Wizkid is a Nigerian singer-songwriter. He is one of Nigeria’s most commercially successful musical artists. He began his music career at a young age, despite criticism from his family. He earned commercial success at a young age and has worked with top musicians and producers from Nigeria, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Forbes magazine labeled him one of Africa’s richest stars.
The media has also labeled him as one of Africa’s fastest emerging stars on numerous occasions. He debuted into the major league music industry in 2009 after dropping out of university and has been steadily improving since then.
Wizkid Biography & Early Life
Wizkid was born as Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun on July 16, 1990, in Lagos, Nigeria. His family lives in Surulere, Lagos state, Nigeria. His father is a Sunni Muslim, and his mother is a Christian of the Pentecostal religion.
His father had three marriages. He has twelve female siblings and is his father’s youngest kid. He is his father’s only male kid.
He completed his primary and secondary school at Surulere. He was interested in music from a young age, but his family did not encourage him to pursue it as a full-time job.
He joined the choir at his church to pursue his love of music and singing. Despite criticism from his family, he began pursuing a music career at an early age, releasing his first studio album at the age of 11, however the venture was unsuccessful. He acquired the stage name ‘Lil Prinz,’ and his first studio album’s credits included this name rather than his own name.
Following the failure of his debut album, he chose to focus on his studies and finish his degree. In 2009, he enrolled at Lagos State University (LASU), but dropped out due to a lack of attention on his studies. After dropping out of LASU, his parents enrolled him in the ‘Lead City University’, a private university in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. However, he dropped out of this university after only two sessions because he was already concentrated on his music career.
Wizkid Music Career
Wizkid secured a record deal in 2009 with Empire Mates Entertainment, which was owned and managed by Banky W. He first demonstrated his remarkable songwriting abilities when he co-wrote the single Omoge You Too Much, which appears on Banky W‘s album The W Experience.
That same year, he began recording his debut album, Superstar, and released its lead single, Holla At Your Boy, on January 2, 2010. The song was an instant hit, propelling his career in the music industry and earning him the coveted Next Rated Artist award at The Headies in 2011. Tease Me/Bad Guys, the album’s second single, was put into the public domain on April 2, 2010. The project’s third song, Don’t Dull, was released as a Christmas jam on December 6, 2010.
After two years of recording and compiling the project, Superstar, a combination of Afrobeats, Dancehall, R&B, and Reggae sounds, was ultimately launched on June 12th, 2011 at a launch party at the Eko Hotel and Suites. The album received multiple nominations and went on to win Best Album of the Year at the 2012 Nigerian Entertainment Awards.
Following the release of his first flagship project, Wizkid went on tour in London with his labelmates Skales, Shaydee, Banky W, and Niyola. He also collaborated with his label mates to record Empire Mates State Of The Mind, a compilation album that was published in 2012.
By 2012, Wizkid had began working on his second studio album, Ayo, which was completed and released in 2014. The album was a commercial success thanks to contributions from Femi Kuti, Seyi Shay, Phyno, Tyga, Akon, Wale, Sarz, Shizzi, Legendury Beatz, Dokta Frabz, Maleek Berry, and Spellz. The album’s lead song, Jaiye Jaiye, was released in May 2013. Femi Kuti, an Afrobeat legend, was featured on the song.
In October 2013, he released On Top Your Matter, the album’s second single. Del B is credited with producing this record. After his contract with E.M.E expired, he left the company to pursue a career as an independent artist, establishing his own label.
Wizkid released the song Ojuelegba at the start of the new year (January 2015), which discusses his early career and the challenges he endured on his journey to success. After signing with RCA Records in March 2017, he released his highly anticipated third album, Sounds From The Other Side, in July 2017.
The album included prominent tracks such as African Bad Gyal with American artist Chris Brown, Expensive Shit, Daddy Yo featuring Efya, Come Closer featuring Drake, and Sweet Love.
In 2016, Wizkid appeared as a guest on Drake’s blockbuster single One Dance. The song helped him acquire international attention as it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten nonconsecutive weeks. The song also peaked at number one on music charts in fifteen nations. Because of his engagement with One Dance, he became the first Afrobeats musician to be listed in the 2018 Guinness World Records.
Also, in 2018, famous international singers Normani and Calvin Harris approached Wizkid about collaborating. That year, the foursome also recorded the smash hit track Checklist. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart.
In 2019, he was invited to collaborate on Beyoncé’s album The Lion King: The Gift. He appeared on the single Brown Skin Girl with SAINt JHN and Blue Ivy Carter, which won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2021.
In October 2021, he released his fourth studio album, Made In Lagos, which was a commercial success internationally, reaching number one on the Billboard World Album Chart.
Essence, a track from the project featuring fellow Nigerian singer Tems, became the first Nigerian song to enter on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also reached the top ten after being remixed by Justin Bieber. In February 2021, he was the most-streamed Nigerian artist ever on Spotify, with over 3.4 billion streams across his repertoire.
After signing with E.M.E Records, Wizkid began working on his debut album, Superstar. Wizkid collaborated with talented producers such as Masterkraft, Samklef, Shizzi, Jay Sleek, and Q-Beats to create the album, which combines Afrobeats, R&B, and Reggae sounds.
He released the project’s first and lead single in January 2010. The song Holla At Your Boy catapulted Wizkid into the national spotlight, making him a favorite of many young Nigerians. In addition, the song is credited with helping him win the Next Rated Artiste award at The Headies in 2011.
Wizkid released the album’s second single, Tease Me/Bad Guys, in April 2020. Like his initial work, this song was also a commercial hit. The single was followed by Don’t Dull, which became a club and party hit during the December holiday season. Superstar was released to critical praise on June 12th, 2011, with a launch party held at the Eko Hotel and Suites. The album received a nomination for Album of the Year at The Headies 2012.
Wizkid collaborated with his label mates Shaydee, Niyola, Skales, and Banky W on the 2012 album Empire Mates State Of The Mind. Following the album’s release, he and other E.M.E performers toured the United States, performing in more than two dozen cities.
After two years of hard effort in the studio, he released his second album, Ayo, which also performed well commercially. The album’s lead song, Jaiye Jaiye, was released on May 2nd, 2013. He collaborated with music superstar Femi Kuti on the song. The album’s second single, “On Top Your Matter,” was released on October 26, 2013. Again, he partnered with ace producer, Del B on the song.
After his five-year contract with E.M.E records expired, he decided not to renew it and departed the label. Instead, he opted to form his own music company, which he named Starboy Entertainment. Prior to departing E.M.E, there were reports that Wizkid was having disagreements with management about the conditions of his contract.
And this was the reason he left the E.M.E mansion and moved into his own home in February 2013. He founded Starboy Entertainment and signed recording acts Legendury Beatz and Maleek Berry to the label.
In 2019, he was called by American singer Beyonce and offered to collaborate on her album The Lion King: The Gift. As a result, he provided vocals for the chart-topping single Brown Skin Girl. The song helped him get his first Grammy Award for Best Music Video. It also got him nominations for the BET Awards, NACCP Image Awards, and the Soul Train Music Awards.
Wizkid’s fourth studio album, Made in Lagos, was released on October 30, 2020. In 2021, Essence, one of the album’s tracks, became the first Nigerian song to reach the Billboard Hot 100. The record has also received millions of streams, putting him for more nominations.
Due to the success of Essence, Justin Bieber approached Wizkid to collaborate on a remix. Wizkid was originally signed by Banky W to Empire Mate Entertainment (EME) in 2009 and rose to prominence with the tune “Holla At Your Boy,” which appeared on his Superstar album.
The debut song from Wizkid’s upcoming sixth studio album Morayo, “Piece of My Heart” featuring American vocalist Brent Faiyaz, was released on October 18, 2024.
In November 2024, Asake’s song “MMS,” starring Wizkid, was nominated for Best African Music Performance at the 67th Grammy Awards. This is Wizkid’s sixth nomination for the coveted accolade in his career.
On November 22, 2024, Wizkid released his sixth studio album, Morayo. The album has sixteen songs and features Asake, Anaïs Cardot, Brent Faiyaz, Jazmine Sullivan, and Tiakola.
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Discography
Studio Albums
- Superstar (2011)
- Made in Lagos (2020)
- More Love, Less Ego (2022)
- Morayo (2024)
EPs
- Soundman Vol. 1 (2019)
- S2 (2023)
- Sounds from the Other Side (2017)
- Ayo (2014)
Lead Singles
- “Holla at Your Boy” (2010)
- “Love My Baby” (2011)
- “Pakurumo” (2011)
- “Tease Me/Bad Guys” (2010)
- “Don’t Dull” (2010)
- “Jaiye Jaiye” (2013)
- “On Top Your Matter” (2013)
- “One Question” (2014)
- “Show You the Money” (2014)
- “Ojuelegba” (2014)
- “Baba Nla” (2015)
- “Expensive Shit” (2015)
- “Daddy Yo” (2016)
- “Sweet Love” (2017)
- “Come Closer” (featuring Drake) (2017)
- “African Bad Gyal” (2017)
- “Naughty Ride” (2017)
- “Soco” (2018)
- “Fever” (2018)
- “Joro” (2019)
- “Ginger” (featuring Burna Boy) (2020)
- “Smile” (featuring H.E.R.) (2020)
- “Essence” (featuring Tems) (2020)
- “Mood” (2021)
- “Bad To Me” (2022)
- “Money & Love” (2022)
- “IDK” (2023)
- “Diamond” (2023)
- “Piece of My Heart” (featuring Brent Faiyaz) (2024)
Notable Features
- “One Dance” by Drake (2016)
- “Checklist” by Normani and Calvin Harris (2018)
- “Brown Skin Girl” by Beyoncé (2019)
- “Call Me Every Day” by Chris Brown (2022)
Awards and nominations
Wizkid’s music has received numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Music Video as a lead performer on Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl”; his first Grammy Award. He is the most honored African artist at the American Music Awards (2), MTV Video Music Awards (1), Soul Train Awards (3), Billboard Awards (3), and iHeartRadio Music Awards (2), as well as tying for the most at the BET Awards (4) and MOBO Awards (6).
He has also received an ASCAP plaque for his songwriting contributions to Drake’s “One Dance,” which set two Guinness World Records as the first song to exceed a billion listens on Spotify and the most streamed song at the time. Wizkid was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine in 2019.
He is also the most awarded artiste in The Headies award history. He was nominated for Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for “Essence” and “Made in Lagos Deluxe Edition.” In November 2021, the Apple Music Awards named him Artist of the Year (Africa).
Personal Life: Who is Wizkid Wife?
Despite being the father of three beautiful sons, Boluwatife Balogun, Ayodeji Balogun, and Zion Balogun, he is considered single. Rumors suggest that the star is in a relationship with Jada Pollock, his manager and the mother of his third son, Zion Balogun.
Furthermore, numerous bloggers have speculated that he is dating Tems. Nevertheless, Wizkid likes his children and spends his leisure time with them when he is not recording music or touring.
Wizkid is a highly successful performer, both monetarily and musically. He presently resides in Lagos and Accra. Aside from owning a fleet of luxury cars, he also owns prime residences throughout the world and has a varied business portfolio.
He is also a music executive, having launched his own music label, Starboy Entertainment, in 2013 and signed musicians such as Maleek Berry and Legendury Beatz. Starboy Terri, a promising vocalist, is now signed with the label.
He is a Pepsi ambassador, having signed his first partnership with the company in 2012. He has also signed brand collaboration agreements with MTN Nigeria, Guinness Nigeria Plc, and the United Bank of Africa (UBA).
He is presently managed by Mr. Sunday Are. He is also known by the nicknames Starboy, Machala, Big Wiz, and Big W. Wizkid is often regarded as one of Africa’s top three artists. The others are Burna Boy and Davido. He also has the largest fan base in Nigeria, who call themselves Wizkid FC. Wizkid is also known by his nicknames Starboy, Big Wiz, and Big W.
The singer was born in Lagos and is 32 years old. Although he has yet to marry, he has three boys from various women. Boluwatife, his first child, was born in 2011. He was only 21 years old at the time. He adores his children and spends his leisure time traveling with them or taking them to beautiful places.
He is currently said to be dating his manager, Jada P, who is also the mother of his third kid, Zion Balogun. He also has another manager, Sunday Are. In addition, he announced the signing of singer Terri in 2018.
The artist, famed for his signature dress sense, owns luxury properties around the world. He currently splits his time between his homes in Lagos and Ghana.
Wizkid Children
Wizkid is a father of three;
- Boluwatife Balogun mothered by Oluwanisola Ogudugu
- Ayodeji Balogun mothered by Binta Diallo
- Jada Pollock is the mother of Zion Balogun.
Except for Jada Pollock, all three of the women described above are his ex-girlfriends and baby moms. Wizkid has dated Tonto Dikeh, Tiwa Savage, and Seyi Shay in the past.
Net Worth
Wizkid, one of Africa’s most prominent performers and music executives, is a tremendously wealthy individual. He receives a lot of royalties from his songs and generates money by organizing and performing at performances all around the world. Wizkid’s net worth is expected to reach $50 million by 2025, making him Nigeria’s richest artist. Forbes also counts Wizkid as Nigeria’s highest-paid artist, with a net worth of $50 million.
