The making of Wizkid
During the summer of 2012, one of the biggest UK chart hits was Oliver Twist, the feelgood pop and Afrobeat mashup that mirrored the lascivious desires of D’Banj, the energetic Nigerian singer then on the roster of Good Music, whose front man Kanye West had a cameo appearance in the video. This summer, it’s another Nigerian singer, Wizkid, whose name is a fixture all over the charts.
With two songs – the groovy reggaeton hit Daddy Yo and a collaboration with the Canadian rapper Drake on Come Closer – on the Billboard and UK charts alongside Drake’s One Dance (the 2016 summer anthem), which he lends his vocals to, and Tinie Tempah’s Caribbean-influenced Mamacita, which he elevates with a well-delivered hook, it’s officially Wizkid season.
All of this has culminated in a staggering seven nominations at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards tonight even as he prepares to join a star-studded cast at the UK Wireless Festival in London this summer.
Ayodeji Ibrahim – Wizkid – began singing at the age of 11 in the church choir. A few years later, he formed a boy band, SI, while running errands in the studio where musicians 2face Idibia and Jazzman Olofin recorded circa 2004.
When his debut album, 2011’s Superstar, was released three years after he secured his first record deal, it broke industry records and the launch was well attended by the cream of the music business. It reinforced what many had suspected from the singles since he was first introduced to the listening public; the innocent-faced kid had a knack for cooing catchy hooks and plastering greatness on guest features.
