Unlimited Success:
Nigerian Music Superstar, WIZKID wins Apple Music African Artiste of the Year Award…hit song ‘Essence’ nominated for two American Grammy Awards 2022
*Wizkid has been the most streamed African artist on the continent on Apple Music growing by more than 250 percent outside of Africa. In October 2020, he released Made in Lagos, a critically acclaimed and most commercially successful album, which include his hit song ‘Essence,’ a track that gained 125 million plays on Apple Music and over 2.8 million followers-Apple Music
*“Thank you to Apple Music for this award. It’s a blessing to get to do what I do, and I am proud to be representing Africa”-Wizkid
*Ayo Balogun, a.k.a. Wizkid is the most celebrated African artist to have won BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, Billboard Awards; iHeartRadio Music Awards and MOBO Awards –Naija Standard Newspaper Center for Investigative Journalism
*BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICAN Foreign Editor
HE’S obviously the most celebrated African musician in modern times. AYO BALOGUN, famously known as ‘Wizkid’ in the global music circle has won every award in every continent around the world through the creative use of music, gripping messages, inspiring lyrics, and danceable rhythms. Just few hours ago, Wizkid dust every musician in Africa to emerge Apple Music African Artiste of the Year award winner in the 2021 African region category.
This announcement was made by Apple via its official website on Tuesday, as Wizkid emerged as one of the five artists to emerge as ‘Artist of the Year’ from various Listing Wizkid’s achievement on the music company, Apple said, “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. ions.
“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.”
On receiving the award, 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 Africa.”
Other winners of the Artist of the Year award in different regions include Aya Nakamura (France), RIN (Germany), Official Hige Dandism (Japan), Scriptonite (Russia), while The Weekend won Global Artist of the Year.
The singer contribution to the international music industry have earned him several achievements, including a Grammy Award…thanks to his featured work on Beyonce’s the Lion King: The Gift soundtrack with “Brown Skin Girl.”
Further investigation undertaken by Naija Standard Newspaper Center for Investigative Journalism, NSNCIJ, revealed that Wizkid is the most awarded African artist at the BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, Billboard Awards; iHeartRadio Music Awards and MOBO Awards. He is also a recipient of an ASCAP plaque for Drake’s ‘One Dance’. Wizkid’s contributions to the Nigerian music industry has made him the most awarded artiste in The Headies award history.
Grammy Award nomination:
Only recently, the Grammy Academy announced the 2022 Grammy Awards nominations list in a Livestream from the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, which featured Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Board of Trustees Chair Tammy Hurt, as well as some special guests. Wizkid was nominated for the Best Global Music Performance alongside other African superstars, including Femi Kuti, Burna Boy, Terms and Angelique K The Nigerian Afrobeat Star’s album Made In Lagos was nominated for Best Global Music Album at the 64th Grammy Award show. He faces competition from Femi Kuti and Made Kuti’s Legacy +, Angelique Kidjo’s Mother Nature and Rocky Dawumi’s Voice of Bunbon Volume I.
African Giant Burna Boy also fetched a nomination in the 2022 Grammy Awards. He was nominated in the Best Global Music Performance category for his collaboration with Angelique Kidjo alongside Femi Kuti’s Pa Pa Pa and Wizkid and Terms song Essence.
Wizkid and Burna Boy won their first-ever Grammy at the 2021 Awards. Wizkid won the Grammy award for his collaboration with Singer Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy for the track Brown Skin Girl in the Best Music Video category.
On the other hand, Burna Boy clinched the Best World Music category award with his Twice As Tall album.
Wizkid’s 2022 Grammy Awards nomination is one of the singer’s notable feats of the year. Early this month, he won the Best African Act award at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards (MTV EMA).
He also recorded the global success of his Made in Lagos album, including the smash hit ‘Essence’ featuring Terms.
The singer was also shortlisted for the Best African Music Act and Best International Act at the UK’s 2021 Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards.
Billboard Magazine in October confirmed that Made in Lagos had been submitted for the Best Global Album Award for next year’s Grammys, which Burna Boy had won early this year.
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