- Album Features Star-Studded Collaborations with Asake, Brent Faiyaz, Jazmine Sullivan
- ‘Piece of My Heart’ Sets African Spotify Record with Over 1 Million Streams on Launch Day
Grammy-winning Nigerian superstar Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has released his sixth studio album, Morayo, in honor of his late mother, Jane Balogun, who passed away in August 2023.
The highly anticipated 16-track album became available on streaming platforms on Friday, featuring standout tracks like Troubled Mind, Karamo, Kese (Dance), Bad Girl, Time, Piece of My Heart, and Pray. Wizkid collaborated with renowned artists including Asake, Brent Faiyaz, Jazmine Sullivan, Anaïs, and Tiakola.
In a heartfelt video shared in June, Wizkid announced that the album would be a tribute to his mother, describing her as “the love of my life.” Days before the release, he confirmed the drop date in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, writing, “Morayo! Friday, Nov. 22.”
Ahead of the full album, Wizkid released Piece of My Heart in October, featuring American singer Brent Faiyaz. The track immediately set a new Spotify record for the biggest first-day streams by any African song, amassing 1.01 million streams. The record-breaking performance surpassed the previous mark held by Wizkid’s collaboration with Asake on MMS from the Lungu Boy album.
Morayo joins Wizkid’s impressive discography, which includes Superstar (2011), Ayo (2014), Sounds from the Other Side (2017), Made in Lagos (2020), and More Love, Less Ego (2022).
Wizkid, who began his music career at 11 with a church group called Glorious Five, has grown into a global icon. His meteoric rise began with his hit single Holla at Your Boy after signing with Banky W’s Empire Mates Entertainment in 2009.
The Lagos-born star holds numerous records, including being the first Nigerian artist to reach over one million Twitter followers and the first Afrobeat artist to feature in the Guinness World Records for his contribution to Drake’s One Dance. He also earned a Grammy Award for his collaboration with Beyoncé on Brown Skin Girl.
With Morayo, Wizkid cements his legacy not only as a musical icon but also as a heartfelt storyteller, paying tribute to the personal loss that inspired his latest creation.
