Afrobeats star Wizkid has surpassed six billion streams on Spotify across all credits as of September 29. 2023. The ‘One Dance’ singer hits he milestone backing August and currently has 6,007,508,885 streams tube exact. The Nigerian superstar’s top song is his feature with Drake “One Dance” which has surpassed 2.7 billion streams, he extending his lead as the second most streamed African artist of all time on the platform behind Moroccan born Diamond selling rapper French Montana who has more than 9 billion streams on Spotify.
In May Wizkid earned his third Platinum certification in the U.S. when Come Closer featuring Drake was certified by the Recording Industry Association. The song was the third single from the 33 year old’s third studio album “Sounds Form The Other Side” release by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records
Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, stands as a luminary in the contemporary Afrobeats music panorama and has solidified his position as one of the most significant and influential African artists in history.
His success on Spotify didn’t come overnight and the Billboard chart topper started his musical journey at age 11 before getting his big break came in 2009 when he signed a record deal with Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E).
It was during this time that he captured the spotlight with the release of “Holla at Your Boy,” the leading single from his debut studio album, “Superstar,” which dropped in 2011. This album also spawned to hit singles like “Tease Me/Bad Guys” and “Don’t Dull.”
By September 2014, he dropped self-titled second studio album, “Ayo,” and dropped six notable singles, including the track “Jaiye Jaiye.” Wizkid eventually moved on from E.M.E. when his contract expired. His global recognition surged in 2016 after “One Dance” topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and dominated charts in 14 other countries. This groundbreaking achievement earned Wizkid a place in the Guinness World Records as the first Afrobeats artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
March 2017 marked another milestone in his career as he signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records and released his third studio album, “Sounds from the Other Side.” The album was lead by five singles, including “Come Closer.”
In 2018, he made waves with his feature on Normani and Calvin Harris’s track “Checklist,” which topped the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. The following year, his collaboration with Beyoncé on “Brown Skin Girl,” part of her project “The Lion King: The Gift,” also claimed the number-one spot on the World Digital Song Sales chart and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Music Video.
In October 2020, Wizkid dropped his fourth album, “Made in Lagos,” which soared to the number-one on the Billboard World Album Chart. Among its standout tracks was “Essence,” featuring Tems, which made history again as the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix of the song featuring Justin Bieber propelled it into the top ten.
Last November, Wizkid has released his fifth album, “More Love, Less Ego,” continuing his remarkable journey in the world of music.
