Wizkid
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.
Early Life
Wizkid was born in Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria. He grew up in an interfaith household with twelve sisters; his mother is a Pentecostal Christian, and his father practices Islam. He attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School for his primary education and later Lead City University, though he left to focus on his music career. Wizkid began recording music at 11 and released a collaborative album with the Glorious Five (5), a group he and a couple of his church friends formed.
Career
Wizkid signed a record deal with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E) in 2009. He later rose to the limelight after releasing "Holla at Your Boy", the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar (2011), which also contained the singles "Tease Me/Bad Guys" and "Don't Dull."
His international breakthrough came in 2016 with the release of "One Dance," a collaboration with Drake that topped the Billboard Hot 100 and other global charts. Wizkid’s third album, "Sounds from the Other Side", was released in 2017 and included collaborations with artists like Drake and Major Lazer. In 2019, he gained further recognition with his feature on Beyoncé's "Brown Skin Girl," earning him a Grammy Award for Best Music Video.
In 2017, Billboard reported that Wizkid signed a multi-album worldwide record deal with RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music.
Wizkid's fourth studio album, "Made in Lagos", released in October 2020, was met with commercial success and critical acclaim, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard World Album Chart. The single "Essence," featuring Tems, became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. His fifth album, "More Love, Less Ego", was released in November 2022.
Personal Life
Wizkid has four children from three different women. Wizkid's first child, Boluwatife Balogun, was born in 2011. In 2016, he welcomed his second child, Ayodeji Balogun, followed by a third child, Zion Balogun, born in 2017. His mother passed away in London on August 18, 2023.
