Grammy award-winning Nigerian artist, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has revealed that if music hadn’t worked out, football would have been his alternate career path.
The Nigerian superstar, known for his chart-topping hits, shared his passion for the sport and his admiration for the discipline required to succeed in football.
Wizkid, who played on his school’s football team, acknowledged that his impatience and dislike for early morning training sessions led him to focus on music instead.
“If I wasn’t doing music, I would be playing football, I play football real good, I used to be in my school team,” he said.
He, however, said that his respect for the sport and its demands remains strong.
The artist also spoke about his friendships with professional footballers, marveling at their dedication to their craft.
“They party with me, but they don’t smoke or drink because they have to wake up at 6 am for training,” Wizkid said.
Wizkid shared his unconventional approach to security, opting not to travel with bodyguards and instead relying on his tight-knit management team, whom he considers family.
Moreover, Wizkid recounted his early beginnings when he could only eat lunch and dinner.
According to him, he came from the bottom, and no level of fame will make him forget that and who he is.
“I don’t think there is a level of fame that I will achieve that will make me lose my cool, lose who I am, or forget where I came from. Because I came from the bottom.
“I know what it means not to have anything, I know what it means not to have food to eat. There was a time in my life when I never even had breakfast. It was just lunch and maybe dinner. We weren’t wealthy we were just comfortable.”
Wizkid
The singer expressed pride in his dad for being able to take care of them.
“My dad is my hero just watching him take care of every one of us. He taught us how to love and live with people,” Wizkid said.
Wizkid Reveals Why He Blew Up as a Young Artist
Nigerian music superstar said he was the first young Nigerian artist to hit stardom.
The ‘Essence’ crooner acknowledged his parents for giving him the freedom to chase his dreams.
He, however, stated that even his parents were initially pessimistic about his chances of making it in the music industry.
“Every parent, of course, when they see their kid growing up and you’re making a big career decision that they’re not sure about, especially coming from Africa; living in a home where your mom is a Christian and your dad is a Muslim, and they never had an argument about the religion or what the kids wanted to do… My dad would be like, do whatever you want. If you want to be a Muslim or Christian, you’re free, to do whatever you like.
“I love my parents so much. That’s something that has helped me become who I am today. All I understood was love was the only thing that kept them together for so long.”
Wizkid
In other news, Wizkid has set a new record for the longest gap between NO. 1 songs on TurnTable Top 100 which is Nigeria’s foremost music chart.
Asake’s ‘MMS’ featuring Wizkid off his recently released third album ‘Lungu Boy’ reached NO. 1 on the TurnTable Top 100, marking a second chart-topper for Grammy winner Wizkid.
‘MMS’ marks 3 years, 9 months, and 12 days since Wizkid last recorded a chart-topping single with ‘Ginger’ featuring Burna Boy.
This sees the singer set a new record that surpasses the previous one of 1 year, 10 months, and 16 days held by Omah Lay.
The record reflects Wizkid’s longevity with the superstar maintaining his place at the summit of Nigerian mainstream music for over a decade.
The Grammy-winning superstar is expected to release his highly anticipated sixth LP ‘Morayo’ which he names after his late mother.
Ahead of the album, Wizkid released the second installment of his ‘Soundman’ EP in December 2023. The award-winning singer has kicked off 2024 with a handful of guest appearances on DJ Tunez’s ‘Apala Disco,’ Shenseea’s ‘Work Me Out’ and recently on Asake’s ‘MMS’.
Ahead of ‘Morayo’, Wizkid has confirmed that there will be Nigerian artists on the album while also calling it the best project he ever made.
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