Nigeria’s very own Starboy and the world’s largest afrobeat artist, Wizkid, made his first appearance in Toronto – since 2012 – at his very own press conference. Already being extolled as an exhilarating event, Wizkid’s words definitely met the expectations of the attendees and made this conference one to remember.
While the focus of the event was Wizkid’s headlining show in Toronto the following day – courtesy of the Africa All Star Music Fest – Wizkid addressed many other topics on top of this. Wizkid started the conference by mentioning his excitement to be in Toronto, along with noting that this was his first show of the year. Bouncing off the topic of Toronto, Wizkid then went on to address his relationship with Toronto’s very own superstar Drake. He addressed him as his brother and noted that the duo have more music on the way.
Being the largest afrobeat artist in the world, Wizkid was asked how he broke the barrier and changed the once niche genre into an international sensation. He gave the majority of the credit to his fans and the time he puts in to perfect his craft. He specifically answered, “First of all my fans, I wouldn’t be anywhere without my fans … secondly, it’s the music, if the music is good – its good product – you don’t have to force people to like it.”
The fans appeared to be a recurring motif in this conference as Wizkid demonstrated his humility at any moment he got. Wizkid talked about how he likes to stay true to himself, maintain integral roots, and likes to be content with whatever he has in life. He also specifically reinforced, “I wouldn’t be here without my fans … I feel like the fans do the talking … I really appreciate every one of you … everyone that listens to my music … if you download my stuff for free, no problem, I still love you.”
When the floor was open for the audience to ask questions, a fan gave Wizkid a custom Toronto Raptors basketball jersey with “WIZKID” printed on the back. This proved that just as much as Wizkid appreciates his fans, his fans fully follow through and reciprocate the positive energy.
Wizkid went on to announce to the crowd that he has two albums in the works. Conclusively – when asked about how to intrigue new fans and draw people to himself as an artist – Wizkid answered, “I would say just pull up and listen to the music.” This was a perfect note to end on which left the audience utterly excited for what was to come at his show.
