Wizkid Recognized By British Phonographic Industry, ASCAP; Becomes First African Artiste To Hit 1 Billion UK Streams

Ayodeji Balogun, a renowned Nigerian singer, songwriter, and performer commonly known as Wizkid, has been recognized by the British Phonographic Industry for his recent accomplishment in Britain. He was awarded the Brit Billion plaque to commemorate his achievement. He is the first African to be recognized by ASCAP and BMI, the largest organization for songwriters and music publishers worldwide.

The musician achieved remarkable success with more than 1.3 billion views on YouTube, 1.16 billion lead streams on Spotify, and 4.6 billion streams on Spotify. Additionally, the artist garnered more than 349 million total streams on Audiomack, 183 million on Pandora, and over 126 million on Boomplay. Recently, the artist’s album ‘Made In Lagos’ reached the impressive milestone of over 500 million streams on the same global music streaming platform.

The album “Made In Lagos” premiered on October 30, 2020, and a deluxe edition was released on August 27, 2021. Wizkid’s concert at the 02 Arena in London, with a capacity of over 20,000, sold out in just 12 minutes in 2021. His latest album MLLE(More Love, Less Ego), continues to rise on the charts even as he embarks on a tour to promote the record. The lead artist of Starboy Entertainment and its owner recently performed at the Tottenham Stadium in London, which can hold up to 62,850 people. This makes him the first and only African artist to headline and perform at the venue.

 

On July 31, 2023, the official Twitter page of the Brit Awards confirmed that the Afrobeats superstar had been awarded the Brit Billion Award for achieving one billion streams in the UK.

It's one billion UK streams for @wizkidayo, who was presented with his BRIT Billion Award while in London for his incredible show at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sqEj7xW2TB

— BRIT Awards (@BRITs) July 31, 2023

Balogun embarked on his music journey at the young age of 11. He recorded his first album, Lil Prinz, in 2001 with Glorious Five, a group comprising himself and his church friends. In 2006, he decided to pursue music as a full-time career. Initially, he collaborated with Nigerian pop artists such as OJB Jezreel, Naeto C, and Banky W. In March 2017, Wizkid inked a significant contract with RCA and Sony International to drop his third LP, Sounds from the Other Side, in the same year. A few singles, such as “Sweet Love” and “Come Closer”, featuring Drake, were released before the album’s launch.

To celebrate Nigeria’s Independence Day in October 2018, Wizkid released two singles, “Master Groove” and “Fever.” He also collaborated with Beyoncé and Saint John for “Brown Skin Girl” on The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack and released his single “Joro” the following year. Wizkid’s fourth album, Made In Lagos, features exciting collaborations with Burna Boy, Damian Marley, H.E.R., and other talented artists. The fifth single, “Essence”, featuring Tems, received a Grammy nomination and achieved worldwide success, reaching number 17 in the UK and becoming the first Nigerian song to make it onto the Billboard Hot 100. Following its popularity, a remix featuring Justin Bieber was released.