- Wizkid is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.
- He rose to fame after releasing his debut album ‘Superstar’ in 2011.
- He won a Grammy Award for a collaboration with Beyonce.
- He’s set to perform at the 2022 American Music Awards.
Wizkid, 32, is about to put on an incredible performance at the 2022 American Music Awards. The Nigerian superstar, whose real name is Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, is making his AMAs performance debut at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theatre on Nov. 20. This will be an opportunity for Wizkid to show off his talents to a massive audience that may be unfamiliar with him. Ahead of his performance, we rounded up everything you need to know about Wizkid.
Wizkid is Nigerian.
Wizkid was born in a residential area in Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, and second most populous city in Africa. He was raised by a Christian mother and polygamous Muslim father who had three other wives, according to an interview he did with The Guardian. Wizkid was the youngest of eleven children.
He started recording music at 11 years old.
Wizkid was a child when he fell in love with music at church and formed a musical group called Glorious Five, with four of his church friends. At 11 years old, Wizkid recorded his first song with the record producer OJB Jezreel. In 2009, he signed a record deal with Empire Mates Entertainment and released his debut studio album, Superstar, two years later. The album included Wizkid’s hit single “Holla at Your Boy” which helped him draw attention in the industry.
As of 2022, Wizkid has released five albums. His fifth album More Love, Less Ego came out on November 11. Wiz was a collaborator on Drake‘s hit song “One Dance” in 2016. He’s also collaborated with Tyga, Jeezy, Akon, and others.
He won a Grammy with Beyonce.
Wizkid was featured on Beyonce‘s soundtrack album for the 2019 remake of The Lion King. For the music video to the song “Brown Skin Girl,” Beyonce and Wizkid won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2021. Wizkid’s been nominated for three other Grammys, including Album of the Year in 2016 as a featured artist on Drake’s album Views.
He has four children.
Wizkid has four children with three different women. He shares his two younger kids with his girlfriend Jada Pollock. “Now I’m more careful with what I put in my songs. Because my kids listen to my songs,” he said to The Guardian. Wizkid fathered his eldest child when he was 21 years old after he got an undergraduate student named Sola Ogudugu pregnant. He initially denied having a child until he shared a picture of his son Boluwatife Balogun in 2013.
He’s spoken out abut Nigerian politics.
In 2020, Wizkid openly criticized Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari amidst protests against the country’s special anti-robbery squad. He told The Guardian that he’s “about to go crazy on their asses” heading into the 2023 election. “All these old men are going out of power this time. They need to go to an old people’s home and chill out,” the singer said in the interview.