In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 16 July 1990
- Birthplace
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Country
- Nigeria
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Superstar, Made in Lagos and collaborative recordings
- Born
- 16 July 1990, Lagos
- Birth name
- Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun
- Debut solo album
- Superstar, 2011
- 2021 Grammy
- Best Music Video, Brown Skin Girl
Why this life matters
His discography shows how a solo album career and shared recording credits can develop together. Lagos remains an explicit reference point in his public account, even as the work circulates through international collaborators, labels and audiences.
Timeline
Key moments
Birth
Born in Lagos on 16 July.
Debut solo album
Released Superstar through Empire Mates Entertainment.
Ayo
Released his second album, including Ojuelegba.
One Dance
Appeared on Drake’s recording.
Major-label album
Sounds From the Other Side followed the RCA/Sony agreement.
Made in Lagos
Released the album including Essence with Tems.
Music-video award
Brown Skin Girl won Best Music Video with Beyoncé, Blue Ivy and Wizkid credited as winning artists.
More Love, Less Ego
Released the album More Love, Less Ego.
Morayo
The album appears in the catalogue for this year.
Lagos and the beginnings of a recording career
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun was born in Lagos on 16 July 1990 and became known professionally as Wizkid. The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s performer biography and Apple Music’s artist account both connect his beginnings to the church-friends group Glorious Five. His later comments to Apple Music identify Lagos as a continuing source of inspiration. The city is therefore more than a birthplace in the public story of his work. At the same time, a musician’s account of inspiration is a participant’s perspective, not a complete explanation of how every recording was made or received.
Superstar and Ayo established solo projects
Superstar, released through Empire Mates Entertainment in 2011, was his debut solo studio album. Ayo followed in 2014, with Ojuelegba among the tracks associated with his growing international visibility. LA Phil’s biography records a Femi Kuti appearance on that second album and the later Drake and Skepta remix of Ojuelegba. These details identify a solo artist working within collaborative networks. The sequence also prevents a later edition’s catalogue date from displacing the original album chronology. A release, a remix and a guest appearance are related events, but each deserves its own title and role in a career account.
International collaborations and a label transition
Wizkid appeared on Drake’s One Dance in 2016. LA Phil dates the announcement of his RCA Records and Sony International agreement to March 2017; Sounds From the Other Side appeared that year. Apple Music identifies it as his major-label debut, which is different from calling it his first album. That distinction preserves the earlier Nigerian releases instead of treating international distribution as the beginning of his career. Collaborative records also require care with billing: appearing on another artist’s track does not make it a solo Wizkid release, even when the appearance is important to his public recognition.
Made in Lagos and the music-video Grammy
Made in Lagos appeared in 2020 and included Essence with Tems. This was another point of connection between a solo album and a featured artist’s developing career. A separate collaboration, Brown Skin Girl, brought a 2021 Grammy for Best Music Video. The Recording Academy names Beyoncé, Blue Ivy and Wizkid as its winning artists and explains that the category also recognizes directors and producers. It is therefore inaccurate to turn this result into a Best Global Music Album win or to describe every collaborator on a recording as having the same award role. The consulted record establishes the category and named winning artists without replacing a complete production-credit list.
Later albums and the scale of a career
More Love, Less Ego appeared in 2022, followed by Morayo in 2024. The latter is listed as an album in Apple Music’s catalogue, whereas the LA Phil biography still describes it as forthcoming. This is a reminder that performer biographies can preserve the promotional moment at which they were written. Fixed release years are safer than repeating an old page’s language about what is next. Wizkid’s significance can be grounded in a long solo discography and documented exchanges with Nigerian and international musicians. Awards and charts can help describe circulation, but neither replaces attention to the particular works and people who made them.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Wizkid
- What is Wizkid’s birth name?
- Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun; Apple Music gives his birth date as 16 July 1990 in Lagos.
- Did Brown Skin Girl win an album Grammy?
- It won Best Music Video in 2021. The category and work should be named together.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Tems
Read the biography of the featured artist on Essence.
- Burna Boy
Compare another album career with a different 2021 Grammy category.
- King Sunny Adé
Explore an earlier Nigerian musician’s international recording history.
- Aṣa
Read about the artist whose V album includes their IDG collaboration.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Apple MusicWizkid: artist biography and catalogue
Read About Wizkid and identity fields lines 424–434, including 16 July 1990 birth; album catalogue identifies Morayo (2024). Editorial musical descriptions are attributed, not independent listening. No interview/audio/video played.
- 2. Los Angeles PhilharmonicWizkid: performer biography
Read performer biography lines 131–142: full name, Lagos beginnings, 2011/2014/2017/2020/2022 albums and RCA agreement. Promotional chart superlatives and stale forthcoming-Morayo language excluded. No concert watched.
- 3. Recording AcademyBeyoncé, Blue Ivy and Wizkid win Best Music Video, 2021
Read article lines 31–49: Brown Skin Girl, credited winning artists, category and award recipients described as artist/director/producer. No video watched. Artist list is not a full audiovisual production credit list.
- 4. Recording AcademyTems: fixed award records
Read 2022–2025 award rows lines 45–100 for Essence nomination, WAIT FOR U win vs Best Rap Song nomination, Born in the Wild nomination and Love Me JeJe win. Displayed career totals deliberately unused. Initial uppercase-URL open failed; lowercase artist link succeeded.