Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Wizkid made history on July 29 as he took the stage at a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, becoming the first African artist to achieve this milestone. The Grammy-winning artist commenced his “More Love, Less Ego” tour with an impressive crowd of 45,000 fans in attendance.
This extraordinary feat places Wizkid alongside Beyoncé and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the only other musicians who have graced the stadium with their performances this year. After the show, he further solidified his status by becoming the first African artist to receive the prestigious BRIT Billion award for surpassing 1 billion music streams in the UK.
This isn’t the first time Wizkid has etched his name in the UK’s live performance history; back in 2021, he achieved a remarkable milestone by selling out London’s O2 Arena for three consecutive dates, a record-breaking achievement for an African artist.
Afrobeats, as a genre, continues its meteoric rise in popularity worldwide. In response to its global impact, the Grammy Awards organizers announced the introduction of a new category in 2024: Best African Music Performance, aimed at recognizing exceptional recordings that incorporate unique local expressions from across the African continent.
Wizkid’s recent spectacular show is just one of the many historic performances delivered by some of the genre’s biggest stars this year. In June, Burna Boy made history by headlining a sold-out stadium show at London Stadium, followed by another sold-out performance at Citi Field in New York in July.
Earlier in the year, Burna Boy, alongside Tems and Rema, brought Afrobeats to the center stage during the NBA All-Star Game halftime show in February. Adding to this lineup of groundbreaking achievements, Tiwa Savage, often hailed as the “Queen of Afrobeats,” is set to make history as the first female artist from the genre to headline at OVO Arena Wembley in the UK on November 26.
