Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born July 16, 1989) better known as
Wizkid,
Star Boy, and the
Pop Prince of Africa,
is a Nigerianrecording artist, songwriter, and performer. Wizkid rose
to prominence with his hit song, Don’t Dull. Banky W discovered Wizkid
and signed him to his record label, “Empire Mates Entertainment”.
Wizkid’s most notable songs are: Don’t Dull, Love My
Baby, Azonto,Pakurumo, Tease Me/Bad Guys, and Dance For Me.
Early Life
Wizkid was born on July 16, 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. He comes from a
large family and is the last of six children. In an interview with Tim
Westwood, Wizkid stated that his father has three wives. He kicked off
his singing career at the early age of
11 when he recorded his first song with one of
Nigeria’s celebrated music icons,
OJB Jezreel. He went on to record a 7-track album, which he released in his church in Lagos, under the name of
Lil’ Prinz;
this was just a stint that earned him a remarkable deal of
encouragement and recognition from family, his church and other
artistes.
Years later in 2006, with a new stage name, and a passion for making music and God-given talent,
Wizkid got
back into the studio to hone his craft. He continued to develop as a
Singer and Songwriter by working under some of Nigeria’s biggest Musical
names such as
OJB Jezreel,
Naeto C,
Ikechukwu and
many others. Over the next few years his talent as a Singer and
Songwriter became evident and it resulted in Wiz being prominently
featured alongside some of the biggest Artistes in Nigeria’s Music
Industry to much critical and commercial acclaim.
Collaborations
2009 would prove to be Wizkid’s break-out year, as his collaboration with
M.I on “
Fast Money, Fast Cars”
on the Talk About It album drew major attention to his distinct voice,
singing style and penchant for great songwriting. He went on to feature
on
Kel’s ”
Turn by Turn“, the Barcelos radio jingle and many other high profile projects. He also got signed to
Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment, and featured prominently on Banky’s “The W Experience” album.
At the age of 20, this extremely talented and charming young man had
already achieved so much, thanks to his drive and focus for turning his
life’s experiences into incredible music. In 2010, he released his first
singles, “
Holla at your Boy“, “
Gidi Girl” and “
Ori Mi” with label mate,
Skales; then there was the hit song, “
Tease Me”
which was just a studio freestyle that got leaked online and turned
into a big hit in different parts of Nigeria and among Nigerians
worldwide.
He bagged the coveted award for the Promising Artiste of the Year at
the 2010 edition of the Dynamix All Youth Awards, collaborated with
several artistes and performed at some A-list events; some of which
include the Soundcity Music Video Awards, Lord of the Ribs Lagos, Rhythm
Unplugged, the Shutdown Concert with Rick Ross, the Koko Concert, Crack
Ya Ribs Lagos, Face of Selera 2010 Abuja just to mention a few.
Awards and nominations
Ghana Music Awards
| Year |
Recipient |
Award |
Result |
| 2013 |
“Wizkid” |
African Artist of the Year |
Won
|
BET Awards 2012
| Year |
Recipient |
Award |
Result |
| 2012 |
“Wizkid” |
Best International Act Africa |
Won
|
Hip Hop World Awards (The Headies)
| Year |
Recipient |
Award |
Result |
| 2012 |
“Wizkid” |
Artist Of The Year |
Won |
| Hip Hop World Revelation Of The Year |
Won |
Nigerian Entertainment Awards
| Year |
Recipient |
Award |
Result |
| 2012 |
“Superstar” |
Best Album of the Year |
Won |
| Best Pop/R&B Artist of the Year |
Won |
Mobo Awards
| Year |
Recipient |
Award |
Result |
| 2011 |
“Wizkid” |
Best African Act |
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