The Starboy Records boss, Wizikid, is set to release ‘Essence (Remix)’ featuring international celebrated star, Justin Bieber, according to sources.
This follows the Nigerian superstar, Wizkid taking to his Twitter page to write, “Got something special for you guys tomorrow”.
The record, which currently sits at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, has now been highly tipped to jump to the top of the charts with the certified hitmaker, Justin Bieber as a feature.
Well, that is not all of the surprises Wizkid has for his fans and the world. At the end of the month, Wizkid is also expected to release a deluxe version of his groundbreaking album, ‘Made In Lagos’.
Wizkid breaks down his crossover hit’s success
It can be recalled that Wizkid’s ‘Essence’ made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in July. This became the peak of a nearly yearlong global expedition after the song was released off ‘Made in Lagos’, which is the second album under RCA Records and his own Starboy Entertainment imprint.
RCA Executive Vice President, Tunji Balogun, speaking with Billboard recalled first tracing the track’s growth from beyond Africa to the United Kingdom, where Wizkid has a strong performance history and radio presence.
According to Tunji, ‘Essence’, the sultry downtempo song featuring singer-producer Tems, crossed over to the United States as the country slowly reopened in spring, with Balogun noticing a sizable increase in streams every Saturday as more parties took place.
“That song has become emblematic of being back outside. Then, a narrative on the internet started about the song being the song of the summer”.
Tunji Balogun
Wizkid, who was present at the interview added: “And we took that energy and ran with it. We just came out of the craziest pandemic… Afrobeats just spreads love around a room when you play it”.
The success of ‘Essence’
That notwithstanding, the label re-released ‘Essence’ in April, accompanied;by a music video filmed in Ghana that has over 18 million YouTube views.
Balogun noted that the song’s Hot 100 debut feels “extremely gratifying” and;underlines how pairing a flagship Afrobeats artist with a rising star like Tems, also from Lagos, is “breaking barriers globally.”
More so, the hit also topped Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart;and entered the Billboard Global 200, becoming the first song on the tally to contain vocals in Nigeria’s Yoruba dialect.
Speaking on the back of this, Tunji Balogun said:
“This is the first time where it feels like a song is competing;on the level of a similarly promoted song from Western artists in the pop genre. And I hope that’s the lasting influence of the record, that it opens doors for more people with different styles and different textures”.
Tunji Balogun
Well, Wizkid has had U.S. success before, as a collaborator to Western superstars: His feature on Drake’s ‘One Dance’ became both his first Hot 100 entry and No. 1 in 2016, while this year, he earned his first Grammy Award for the best music video for his collaboration on Beyoncé’s ‘Brown Skin Girl’.
That notwithstanding, Wizkid has just been nominated for an MTV VMA in the categories of ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best R&B’ for his feature on Beyonce ‘s ‘Brown Skin Girl’. More so,
Read also: Wizkid sells out tickets of O2 Arena in 12 minutes
