Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, better known by his stage name Wizkid, is the face of GQ Magazine for the month of October.
Wizkid is presently on his Made in Lagos Tour, which kicks off in America, and he continues to make headlines, most notably as the cover face of the internationally recognised GQ Magazine.
The feature, dubbed “King of Afropop,” delves into Wizkid’s biography, his origins, lifestyle, and how he progressively broke into the global music scene, especially after appearing in Drake’s “One Dance.”
The in-depth storey delved into everything that went into making the man we now know as Big Wiz, a driven young man from Surulere’s slums who is today ruling the world with his music.
During the lengthy chat, he discussed his beginnings in Surulere, Lagos, as well as his boy band, and how he prefers to work on songs as albums. He discussed his trip to Ghana to make a new album.
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“I am working on a new album, but I never like to be, like, in a rush,” Wizkid says. “Sometimes it takes me a year, two years, to make an album. I always record in terms of albums, not just songs. I like to make music that way, because it gives you a sense of direction.”
“Well, in the next album, I’m just trying to enjoy myself with the music now, because of the reception from the fans for my last album,” he continues. I just keep evolving with the sound.”
On meeting Fast-rising artists, Wizkid told GQ that,
“I love meeting new artists. When I’m in a room with a new artist, it feels like, Oh, my God. It feels like I’m right there when the magic is just about to take off and take form. It’s so exciting to me.
“When I get in the room with a new artist, it’s like you’re learning from me, I’m learning from you. I even get more excited getting in the room with new artists than my peers or my friends that I know. I can’t explain it.”
On how he met and worked with Tems, he says that,
“You know, I’ve known Tems… I can’t even actually remember how we met, but I know I brought her out for one of my shows in Lagos. We had talked about working and I went back home to record.
“When I record at home, it’s like I have a crazy situation. I’ll be in a room with like 8, 10 producers, everyone’s got their rooms and we’re just making music.
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She came through to the hotel and we laid down the idea. It was just effortless. Just lay down the melodies, and she didn’t even think anything of it. She felt like we had to do another record, but I already knew we had magic.”
Big Wiz also spoke on his creative process and how he makes his music;
“Whenever I make music, I’m kind of in my own world, I can be anywhere. You can put me in India, I’ll make exactly what I’m there to make. Nothing would influence my sound. So me being in Ghana is more just where it’s comfortable for me, making the most amazing music that I can make.”
GQ Magazine, founded in 1931, is an American international monthly men’s magazine based in New York City.
The magazine concentrates on men’s fashion, style, and culture, but there are also features about food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books.
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