Nigerian superstar Asake has finally shed light on how his much-anticipated collaboration with Wizkid came to life, offering fans a deeper look into what is shaping up to be one of Afrobeats’ biggest moments of 2025.
As the year draws to a close, the Afrobeats scene is once again buzzing following confirmation that two of its most influential forces, Wizkid and Asake, are teaming up on a joint project.
The duo recently unveiled plans for a collaborative EP titled REAL (Vol. 1), a project expected to merge Wizkid’s globally polished sound with Asake’s raw, street-inspired energy.
The announcement came during a high-energy Apple Music Radio takeover in December, where both artists appeared together at the studio. Wizkid, staying true to his calm but confident style, broke the news directly to listeners.
“Special announcement… 2025 Mr. Money [and] Big Wiz project. It’s called REAL, and it drops this December. For the people.”
Asake, visibly excited, echoed the sentiment and hinted at the scale of the project, describing it as “a movie,” a phrase that instantly heightened anticipation and framed the EP as more than just a routine release.
🚨 @Wizkidayo and @AsakeMusic announce their new collaboration project, REAL, during their Apple Music Radio takeover. pic.twitter.com/Fk9iIv0g5u
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) December 5, 2025
For Asake, however, the collaboration represents far more than a career milestone. In a revealing interview with Office Magazine for its December issue, the ‘Lungu Boy’ hitmaker reflected on his unlikely journey into music, admitting that it was never part of his original plan.
“I didn’t want to do music at first,” Asake shared. “I found myself around a lot of things around music. My mom, she loves so much good music. My dad is deep into music. So unknowingly, I have it in me already. That was not my priority when I was young,
I wanted to be a dancer or a choreographer. But I think when I went to university in 2013, I ended up being around friends that do music too. Then you end up making a song. Then the whole school went crazy on the song.”
That organic rise, he explained, mirrors how REAL (Vol. 1) came together. According to Asake, the EP was not born out of strategy meetings or label pressure, but from genuine conversations and mutual understanding.
“The first time we linked up, I think we were just having conversations like real life talk,” Asake explained.
“We get to a point whereby I think he seen we have so much things that align us. And he asked me, it would be good for us to have a project together. That was the beginning of it”.
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The singer also used the opportunity to speak glowingly about Wizkid, describing every interaction with the Grammy-winning star as meaningful and inspiring.
“Every moment counts for something. I genuinely love Wizkid himself. Credit to Wiz. When I was coming up, I was part of the people that listened and see how great Wiz is. I respect what God has done for him and what he has done, what he has used him to do for us back home. So every moment with Wiz is just a good moment for me,” Asake submitted.
That admiration is clearly mutual. During the Apple Music Radio session, Wizkid revealed that Asake’s breakout 2022 hit Omo Ope was what first caught his attention. He went on to shower praise on the younger star, saying, “You are amazing; you have one of the most special voices from home [Africa] and in the world… You are a blessing to African music.”
Despite the hype surrounding the project, Asake insists that REAL (Vol. 1) is not about chasing numbers or cementing legacies. When asked to describe the EP as a film, he summed it up with a single word: “Real.”
“I think it’s going to be real, just real people in one room. Genuine people, heart-to-heart conversation every time. People who never change who they are or change their character. They are just the same people. I can just say real. That’s the only way,” he told the New York-based publication.
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Away from the studio, Asake remains focused on performance and growth. Reflecting on his recent Symphonic and Tiny Desk appearances, he offered insight into how artists experience live shows differently from audiences.
“As an artist I always have different perspectives of the show from what people see. Right in the moment when I’m performing, I’m just present. I don’t know if you know about this, when an artist wear their in-ears, you can’t hear the audience scream. You can only hear the instrument. So all the time I’m on stage, I’m just so focused on the music and to entertain people. The only thing I’m in control of is to deliver a good performance to people.”
He added, “Seeing the outcome of the show and how everybody loved the show, I’m grateful. Those are the things I imagined it would take me so long to have, that are now coming together. I’ll always be grateful to God for all the opportunities and waking up every day, seeing life growing every day. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
As for expectations around the EP, Asake says he is content letting the music find its own path.
“I don’t live in the future, so anything people see they can take away from it. I’m okay with it. Anywhere the EP gets to is where it’s supposed to be”.
If the momentum surrounding Wizkid and Asake is anything to go by, REAL (Vol. 1) may be heading exactly where fans expect right to the top.
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