Wizkid Net Worth, Biography, Cars, and Lifestyle
Wizkid is not only a famous celeb but also currently Nigeria’s richest musician, which raises the question, what is Wizkid net worth, biography, cars, and lifestyle? Let’s find out.
Wizkid, whose real name is Ayo Balogun, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He began recording songs at a very young age of 11 years in 2001. Wizkid also released a collaborative album he did with the Glorious Five — a group he created in partnership with his church friends.
In 2009, the artist inked a record deal with Empire Mates Entertainment (EME), rising to prominence about a year later, when he released Holla at Your Boy. This was from Superstar, his 2011 debut studio album.
Other hits also released as singles from this album included Don’t Dull, Tease Me/Bad Guys, Pakurumo, Love My Baby, and Oluwa Lo Ni. Early 2014, Ayo Balogun became the 1st ever Nigerian musician to boast more than a million followers on Twitter.
Wizkid achieved global recognition in 2016, after collaborating with Drake on One Dance, which was an international hit that reached #1 in 15 countries, such as the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada. Here is all you need to know about Wizkid net worth, biography, cars, and lifestyle.
Wizkid Net Worth
Wizkid’s earnings have skyrocketed lately, following his success and recognition internationally. That’s why he is much richer than all of his Nigerian counterparts. In 2018 alone, the Starboy Entertainment boss received a whopping $681,200 (about ₦245.9M) for a performance at a Royal wedding, which held at Umaid Bhawan Palace, India.
Wizkid sold out O2 Arena, London for his Afro Republik concert that saw 20,000 fans in attendance, dancing to his songs.
Also in 2019, the artist sold out his Nike Starboy jersey two consecutive times and modelled for Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) in Italy and Moschino. He is also a brand ambassador for Ciroc, a popular Vodka brand. Wizkid owns customized Starboy Ciroc bottles.
Wizkid net worth is $26 million, which is around ₦9.8 billion, and he is the 3rd richest musician in Africa.
Wizkid Biography
Born July 16, 1990, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, who goes by the stage name Wizkid, had his childhood in Surulere, which is a residential and commercial area in Lagos State, Nigeria. Young Ayo grew up in an inter-faith household that consisted of 12 female siblings, with his mother practising Christianity and his father, Islam.
The singer cum songwriter had his secondary school education in Ijebo Ode Grammar School. Wizkid dropped out of the Lagos State University (LASU) in mid-2009 to give full attention to his nascent musical career.
Mr. Balogun later enrolled in Lead City University, Ibadan, but also dropped out on completing only two sessions.
In 2001, Wizkid started his singing career aged 11 years and had the stage name, “Lil Prinz”, until 2006. He recorded his 1st song with OJB Jezreel and equally did a seven-track album under his Lil Prinz name.
In 2012, the quondam EME act stated, during a radio interview with Tim Westwood, that his dad has three wives. While growing up, the songwriter listens to songs from King Sunny Ade (KSA), Fela Kuti and Bob Marley.
“I formed the Glorious Five group with few church friends in early 2000s [Sic],” Starboy said during an interview with 78 TV. Before disbanding, his group managed to release one album.
His parents did not initially support his musical ambition, and he had to be very hard at work and spent a lot of time in the studio to gain his father’s trust.
When he clocked 15 years, he received mentorship and coaching from Naeto C and others. Wizkid, then a budding singer, worked seriously with Naeto C, OJB Jezreel, Ikechukwu, and M.I. He penned a record deal in 2009 with Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment, EME.
Reminiscing on Wizkid’s Musical Career
Wizkid recorded Superstar, his debut album, in 2010 and released it in 2011. On January 2, 2010, he released the hit song, Holla at Your Boy, as the lead single of this album. This later earned him the “Next Rated” award at the 2011 Headies. Wizkid was nominated for best pop single at the event.
Holla at Your Boy musical video was nominated for Most Gifted Newcomer Video at the Channel O Music Videos Award in 2011 and was equally nominated for Best Afro Pop Video at the Nigerian Music Video Awards in the same year.
Starboy released Tease Me/Bad Guys April 2, 2010, as the second single of Superstar. The song was originally released as a freestyle work.
Don’t Dull was the album’s 3rd single, released on December 6, 2010. The album’s release was done in English and Yoruba languages. It was fully released on June 12, 2011, on the EME label, featuring guest appearances from Banky W, D’Prince, Skales as well as Wande Coal.
Wizkid, on the release date, hosted an album launch party, and the event held at the Expo Hall, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The album won the Best Album of the Year award at the 2012 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. It was also nominated for Album of the Year at The Headies in 2012.
In the wake of the release of their compilation album, EME acts toured the US, starting from July 4, 2012, and ending on September 2, 2012. The artists performed in many cities in North America, such as Dallas, Houston, Toronto, New York City, Vancouver, Providence, Calgary, Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington DC.
In 2012, Starboy toured London and performed on June 4, 2012, at the HMV Apolla. On November 12, 2012, Wizkid performed at the BBC Radio 1Xtra Live 02 Academy in Brixton, featuring other artists like Trey Songz, Kendrick Lamar, Tulisa, and Angel.
On October 17, 2013, Ayo Balogun performed at the 2013 edition of Felabration. (Felabration is an annual concert, which is dedicated to the late legend, Fela Kuti.)
He did a performance on November 2, 2013, at the Guinness Colorful World of More concert, joined by other Nigerian acts including D’banj, P-Square (the group was still extant then), Tiwa Savage, Davido, Burna Boy, Ice Prince, Phyno, Olamide, and others. This concert held at the Eko Convention Center in Eko Hotels & Suites.
Wizkid had a performance at the Guinness Big Eruption concert on November 23, 2013. Starboy also featured in Tinie Tempah’s tour of the UK as a special guest for some shows in 2014. In May 2016, he joined American pop star Chris Brown on the latter’s One Hell of a Nite world tour.
Leaving Empire Mates Entertainment and Floating His Starboy Entertainment Label
Starboy tweeted a subliminal message in February 2013 and edited his account on Twitter. Further fueling speculation on animus with Empire Mates Entertainment was his decision to move out of the EME mansion in Lagos.
He then purchased his own home in the Lekki Phase 1 area also in Lagos State. Before the artist made the subliminal tweets, Banky W attempted to pacify fans, assuring them that all was well.
Also, there were reports in the media that troubles within EME had begun right from the EME All Stars concert in 2012.
The reports also hinted that at the centre of the controversy was money. Nigerian Entertainment Today reported on April 30, 2013, that Wizkid and Empire Mates Entertainment reunited after contract negotiations.
After his 2nd studio album release and the expiration of his 5-year contract, Starboy finally left EME. He revealed that he left the label without any money in a video interview with Capital Xtra.
In March 2013, Wizkid founded his label imprint Starboy Entertainment and told Silverbird Television’s Yvonne Ekwere of his plan to sign new acts to his label. Mr. Ayo Balogun, in an interview with Showtime Celebrity, revealed that he floated his own record label with a view to providing upcoming artists with an avenue to showcase their talent.
The singer cum songwriter, in April 2013, signed Maleek Berry and Legendury Beatz to the label. He collaborated with Legendury Beatz on a number of projects, such as Lagos to Soweto and The Matter.
Wzikid unveiled photos of himself in May 2013 with the artists, mentioned above and later in August, released a debut of the music video for Caro and announced the signing of L.A.X to Starboy Entertainment.
He also announced these signings — Efya, R2Bees, and Mr Eazi — on May 7, 2016. Wizkid did this in the wake of his performance at the 17th edition of the Ghana Music Awards.
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Wizkid’s Houses and Cars
The Manya hitmaker is Nigeria’s richest musician. He has a range of exotic cars and also houses worth millions of Naira. Starting his musical career around 19 years ago, he’s had a successful career so far and is still active.
It’s always been a source of controversy among music lovers and fans in Nigeria concerning who is richer between Wizkid and Davido. However, in recent times, the argument seems to have dwindled with the former holding a trump card financially over his arch-rival Davido.
Wizkid’s net worth has soared in recent times. Among many deals, he signed a multi-million deal recently with SONY entertainment that involved the singer working with Tiny Temper, Akon, Drake, Chris Brown, and others on musical projects.
Talking about his property, Wizkid owns a ₦13 million house in Surulere, Lagos. According to the rumour mills, Starboy also owns a home in Los Angeles, US, which is valued at millions of dollars. While the cost of this house wasn’t revealed in public, Wizkid had a disagreement with the richest female blogger in Africa, Linda Ikeji, about the house and cars he stated belonged to him.
Wizkid lives in his own home, which is located at Lekki, Lagos, and said to be worth ₦68 million.
He also has a flair for cars just as he does for houses. Here are some of his cars and their worth:
- Bentley, valued at ₦45 million
- BMW X6, valued at ₦11 million
- Mercedes Benz 2012 Compressor, valued at ₦9 million.
- Porsche Panamera, which is worth ₦13 million
- Lamborghini Prime X2, which is worth as much as ₦28 million
- Hyundai Sonata, valued at ₦6 million
Wizkid Lifestyle
Wizkid’s wears, says the Vogue Magazine, comprises a blend of street-wear and traditional Nigerian clothes. Starboy sees Pharrell Williams as one of his fashion style icons. He is planning to own a clothing line soon.
NET reported, on August 22, 2011, that he had his 1st child at the tender age of 21 with Sola Odugudu, then an undergraduate student. Wizkid denied this allegation.
He uploaded a picture of Boluwatife Balogun, his son, in October 2013 on Instagram, and this development breathed life into the rumours and allegations.
According to media reports, Starboy also fathered two other boys from two different women – his manager Jada Pollock and a certain Binta Diallo, which makes him a father of three (3) boys.
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