Wizkid’s journey to success has been a sight to behold
AFROBEATS star Wizkid has been on a roller-coaster journey across the globe over the past few months.
It all started when his single, Essence, featuring Tems, caught fire on US radio around May, just after the music video came out. Soon afterward, several celebrities, among them the likes of Alicia Keys, Ciara, Megan Good, Lori Harvey and Toni Braxton, posted videos of themselves vibing to the song on Instagram stories.
The single has since gone viral, sparking dance challenges and broadening Wizkid’s international presence.
Dubbed the “song of the summer”, Essence has exploded onto the scene for its infectious and vibrant vibe that meshes the sounds of Afrobeats with R&B and a hint of hip hop.
Originally released in October last year, as a part of Wizkid’s Made in Lagos album, Essence quickly emerged as a fan favourite before being pushed as a single.
Since it started charting on the Billboard 100 in July, the song has steadily made its way up the charts week after week.
Following the recent release of the popular Justin Bieber-assisted remix, the song has entered the Top 10 on the prestigious chart, making Wizkid the first Nigerian artist to achieve the feat.
A few months ago, while it was bubbling under, journalist and publicist Savannah Britt predicted the Billboard milestone.
“The fact that I know @wizkidayo ’Essence’ is gonna hit top 10 Billboard this summer is crazy. The after effect of its initial release is crazy!”
In an interview with Billboard in August, Tunji Balogun, the executive vice-president of A&R at US label RCA Records, said: “That song has become emblematic of being back outside. Then, a narrative on the internet started about the song being the song of the summer — and we took that energy and ran with it.”
Wizkid added: “We just came out of the craziest pandemic. Afrobeats just spreads love around a room when you play it. This is the first time where it feels like a song is competing on the level of a similarly promoted song from Western artists in the pop genre.
“And I hope that’s the lasting influence of the record – that it opens doors for more people with different styles and different textures.”
Last week, the single reigned atop the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart for the 10th-consecutive week. Made In Lagos occupies the top spot on the Billboard World Albums chart, where it's been charting for 48 weeks.
The new milestones come after the single was certified platinum last week for exceeding sales of more than a million units across the US, making it the first African song to go platinum in the country. As he was presented with the plaque, Wizkid took the opportunity to thank his fans and co-collaborators.
“We have a platinum record… I just want to say thank you to all involved in this. From Tems to the producers
P2J, Legendary beats, those are my brothers from way back. I want to say we made a good beat. Thanks to the whole team from believing in the dreams from early. To my fans, I appreciate you all. I pray God bless you all.”
Wizkid’s journey to superstardom famously started when, as a wide-eyed teen in 2011, he launched his breakout debut single, Holla At Your Boy.
He has since honed his craft over the years and emerged as the continent's hottest Afrobeats star.
When Drake jumped on the remix for his single Ojuelegba back in 2015, the Canadian artist's massive global audience started to take notice of the Nigerian star's talents.
He then went onto feature on Drake's massive 2016 single One Dance, which became the most streamed song of all time across all digital platforms.
One Dance helped propel Wizkid even further and garnered him a legion of new fans across the globe.
In the past five years, Wizkid has worked with major international artists, among them Beyoncé and Dave.
His Made In Lagos album was star-studded with global features Skepta, Damian Marley, H.E.R, Ella Mai and Tay Iwar.
Last year, Wizkid earned a Grammy for his single with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy and Saint Jhn, Brown Skin Girl which won under the category, Best Music Video.
Brown Skin Girl was the stand-out single on Beyoncé's soundtrack album,
His momentum since then has been unstoppable.