Apple Names Wizkid African Artist Of The Year

Superstar musician Wizkid is surely having his best year in stardom. After bagging two nominations for the 64^th edition of the Grammy Awards, the Wizkid has been named the Artist of The Year (Africa) by Apple Music.

The annual awards which were announced on Monday, November 29, 2021, saw The Weekend claim the prize for the global Artist of the Year. Aya Nakaruma was named the Artist of the Year in France, while H.E.R got the Songwriter of the Year prize.

Apple hailed Wizkid as

“one of Africa’s biggest crossover acts, having worked with Drake, Skepta, and Chris Brown, among others. The Nigerian musician first found regional success in 2011 with the massively popular single “Holla at Your Boy,” which appeared on his debut album, “Superstar.” Wizkid went global in 2016 after his collaboration with Drake on “One Dance,” which soared to the top of the charts in 15 countries.’’

The global music streaming platform also highlighted Wizkid’s moves towards stabilizing on the global music space, noting that:

“Between 2019 and 2020, Wizkid was featured in Beyoncé’s projects “The Lion King: The Gift” and its companion piece, “Black Is King.” In October 2020, he released “Made in Lagos,” his critically acclaimed and most commercially successful album, which included his hit song “Essence,” a track that gained 125 million plays on Apple Music and over 2.8 million Shazams.’’

Without a doubt, the success of Wizkid’s Made in Lagos album which has seen him tour the globe and sellout venues such as the O2 Arena in London, gaining more streams than other African acts, puts him ahead in the African music space. Wizkid has won a number of awards in the past 12 months and will be hoping to crown that with a Grammy in January 2022.

“This past year, he’s been the most streamed African artist on the continent on Apple Music and ranked on the Daily Top 100 charts in 60 countries, in addition to his monthly plays on Apple Music growing by more than 250 percent outside of Africa. He’s also been featured on Apple Music’s Today’s Hits and R&B Now playlists, and he’s a frequent guest on Apple Music Radio shows, including “Africa Now Radio,” “The Ebro Show,” “New Music Daily with Zane Lowe,” and “OVO SOUND RADIO.”

Apple Music

Reacting to the win, Wizkid said: “Thank you to Apple Music for this award. It’s a blessing to get to do what I do, and I’m proud to be representing for Africa.”

Source: 

Pulse NG

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ugo-chinedu

I am a Lion, I love to hit heights that seem impossible so I can motivate others and prove doubters wrong. For me, impossible is nothing. I'm open to learning and I love to read, travel and meet new faces.

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