Award-winning music sensation Wizkid is dedicating his next album to the memory of his mother, who passed away sometime last year. The project is titled Morayo but a release date has yet to be confirmed.
The singer has described the compilation on his social media handle as the “best ever made” but seems to dissociate himself from the Afrobeats genre, for which he has been celebrated over the years.
According to him, the new album is not Afrobeats; therefore, fans who love the genre should not download the album.
In a social media post attributed to him, he wrote: “I am not a f****kg Afrobeats artiste! Don’t call me that….And please if u like Afrobeats, don’t download this new album; in fact, delete me from your playlist and your life…Don’t call me an Afrobeats artiste. I’m not Afro anything.”
It is, however, not clear why the Ojuelegba crooner made the comment, but industry watchers say the new album Morayo, could be an “evolution of his [style of] music.”
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It would be recalled that Wizkid wept uncontrollably when his mother, Jane Dolapo Balogun, died last year. His most recent appearance was in January 2024, when he released a video for the soundtrack Diamonds with mixed reactions from fans online.
The about three-minute video captured Wizkid sitting topless on a stool in a dark room, with his back facing the camera, as he performed the lyrics and punchy verses on Diamonds, a track on his Soundman 2 Extended Play (EP).
Born Ayo Balogun, Wizkid is ranked among the leading names in African music, with lots of accolades and collaborations to his credit. He holds a Grammy award for Best Music Video as the lead artiste on Beyonce’s Brown Skin Girl.
He began recording music at a tender age before signing a record deal with Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009. He rose to fame after releasing Holla at Your Boy, the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar, in 2011.
In October 2020, he released his fourth album, Made in Lagos, which includes the single Essence featuring Tems. The song became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top ten following a remix released by Justin Bieber.
