Before “Essence” became a song people outside Nigeria could recognise, there was “Ojuelegba,” a record rooted in the everyday realities of Lagos. When I think about Wizkid's career, I keep returning to that contrast: the journey from a specific neighbourhood and its struggles to stages and playlists across the world. His rise is not only a story about a successful musician. It is also about how a sound grounded in a local experience can travel without losing all of its identity.

Born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun on July 16, 1990, Wizkid grew up in Surulere, Lagos. He began singing at a young age, performing with friends and developing an interest in recording music long before he became a household name.

His major breakthrough came in 2010 with “Holla at Your Boy,” the lead single from his debut album, Superstar, released in 2011. The song introduced him as a fresh young voice in Nigerian pop, and the album helped establish him as one of the country's most promising new artistes.

But his story was not built on one hit alone. He continued releasing music, experimenting with different sounds and building a following. “Ojuelegba,” from his 2014 album Ayo, became particularly important because of its storytelling and its connection to his Lagos roots. The song later gained international attention when Drake and Skepta became associated with a remix, helping introduce Wizkid's music to wider audiences.

His international profile expanded further through his collaboration with Drake on “One Dance” in 2016. The track topped charts in multiple countries and placed Wizkid in the middle of a global pop moment. Yet his career was not simply about crossing over into Western music. He continued developing his own catalogue, including the 2017 project Sounds from the Other Side.

Then came Made in Lagos in 2020, followed by its deluxe edition. The album included “Essence,” featuring Tems, a smooth, atmospheric song that grew into one of the defining international Afrobeats records of its era. Its remix featuring Justin Bieber helped extend its reach, and the song received a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance.

Wizkid's Grammy history also includes a win for Best Music Video for his contribution to Beyoncé's “Brown Skin Girl,” shared with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter at the 2021 ceremony. His career has also included collaborations with artists such as Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Drake, Tems and Ayra Starr.

His later albums include More Love, Less Ego (2022) and Morayo (2024), a project whose title honours his late mother. The personal dimension of that album gives it a different weight from a simple collection of new songs. In 2026, he continued releasing music and collaborating, including the project “REAL, Vol. 1” with Asake.

What stands out to me about Wizkid is his approach to musical identity. His style often relies on restraint: a relaxed vocal delivery, uncluttered melodies and rhythms that allow a song to breathe. In an industry where louder can sometimes seem like the only way to get attention, that understated quality has become part of his signature.

His success has not made every debate about him disappear. Fans and critics can disagree about albums, collaborations, public appearances or who deserves credit for Afrobeats' international growth. That is natural in a genre with many artists contributing to the same movement. No single musician created Afrobeats' global rise.

But Wizkid's contribution is clear. He helped bring Nigerian music into international pop conversations while continuing to release records shaped by his own musical instincts. From “Holla at Your Boy” to “Essence” and Morayo, his career shows what can happen when an artist grows beyond the expectations of his first breakthrough without completely abandoning the sound that made people listen in the first place.

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