Tag: Wizkid

  • MTV EMA 2017: Davido, Wizkid battle for award

    MTV EMA 2017: Davido, Wizkid battle for award

    Its here again, that time of the year, when the best of musicians from all over Europe and beyond gather for an acknowledgement and reward of their effort.

    MTV Europe, organisers of the MTV European Music Awards 2017, which would be held in London, have released the list of the nominees for the awards.

    Below are the categories and nominations for the award:

    BEST AFRICAN ACT

    Babes Wodumo – South Africa
    C4 Pedro – Angola
    DaVido – Nigeria
    Nasty C – South Africa
    Nyashinski – Kenya
    WizKid – Nigeria

    BEST SONG
    Clean Bandit – Rockabye ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie
    DJ Khaled – Wild Thoughts ft. Rihanna, Bryson Tiller
    Ed Sheeran – Shape of You
    Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee – Despacito (Remix) ft. Justin Bieber
    Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back

    BEST ARTIST
    Ariana Grande
    Ed Sheeran
    Kendrick Lamar
    Miley Cyrus
    Shawn Mendes
    Taylor Swift

    BEST LOOK
    Dua Lipa
    Harry Styles
    Rita Ora
    Taylor Swift
    ZAYN

    BEST NEW
    Dua Lipa
    Julia Michaels
    Khalid
    KYLE
    Rag’n’Bone Man

    BEST POP
    Camila Cabello
    Demi Lovato
    Miley Cyrus
    Shawn Mendes
    Taylor Swift

    BEST VIDEO
    Foo Fighters – Run
    Katy Perry – Bon Appétit ft. Migos
    Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE.
    KYLE – iSpy ft. Lil Yachty
    Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do

    BEST LIVE
    Bruno Mars
    Coldplay
    Ed Sheeran
    Eminem
    U2

    BEST ELECTRONIC
    Calvin Harris
    David Guetta
    Major Lazer
    Martin Garrix
    The Chainsmokers

    BEST ROCK
    Coldplay
    Foo Fighters
    Royal Blood
    The Killers
    U2

    BEST HIP HOP
    Drake
    Eminem
    Future
    Kendrick Lamar
    Post Malone

    BEST ALTERNATIVE
    Imagine Dragons
    Lana Del Rey
    Lorde
    The xx
    Thirty Seconds To Mars

    BIGGEST FANS
    Ariana Grande
    Justin Bieber
    Katy Perry
    Shawn Mendes
    Taylor Swift

    BEST PUSH
    Hailee Steinfeld
    Jon Bellion
    Julia Michaels
    Kacy Hill
    Khalid
    KYLE
    Noah Cyrus
    Petite Meller
    Rag’n’Bone Man
    SZA
    The Head And The Heart

    BEST WORLD STAGE
    Steve Aoki – Live from Isle of MTV Malta 2016
    Kings of Leon – Live from Oude Luxor Theatre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 2016
    Tomorrowland 2017
    DNCE – Live from Isle of MTV Malta 2017
    The Chainsmokers – Live from Isle of MTV Malta 2017
    Foo Fighters – Live from Barcelona, Spain 2017

  • Davido most followed Nigerian celeb on Instagram

    Davido most followed Nigerian celeb on Instagram

    Veteran Artiste David Adeleke popularly known by his stage name, Davido has become the most followed Nigerian celebrity on Instagram.

    Davido is at the peak of the list with 5 million followers, Wizkid follows him closely with 4 million followers and Don Jazzy comes third with 3.4 million followers.

    Genevieve Nnaji is the 4th and has 3.1 million followers and PSquare’s Peter Okoye has 3 million followers.

     

  • Wizikd features American singer, Future, in ‘Everytime’

    NIGERIAN superstar, Ayo Balogun, aka Wizkid, has released a brand new single featuring one of America’s top rated rappers, Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn aka Future.

    Titled ‘Everytime,’ the song is produced by Shizzi with additional help from Salaam Remi, an American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle and Miguel.

    This is coming some months after the Starboy, as Wizkid has come to be known, dropped his album titled ‘Sounds From The Other Side.’

    The collaboration between the two is just the latest high-profile collabo for wizkid, following songs with Drake, Chris Brown and Major Lazer.

    Also, on the recent album, he featured other American artistes like TY Dolla Sign and Trey Songz.

    “It’s a great thing and I’m excited to be a part of it. It’s just amazing to see it spread and watch it happening. And for the artists and the producers and really everyone from the entertainment industry in Africa, this is the right time to leverage off of that. It’s a great thing,” the artiste said in a recent interview.

  • WATCH OUT FOR MY SON, EEDRIS WARNS DAVIDO AND WIZKID

    NIGERIAN rap icon Eedris Abdulkareem has said his rapper son, Derrick Abdulkareem, is bigger than two of nigeria’s hip hop greats – Wizkid and Davido.

    While speaking to The Nation on where he sees his son in the next five years, Eedris said: “For me I am happy that my son is here doing great and this is just the beginning, I just want the whole Wizkid and Davido to watch out.”

    On what inspired Derrick’s musical ambition, the nine year old disclosed that seeing his father do music all his life has been a major inspiration for him

    “I just love doing music because when I saw my dad doing music I feel like, wow I love to do it,” said Derrick.

    “I used watch foreign music videos and listen to them. And I said wow, I should do it.”

    The ‘Jaga Jaga’ crooner is fully in support of his son’s musical ambition.

    “The first day I did it was in school,” said the Basic Five student who has recorded and released 12 songs online and has an Extended Play (EP) titled ‘KING.’

    “We were doing a party in school, so they called me to come and dance because I’m a dancer. So I told them to give me a beat down to freestyle, so that day he (Eedris Abdukareem) said wow, wow. He started encouraging me from that day.”

    Derrick who aspires to be bigger than his role model, Kendrick Lamar in the next five years mentioned his dad as his number one role model.

    On collaborations, Derrick said he looks forward to working with Chocolate City boss M. I Abaga “because I love the way he raps and I love his kind of hip hop music.”

    On how he comes up with his rap verses, Derrick said “Uhmmm, I used to think like what people have not said before or heard before I used to do somethings.”

  • Wizkid falls ill, suspends music tours

    Wizkid falls ill, suspends music tours

    A ward winning Nigerian music icon, Ayo Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has  revealed that he is having health challenges and, therefore, has cancelled some of his international shows.

    The singer took to his Twitter page on @wizkidayo to make this known, while urging his fans to pray for him.

    He wrote: “Sad I’m typing this but I’ll be moving dates on my tour to get my health up. I appeal to my real fans to understand and pray with me.”

    NAN recalls that Wizkid had also in December 2016 announced he was taking a break from all music engagements till early 2017, after fans voiced concerns about his frail looks.

  • Wizkid falls ill, suspends music tours

    Wizkid falls ill, suspends music tours

    Award winning Nigerian music icon, Ayo Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has  revealed that he is having health challenges and, therefore, has cancelled some of his international shows.

    Read also: Don Jazzy, Wizkid, Davido make Forbes’ top 10 richest African musicians

    He took to his Twitter page on  @wizkidayo to  make this known, while urging  his fans to pray for him.

    He wrote “Sad I’m typing this but I’ll be moving dates on my tour to get my health up. I appeal to my real fans to understand and pray with me.”

    NAN recalls that Wizkid had also in December 2016 announced he was taking a break from all music engagements  till early 2017, after fans voiced concerns about his frail looks.

  • Wizkid calls Nigerian government a ‘joke’

    Wizkid calls Nigerian government a ‘joke’

    Hip hop artiste Wizkid has dissed the Nigerian government. And considering the interest whicch some music stars who have attained fame take in politics, Wizkid has said he is not ‘interested’ in politics.

    Wizkid who has transformed to an international star made this assertion on Twitter on Tuesday, while responding to a fan who asked if he would join politics.

    First, the ‘Ojuelegba’ crooner lambasted government in the country as a ‘joke.’

    “Government for my country na joke,” he tweeted in pidgin English, adding the laughing emoticon as he followed it up with another tweet, “God help us.”

    He then concluded his tirade by tweeting; “Hmmmm not really.. Just funny what i see and read sometimes.”

    Nigerian artistes like 9ice, Kate Henshaw, Julius Agwu, Bob Manuel Udokwu, and Kenny St. Brown tried their hands in politics in the recent past while Desmond Elliot is currently serving as a lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    And presently, ‘Limpopo’ act, KCee, has signified interest in joining the Anambra State gubernatorial race.

  • Again, Wizkid nominated for BET Best International Act: Africa

    Again, Wizkid nominated for BET Best International Act: Africa

    BET Africa has announced nominations for the 2017 edition of the awards which will broadcast across Africa come Tuesday, June 27 with this year’s edition honouring eight leading African artists.

    In the “Best International Act: Africa” category, Nigeria enjoys a strong representation with Wizkid, who is no stranger of the awards, Tekno,  Mr Eazi and, Davido making the cut.

    Others on the list are Stonebwoy (Ghana), AKA (South Africa), Nasty C (South Africa) and Babes Wodumo (South Africa).

    Commenting on the nominations, Monde Twala, Vice President for BET, Youth & Music says; “Africa has a rich cultural heritage and the BET Awards reflect the power of our culture through music. This annual celebration puts the spotlight on African artists and exposes their amazing talent to the world.  We wish the nominees well and congratulate them for the hard work and effort over the last year.”

    Speaking further, Twala said that this year’s BET broadcast marks 17 years of unexpected performances, trailblazing moments, super dope talent, and entertainment’s most provocative players.

    In 2012, Wizkid was named joint winner of the BET award for the Best International Act (Africa) with Ghana’s Sarkodie in a keenly contested category which featured nominations from fellow Nigerian, Ice Prince; Camp Mulla (Kenya); Lira (South Africa); and Mokobe (Mali).

    In 2015, he was also nominated for the controversial category, losing to Ghana’s Stonebwoy.

    That same year, Wizkid, together with Yemi Alade and Fuse ODG came down hard on the award organisers for presenting the Best International Act (Africa), backstage.

    Despite being in Los Angeles when the award took place, the Starboy did not turn up for the pre-shows and interviews which are part of the event.

    He was also briefly named winner last year, but the organisers quickly rescinded the decision, giving it instead to South Africa’s Black Coffee.

  • Don Jazzy, Wizkid, Davido make Forbes’ top 10 richest African musicians

    Don Jazzy, Wizkid, Davido make Forbes’ top 10 richest African musicians

    Forbes Africa has released its list of Richest African musicians.

    The list was put together using factors such as endorsement value, popularity, show rates, sales, awards, YouTube views, appearance in newspapers, investment, social media presence, influence and others.

    Nigerian artistes, Don Jazzy, Wizkid and Davido, are among the top ten richest African musicians.

    The top ten are:

    1. AKON

    Akon has over 35 million albums sold worldwide. He has won numerous awards including five Grammy Award nominations and has 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs under his belt. He tops the list according to Forbes Africa.

    2. BLACK COFFEE, SOUTH AFRICA

    The multi-award-winning artist’s real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo. He was born in South Africa’s house music province, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and raised in the Eastern Cape province, where Nelson Mandela hailed from, before moving back to KZN to study music.

    3. HUGH MASEKELA, SOUTH AFRICA

    Hugh was born in Witbank, east of Johannesburg. He has released more than 43 albums and performed with Marvin Gaye, Dizzy Gillespie, The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Miriam Makeba.

    4. DON JAZZY, NIGERIA

    Don Jazzy is ranked fourth richest in Africa and also first in Nigeria. Like many artists, his real name is Michael Collins Ajereh, and he started playing music as a child in church before moving to the UK to pursue his career.

    5. TINASHE, ZIMBABWE-AMERICAN

    Tinashe was a child model by the age of three. The twenty-four-year-old sang before she could talk and made her first appearance in 2000 in the film Cora Unashamed. Her voice also starred in the cartoon feature film The Polar Express alongside Oscar-winning actor, Tom Hanks.

    6. JIDENNA, NIGERIAN-AMERICAN,

    By the age of 10, Jidenna Theodore Mobisson knew he wanted to do music but was afraid to tell his father who wanted him to be an engineer. He is ranked sixth according to Forbes Africa.

    7. WIZKID, NIGERIA

    Wizkid is arguably currently the uncrowned king of African music. Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys and husband Swizz Beatz, danced to his songs Ojuelegba and Caro, with Keys posting a video on her Instagram account with the caption, “This song makes me happy”. Kylie Jenner also posted a video of herself dancing to Wizkid’s music on Snapchat.

    8. DAVIDO, NIGERIA

    Davido has claimed a high status in just five years. He said it was people like P-Square and D’Banj who made him believe this was possible. He became famous for his widely acclaimed 2012 debut album “Omo Baba Olowo”.

    9. SARKODIE, GHANA

    Michael Owusu Addo started out as an underground rapper and through the help of Duncan Williams, his former manager, his career was launched. Staying true to his identity, he is a big advocate of Azonto, a Ghanaian genre that is said to have been born out of Kpanlogo, a traditional dance.

    His first single off his fourth album, Mewu, sold almost 4,000 copies on the first day of its release in Ghana. He was also the first Ghanaian to win a BET award.

    10. OLIVER MTUKUDZI, ZIMBABWE

    Oliver Tuku Mtukudzi has 65 albums under his belt, more than the legendary Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. It’s a remarkable career stretching back 41 years with songs that have enlivened parties all over the world.

    He is ranked 10th richest musician in Africa.

  • Chill for me on marriage – Wizkid

    Chill for me on marriage – Wizkid

    Following the buzz of Banky W and Adesua Etomi’s engagement, music superstar Wizkid has said he is not in a rush to get married.

    The Ojuelegba crooner who took to his Twitter account shortly after the engagement was announced to congratulate his ‘big brother’ Banky W.

    “Finally we can talk about this!!! My big bro @BankyW off the market!! Keep off ladies,” Wizkid, who has two sons, Boluwatife and Ayodeji,from two different relationships.

    However, when a fan asked when his wedding bells would ring, Wizkid said, “I’m still in the market o! I live in the market! Checking things and trying new products.”

    He replied another fan, saying, “Make una chill for me small!! Ahnahn… Me I just dey start my life o.”