Billboard announces Wizkid as longest charting African artist, ‘Essence’ as longest charting African song

‘Essence’ which features songstress Tems has enjoyed an impressive level of success in the United States reaching the Billboard Top 10 and earning a platinum plaque in the process.

Billboard announcement is a confirmation of Wizkid’s success in the United States and an addition of another feather to his decorated cap. With his next album ‘More Love, Less Ego’ on the way, Wizkid will be looking to further break new ground internationally.

Osas Ighodaro lands international award nomination for ‘Rattlesnake’

Ighodaro was nominated alongside seven other African stars including Ijeoma Grace Agu, for the ‘Best African Actress’ category of the Septimius Awards formerly known as NVIFF in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Confirming the nomination, the actress shared a post on Instagram from what appears to be her stunning look to the award ceremony.

She captioned the post: “Thank you so much for my nomination @septimiusawards for Best African Actress for my role as Amara in ‘RattleSnake: The Ahanna Story’. It is a true honor! A gift of a role that keeps on giving. Nollywood to the World!” 

The prestigious Septimius award is held to celebrate “independent talent, supporting visionary films and bringing together all elements of film-making and storytelling, which includes fiction, non-fiction, animation, television series and scripts. We showcase a wide range of genres from Drama to Documentary.” The 2022 edition held between June 6-7, in Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, for Ighodaro, the nomination follows her Best Actress win at the recently held 8th AMVCA for her role as Amara in the Play Network Studios remake.

Lojay, Ruger, Zinoleesky, others nominated for Headies Next Rated Award 2022

The Next Rated, the most contentious category in the Headies, appears to be on track this year, with no unexpected nominations. All of the artists nominated this year have had a truly impactful year, releasing songs that have exposed them to millions of fans worldwide, indicating their potential to truly take over the world in the months or years to come.

This year, debutants such as Ayra Starr, Ruger, and Lojay were all nominated for Next Rated.

The Next Rated This category is a voting category for the most promising act (with an EP or Album) in the year under review. Below are the albums nominated this year.

  1. AYRA STARR
  2. BNXN
  3. LOJAY
  4. RUGER
  5. ZINOLEESKY

The Headies Awards show is scheduled to hold on Sunday 4th September, 2022 at the COBB Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, USA.

AMVCA 8: Bonang Matheba to co-host award show with IK Osakioduwa

Africa Magic unveiled the South African star on Wednesday, alongside longstanding host IK Osakioduwa ahead of the ceremony slated for May 14.

Confirming the awards’ hosts, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Busola Tejumola, said: “We are excited to have Bonang join IK as co-host for the eighth edition of the AMVCAs.

“They are both extremely talented and have attained continental acclaim, having hosted some of Africa’s biggest shows. Together, they will keep the crowd entertained on the biggest night to celebrate African film and TV stars.”

This will be Matheba’s first time on the AMVCA stage as she takes over from Minnie Dlamini who cohosted the show from 2016 until 2018.

Reacting to Africa Magic’s announcement, the award-winning media personality said: “It’s always such an honor to host live productions, and I think after Covid, we haven’t had the opportunity to be outside to have these big, big productions with live studio audiences.

“So, it’s lovely to have all of that back. It’s also an honor. Any single stage I get to step on is an honor.”

The eighth AMVCA returns after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The awards will kick off with an eight-day event starting May 7.

Here is the complete list of Billboard Music Awards nominations

This year’s BBMAs are based on the chart period of April 10, 2021, through March 26, 2022. Finalists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Luminate.

The awards will be handed out in a live broadcast May 15 on NBC from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It also will stream live on Peacock.

A full list of finalists follows.

ARTIST AWARDS

Top Artist

Doja Cat

Drake

Olivia Rodrigo

Taylor Swift

The Weekend

Top New Artist

GIVĒON

Masked Wolf

Olivia Rodrigo

Pooh Shiesty

The Kid LAROI

Top Male Artist

Drake

Ed Sheeran

Justin Bieber

Lil Nas X

The Weekend

Top Female Artist

Adele

Doja Cat

Dua Lipa

Olivia Rodrigo

Taylor Swift

Top Duo/Group

BTS

Glass Animals

Imagine Dragons

Migos

Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak)

Top Billboard 200 Artist

Adele

Drake

Juice WRLD

Morgan Wallen

Taylor Swift

Top Hot 100 Artist

Doja Cat

Drake

Justin Bieber

Olivia Rodrigo

The Weekend

Top Streaming Songs Artist

Doja Cat

Drake

Lil Nas X

Olivia Rodrigo

The Weekend

Top Song Sales Artist

Adele

BTS

Dua Lipa

Ed Sheeran

Walker Hayes

Top Radio Songs Artist

Doja Cat

Ed Sheeran

Justin Bieber

Olivia Rodrigo

The Weekend

Top Billboard Global 200 Artist (NEW)

Doja Cat

Ed Sheeran

Justin Bieber

Olivia Rodrigo

The Weekend

Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Artist (NEW)

BTS

Dua Lipa

Ed Sheeran

Olivia Rodrigo

The Weekend

Top Tour

Eagles (Hotel California Tour)

Genesis (The Last Domino? Tour)

Green Day, Fall Out Boy & Weezer (The Hella Mega Tour)

Harry Styles (Love on Tour)

The Rolling Stones (No Filter Tour)

Top R&B Artist

Doja Cat

GIVĒON

Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak)

Summer Walker

The Weekend

Top R&B Male Artist

GIVĒON

Khalid

The Weekend

Top R&B Female Artist

Doja Cat

Summer Walker

SZA

Top R&B Tour

Bruno Mars (Bruno Mars at Park MGM)

Omarion & Bow Wow (The Millennium Tour 2021)

Usher (The Vegas Residency)

Top Rap Artist

Drake

Juice

Angelique Kidjo wins another Grammy award, praises Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Mr. Eazi

On April 3, 2022, the 64th Grammy Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

At the event, Grammy-winning Nigerian superstar, Wizkid was nominated for two categories: Best Global Music Performance and Best Global Music Album. On the night, he lost the Best Global Music Performance to multiple Grammy winner, Angelique Kidjo, who won for her critically acclaimed album, Mother Nature.

The album also features Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Mr Eazi and more on different songs.

During her acceptance speech, she gave a shout-out to those three artists. She said, “When I won [my last] Grammy, I said that the young musicians from Africa are gonna take the world by storm, so I want to thank them: Yemi Alade, Burna Boy, Sting, Mr. Eazi…”

Watch the video below;

 

Afrobeats hall of fame induction ceremony slated for February 26, 2022

This epoch-making induction ceremony to honor the artistry and the contributions made by those who have played major roles in the dissemination and creation of the art of African music — scheduled for February 26, 2022, at The Amore Garden, off freedom way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos — will showcase the African pride of the entertainment industry in celebration of the historic and cultural significance of African music.

Fireboy DML receives plaque from Audiomack for hitting over 350 million streams

Nigerian superstar, singer and songwriter, Adedamola Adefolahan, known professionally as Fireboy DML has been awarded by music streaming platform, Audiomack after surpassing over 350 million streams on the platform. In 2019, the Afro-pop sensation and “Peru” crooner released his debut album Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps which ramped up 153 million streams and his sophomore album “Apollo” which had instant hits like ‘Champion’ and ‘Tattoo’ also gathered 154 million plays on Audiomack. The rest of the streams were generated from singles which pivoted Fireboly’s ingress to receiving this award.

The plaque was recently presented to Fireboy DML by Jason Johnson, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy for Audiomack at the Audiomack head office in New York City.

“In less than 4 years, Fireboy has made a mark in both the local and global music industry and we are very excited to commemorate the incredible feat of over 350million streams on Audiomack. At Audiomack, we believe in acknowledging and awarding talents for the milestone they have achieved in streaming and our goal is to highlight the hard work artistes are putting into their careers digitally and the contributions of supporting stakeholders including management teams, fans, and industry players like Audiomack.”, said Jason Johnson.

The Oscars 2022 nominations are in! Check out full list

Nominations for the 94th Academy awards are finally in! The announcement made on Tuesday, February 8, expectedly got the internet buzzing.

Surprising for most was the Lady Gaga snub for her role in Ridley Scott’s ‘House of Gucci’.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s ‘The Power of the Dog’ swept the most nominations with 12 nods including a history making nomination for Jane Campion.

The film’s director became the first woman to be nominated more than once in the best director category. (The first being ‘The Piano’).

Following closely with 10 nominations is ‘Dune’ then ‘Belfast’ and ‘West Side Story’ with seven nominations each.

Denzel Washington further extended his record as the most nominated Black actor, earning his tenth Oscar nomination for his performance in ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’.

Here is a full list of nominees:

BEST PICTURE

“Belfast”

CODA”

“Don’t Look Up”

“Drive My Car”

“Dune”

“King Richard”

“Licorice Pizza”

“Nightmare Alley”

“The Power of the Dog”

“West Side Story”

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”

Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”

Judi Dench, “Belfast”

Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”

Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Ciaran Hinds, “Belfast”

Troy Kotsur, “CODA”

Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”

J.K. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”

Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

“Drive My Car”

“Flee”

“The Hand of God”

“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”

“The Worst Person in the World”

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)

“Audible”

“Lead Me Home”

“The Queen of Basketball”

“Three Songs for Benazir”

“When We Were Bullies”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“Ascension”

“Attica”

“Flee”

“Summer of Soul”

Writing with Fire”

ORIGINAL SONG

“King Richard”

“Encanto”

“Belfast”

“No Time to Die”

“Four Good Days”

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

“Encanto”

“Flee”

“Luca”

“The Mitchells vs. The Machine”

“Raya and the Last Dragon”

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“CODA”

“Drive My Car”

“Dune”

“The Lost Daughter”

“The Power of the Dog”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Belfast”

“Don’t Look Up”

“King Richard”

“Licorice Pizza”

“The Worst Person in the World”

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”

Benedict Cumberbatch,

Kizz Daniel, Ayra Starr, CKay, Mark Angel and more top TikTok’s round-up of 2021 for music, creators celebrities and more

On December 7, 2021, TikTok unveiled #YearOnTikTok 2021 in celebration of 2021-of-a-kind, which has been made possible by entertainment driven by its communityThis year-end celebration recognizes talent and looks back on creativity, trends, creators, movements, and moments that made 2021 one to remember in Nigeria.

Placed under different categories, #YearOnTikTok 2021 ranges from popular videos and songs that kept Nigerians on their feet dancing to creators who became voices of change and celeb/creator breakthrough stars of 2021 – and everyone has played a part in bringing creativity and joy to a platform and a world that needed it.

As seen this year alone, there is no doubt that TikTok is a unique place where culture starts and where creativity knows no bounds – where anyone can discover, create, and share content they love. In 2021, over 1 billion people turned to TikTok to be entertained, find and share their joy with others, and learn new things.

“It’s been incredible to see how Nigerians have continued to grow and support one another this year on the platform. We’ve seen trends such as the recent Love Nwantiti start and spread across For You feeds, globally. We’re humbled to see how much joy our community has brought us this year, and we’re excited to experience more incredible moments as we continue this journey together,” added Boniswa Sidwaba, TikTok Content Operations Manager, Africa.

“There’s something really special about TikTok’s diverse global community that people just can’t find anywhere else. For us, 2021 was a year for connection and we’ve seen people on TikTok laughing together, entertaining us, starting cultural phenomenons, and teaching us new things. It’s been incredible to see the depths of entertainment and creativity from this community, and we’re delighted to celebrate all the ways we’ve come together this year on TikTok,” said Vanessa Pappas, Chief Operating Officer, TikTok.

Without further ado, help us unveil the Year on TikTok 2021 report

#MusicOnTikTok : Most popular music on TikTok in Nigeria

From homemade beats to classics making a comeback, the songs

AMVCA announces call for submission ahead of 8th edition

After a one-year hiatus, the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) is ready to roll out its red carpets. Ahead of the award ceremony’s eighth edition, organizers of the event have announced a call for submissions.

Filmmakers are expected to submit their films in line with the awards’ guidelines between December 3, 2021 and January 14, 2022.

According to the organizers, films, made-for-television movies or television series are eligible for entry to the AMVCA if they were broadcast, publicly screened or exhibited from December 1, 2019 to 30 November 2021.

Speaking on the forthcoming eighth edition, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, said: “Last year was indeed a tough one for the world with the global pandemic, however the industry continues to thrive against all odds.

“We are proud of the improvements seen across different fields in the industry since the inception of the awards in 2013.

“The eighth edition of the AMVCAs once again demonstrates our commitment to spotlight the immense talent we have in the African film and TV industry and promises to leave a much bigger impact than previous editions.”

The eighth edition slated for 2022, will also see the addition of a new category to recognize the growing acceptance of content creators across Africa. The category is tagged Best Online Social Content Creator.

The seventh AMVCA saw Play Network’s ‘Living in Bondage’ sequel scoop the highest number of awards with a total of 8 wins including Best Overall movie. The show’s organizers also introduced the Best Dressed Male and Best Dressed Female categories.

Wizkid named artist of the year by Apple Music

On November 29, 2021, Apple Music announced winners from its annual Apple Music Award. Grammy-winning Nigerian superstar, Wizkid was named Artist of The Year (Africa), while The Weekend was named Artist of The Year globally.

Wizkid’s excerpt reads, “Singer-songwriter Wizkid is one of Africa’s biggest crossover acts, having worked with Drake, Skepta, and Chris Brown, among others. The Nigerian musician first found regional success in 2011 with the massively popular single “Holla at Your Boy,” which appeared on his debut album, “Superstar.” Wizkid went global in 2016 after his collaboration with Drake on “One Dance,” which soared to the top of the charts in 15 countries.

“Between 2019 and 2020, Wizkid was featured in Beyoncé’s projects “The Lion King: The Gift” and its companion piece, “Black Is King.” In October 2020, he released “Made in Lagos,” his critically acclaimed and most commercially successful album, which included his hit song “Essence,” a track that gained 125 million plays on Apple Music and over 2.8 million Shazams.

“This past year, he’s been the most streamed African artist on the continent on Apple Music and ranked on the Daily Top 100 charts in 60 countries, in addition to his monthly plays on Apple Music growing by more than 250 percent outside of Africa. He’s also been featured on Apple Music’s Today’s Hits and R&B Now playlists, and he’s a frequent guest on Apple Music Radio shows, including “Africa Now Radio,” “The Ebro Show,” “New Music Daily with Zane Lowe,” and “OVO SOUND RADIO.”

“Thank you to Apple Music for this award,” Wizkid speaks about winning the award. “It’s a blessing to get to do what I do, and I’m proud to be representing for Africa.”

Other winners at the awards are Aya Nakamura, who was Artist of The Year in France, and H.E.R, who was named Songwriter of The Year.

Lionel Messi adds 7th Ballon d’Or to his record haul

Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina forward Lionel Messi beat out Bayern Munich’s runner-up Robert Lewandowski and 28 other nominees for the 2021 men’s Ballon d’Or, which he received at a ceremony on Monday in Paris.

The honor is awarded by France Football magazine to the male soccer player considered to be the best in the world over the previous year. It’s voted on by a panel of 180 international journalists and is the most prestigious individual honor in the sport.

Spain and Barcelona forward Alexia Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or, which was awarded for the third time this year. She was named the UEFA women’s player of the year in August.

Monday marked the seventh time that Messi has won the Ballon d’Or, extending a record he set with his sixth time being honored in 2019. Rival Cristiano Ronaldo is second all-time with five Ballon d’Ors. The Manchester United and Portugal forward finished sixth in voting this year.

The award is also Messi’s second straight. The Ballon d’Or wasn’t awarded in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international soccer schedule. He won this year for a professional season split between PSG and Barcelona. Messi left a Barcelona team he’d play for since 2004 in August to join PSG. He led his national team Argentina to a Copa America championship in July.…

Wizkid is named Artist of the Year and wins Song of the Year for ‘Essence’ at 2021 AFRIMA

On November 11, 2021, the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) held at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The night was filled with the celebration of African music from across the African Continent.

At the event, ‘Essence,’ the global smash hit and Grammy favorite by Wizkid and Tems, was named song of the year. The song also won Best Collaboration, while Wizkid was named artist of the year.

Other Nigerian winners at the award are Fireboy and Legendury Beatz – they won producer of the year.

Here is a full list of winners;

Best African Female Artiste in Inspirational Music – Shanah Manjeru

African Male Artiste in Inspirational Music – Iba One

Best Artiste, Duo, or Group in African R & B Soul – Nikita Kering

Best Artist or Duo in African Dance or Choreography – Flavour, Diamond Platnumz, FallyIpupa

Best Female Artist in the Diaspora – Naomi Achu

Artiste, Duo, or Group in African Pop – Iba One

Best Group – Sauti Sol

Best Collaboration – Wizkid, Tems

Shanah Manjeru was the youngest on the AFRIMA 2021 nominee list.

Best African Rapper Lyricist – Elow’n

Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa – Manal Benchlikha

Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa – Dizzy Dros

Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa – Eddy Kenzo

Best Female Artist Central Africa – Shan L

Best Female Artist in East Africa – Nikita Kering

Male Artist Central Africa – Fally Ipupa

Best Male Southern Africa – Blaq Diamond

Best Male Artiste Western Africa – Iba One

Best Song Of The Year – Wizkid, Tems

Best Producer Of The Year – Legendary Beatz

Best Duo African HipHop – Fireboy, Cheque

Best African Dj – Sinyorita

African Fan’s Favorite – Fireboy

AFRIMA Artiste of the Year Award – Wizkid

Album of the Year – Iba One

Song Writer of the Year – Iba One

Best in African Rock – Rash Band

BTS the biggest winners at the AMA awards

The American Music Awards that was concluded on Sunday night honored the Asian K-pop music sensation, BTS in the most memorable fashion.

The group won three big awards on the night to signify the influence they now also wield in America as well as all over the world.

They won the biggest category of the night, The Artist of the Year and also collected the plaques for Favorite pop duo or group and Favorite pop song for their smash hit, Butter.

The group of Korean origin has been growing bigger in influence each year with their past wins at the American Music Awards highlighting that.

They have grown from the shy boy band that graced the AMA awards stages for the first time four years ago with their performance of the hit ‘DNA’.

Their Artist of The Year win has now capped a glorious showing at the awards to now make them top of the pile and rightly so.

Winning the hearts of millions of fans beyond the shores of their native South Korea has put them on an unprecedented journey that has taken their music to almost every part of the globe.

The rapturous ovation that accompanied their performance of their latest hit ‘Butter’ exemplified the fervor that accompanies their appearances on stages around the world as fans just can’t seem to get enough of them and their music.

In his acceptance speech of their Best Artist award, RM said: “This whole thing is a miracle. Seriously, we will never take this for granted.

“Four years ago, we had given this first-time-ever TV live performance at this AMAs stage for ‘DNA.’ We were so excited and nervous at the time,” RM continued.

“It’s been a long and amazing ride since then, but nobody could have ever bet on the odds of us standing here receiving this award. Except for the ARMY. Seven boys from Korea, united by a love for music, met the love and support from all the ARMY all over the world.