fifth album ‘More Love, Less Ego’ on November 11, 2022.
By George Clifford Owusu