Take a look at the Nigerian stars’ latest stop, as they take their chart-topping Grammy-nominated single around the world.
Nigerian singer and songwriter WizKid was joined by fellow Nigerian pop sensation Tems this week, to perform the duo’s smash hit “Essence” live on The Tonight Show: Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The single, off of Wizkid’s 2020 Grammy-nominated masterpiece Made In Lagos, was also nominated for a Grammy in the Best Global Music Album and Performance categories respectively. Due to the travel restrictions recently imposed on African countries because of the latest COVID-19 variant, the soulful rendition was performed from an empty stadium, instead of live from Fallon’s New York City studio.
Made In Lagos has not left the charts since its release in October 2020, and the success continues to rain in for Wizkid, as the afrobeats star’s project recently made history. During his European leg of his Made In Lagos tour, the singer was honored by London’s infamous O2 music arena for being the first African musician to sell out 3 shows in a row.
Tems is not far behind on gaining recognition for her multitude of talents, as the velvet-voiced singer’s latest EP, If Orange Was a Place, garnered a lot of attention and love. The Nigerian beauty also recently appeared on Canadian rapper Drake‘s chart-topping album Certified Lover Boy, lending her vocals to flavorful track “Fountains.”
The pair seem to reach new heights every week, as Afropop and afrobeats as a genre gains popularity across the world. Musical stars like Burna Boy, Mr. Eazi, JoeBoy, Tiwa Savage, and more are putting Africa and her talents on the map, and helping the genre expand, too. In an interview with Billboard in August, Wizkid recognized that his success is because of the success of all, and the essence that African music brings to a space, saying, “Afrobeats just spreads love around a room when you play it.”
Listen to Essence on Aftown Music.
Reference – Okay Africa