Afrobeats star Wizkid has released his sixth studio album, titled Morayo. The project, which arrived on Friday, November 22, is under the labels Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records.
The Yoruba word “Morayo”, which means “I see joy,” is dedicated to his later mother, Juliana Morayo Balogun, who passed away in August 2023.
The 16-track project includes previously released single Piece of My Heart, featuring Brent Faiyaz, and others like Troubled Mind, Karamo, Bad Girl featuring Asake, and Break Me Down.
In March this year, the award-winning music sensation hinted he was dedicating his next album to the memory of his mother but did not confirm a release date at the time.
In a social media post, he described the compilation as the “best ever made” but dissociated himself from the Afrobeats genre, for which he has been celebrated over the years.
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When he made the post, he said the new album was not Afrobeats; therefore, fans who love the genre should not download the album.
“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,”he wrote in March.
Wizkid wept uncontrollably when his mother, Jane Dolapo Balogun, died in 2023. In January 2024, he released a video for the soundtrack Diamonds, which gained mixed reactions from fans online.
Diamonds, which came with a black-and-white music video, was 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 included 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.
