Kaya 959 Reporter
Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer, Ayo Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has made history yet again.
He has won the Artist of the Year award for African region in the Apple Music Awards 2021.
This announcement was made by Apple via its official website on Tuesday, as Wizkid emerged as one of the five artists to emerge as ‘Artist of the Year’ from various regions.
Also Read: Wizkid drops new music video for ‘Essence’
Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, shared how these awards were all about celebrating groundbreaking artist on the platform and in the world.
“The past 12 months have proved to be a remarkable year for music, and we’re thrilled to honour the artists who are shaping culture and connecting with fans around the world on Apple Music,” he said.
As an African superstar he recently made history performing at a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena.
Winners in other regions:
Apple gave five new Regional Artist of the Year awards:
- Aya Nakamura (France),
- OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM (Japan),
- RIN (Germany), Scriptonite (Russia),
- and Wizkid (Africa)
The Weeknd wons global ward for Artist of the Year; while Olivia Rodrigo and H.E.R. also took home top awards.
Also Read: Wizkid working on new music with DJ Maphorisa and Major League DJz
Wizkid’s Accolades
- Singer-songwriter Wizkid is one of Africa’s biggest crossover acts, having worked with Drake, Skepta, and Chris Brown, among others.
- The Nigerian musician first found regional success in 2011 with the massively popular single “Holla at Your Boy,” which appeared on his debut album, “Superstar.”
- Between 2019 and 2020, Wizkid was featured in Beyoncé’s project “The Lion King: The Gift” and its companion piece, “Black Is King.”
- In October 2020, he released “Made in Lagos,” his critically acclaimed and most commercially successful album, which included his hit song “Essence,” a track that gained 125 million plays on Apple Music and over 2.8 million Shazams.
- This past year, he’s been the most streamed African artist on the continent on Apple Music and ranked on the Daily Top 100 charts in 60 countries, in addition to his monthly plays on Apple Music growing by more than 250 per cent outside of Africa.
- He’s also been featured on Apple Music’s Today’s Hits and R&B Now playlists, and he’s a frequent guest on Apple Music Radio shows, including “Africa Now Radio,” “The Ebro Show,” “New Music Daily with Zane Lowe,” and “OVO SOUND RADIO.”



