He started recording in his bedroom at eleven years old. He ended up on the biggest stages in the world. The story of Wizkid is the story of how Afrobeats conquered the globe.
There is a moment that many people point to as the turning point — the moment when Afrobeats stopped being a regional phenomenon and became a global force. That moment was 2016, when a song called "One Dance" by Drake, featuring Wizkid and Kyla, became the most streamed song in Spotify history and spent fifteen weeks at number one in the United Kingdom.
But Wizkid's journey to that moment had been underway for years. And the story of how he got there is the story of how Afrobeats conquered the world.
Early Life and Career
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun — Wizkid — was born on July 16, 1990, in Surulere, Lagos. He grew up in a musical household and showed an extraordinary talent for music from an early age. He began recording music at the age of eleven, using basic equipment in his bedroom.
At fifteen, he recorded a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he formed with friends from church. The album was sold locally and gave him his first taste of the music business.
In 2009, he signed with Banky W's Empire Mates Entertainment label, and in 2011 he released his debut album "Superstar." The album was a sensation in Nigeria, producing hit after hit and establishing Wizkid as one of the most exciting new voices in Nigerian music.
His style was distinctive — a smooth, melodic approach to Afrobeats that drew on R&B, reggae, and traditional Nigerian music. His voice was warm and expressive, capable of conveying emotion with a subtlety that was unusual in Nigerian pop. And his production sensibility was sophisticated — he understood how to create music that was simultaneously rooted in African tradition and accessible to international audiences.
The International Breakthrough
Wizkid's international profile grew steadily through the early 2010s, as his music reached African diaspora communities in the United Kingdom and the United States. He toured internationally, building a fanbase that extended far beyond Nigeria.
The breakthrough came in 2016, when Drake invited him to collaborate on "One Dance." The song was a global phenomenon — a perfect synthesis of Afrobeats rhythms, Caribbean influences, and Drake's pop sensibility. It introduced Wizkid's voice and his musical style to millions of listeners who had never heard Afrobeats before.
The success of "One Dance" opened doors. Wizkid signed with RCA Records and began working with some of the biggest names in American and British pop. He collaborated with Beyoncé on "Brown Skin Girl," which won a Grammy Award. He released "Essence" featuring Tems, which became one of the most streamed songs in the world and won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance.
The Legacy
Wizkid's contribution to the global rise of Afrobeats is immeasurable. He was not the only artist who helped bring Afrobeats to the world — Burna Boy, Davido, and others played equally important roles. But his collaborations with Drake and Beyoncé, and the extraordinary success of "Essence," made him the most visible face of Afrobeats to international audiences.
He demonstrated that Afrobeats could compete on equal terms with the biggest names in global pop — that an artist from Lagos could stand alongside Drake and Beyoncé and hold his own. And in doing so, he opened the door for every African artist who came after him.
The boy from Surulere who started recording in his bedroom at eleven years old changed the world. And the world is still catching up.
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