Two global stars, Wizkid and Kylian Mbappe have set the stage for a popularity contest as fans debate their submissions.
A video has trended online showing a fan of the singer, Wizkid debating his popularity in contrast to French footballer, Kylian Mbappe.
The clip, posted by Instablog showed the moments the men were arguing about who is more popular, globally. While engaging in their local dialect, Yoruba, the fan in support of Wizkid’s popularity suggested that if the singer were to host a show/concert and Mbappe likewise, Wizkid will have more people in turn come over.
Is that really all there is ???
To be honest, popularity contests among celebrities have been a thing since time immemorial – fans have argued and debated based on their preferences and the celebrities have ranged from either the same industry or from a different one. For instance, fans have argued about Wizkid and Davido’s popularity, while Messi & Ronaldo’s popularity have been a talk for over a decade. Then again, we have fans who have compared Beyonce to Ronaldo, while Mike Tyson has been compared to Usain Bolt.
Oftentimes, these contests have been intertwined with not just their popularity but their wealth, achievements, and impacts – irrespective of the industry they dominate.
Perceived popularity in the context of a global scale can be gauged by asking people who are the most well-liked or influential members of their space or industry, while sociometric popularity is calculated by adding an individual’s connections to other members of the group.
While we will agree that Wizkid and Mbappe are celebrities; duly loved for their works, achievements and impacts, and both their popularities attest to the two types as listed above, this begs the question – who is more popular?
Wizkid who is Nigerian and a leading Afrobeats star has headlined and performed in some of the largest music concerts and spaces in the world.
To list a few, On November 28 to December 1, 2021, he hosted and performed his ‘Made in Lagos’ concert in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,000 capacity at the London 02 Arena for three consecutive days, despite the tickets being sold for as much as $108.
In the same year, he thrilled over 22,000 fans at the biggest gaming concerts in the world – the NXT LVL Arena Riyahd Boulevard, Saudi Arabia.
He performed at a sold-out crowd at the 20,000-seat Accor Arena in Paris, France, and then did the same in the largest indoor arena in New York, Madison Square Garden, and also took the 80,000 headlined the London stadium. All he did last year, and so much from the previous years till this day!
On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe stands in as the French team captain and plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). His skills, tenacity, field comportment and achievements speak loudly for him!
He has played in two World Cup finals which have audiences of billions of people around the globe. Not to mention, his consistent plays at the over 47,000 capacity PSG stadium and many either on local or cable subscriptions who tune in to watch him play.
He has also played in various stadiums and his fame cannot be debated as one of the leading footballers on a global scale.
The last FIFA World Cup was viewed by over 1.5 billion people. Some might argue Wizkid has done that with streams, as he became the first artiste to hit 1 billion streams in May last year. It is noteworthy to understand, they are not the same.
A 100 stream can be generated by one person who puts a particular song on repeat, while views are calculated per person or via geographic population.
Football is a language the world understands – it does not speak, yet it’s known by all. The rules of the game are the same and it’s termed the most popular sport in the world. Mbappe will definitely not have a problem communicating football through his dribbles, passes and goals to the world.
Wizkid, on the other hand, might be challenged in this sect due to language differences. He is African who renders his music in English, pidgin and Yoruba – so in places in like South Korea, Japan, and many other non-speaking English countries, Wizkid might have the challenge of gaining popularity there. Although, this is subjective and does not reflect to every non-English-speaking country.
Also, we can look into music being a more competitive affair and more selective than football. This is in the sense that, there are many genres in the world and so are the audiences. Most genres have a dominant sphere – in most cases, locally generated sounds. For instance, Reggae is tied to Jamaicans, Afrobeat to Nigeria and Rap to the United States. So, we see people tend to appreciate and listen to what’s in their dominant region.
We can partially say the same for football as there are only different clubs and leagues but not different rules of engagement. So, it’s easy for someone of Nigerian descent to know more about a Korean footballer than a Korean singer because the rules of engagement in football are the same everywhere.
In submission, both stars are indeed globally popular, however, Kylian Mbappe stands a chance of being more recognized than Wizkid in some suburbs and less musically integrated societies.
- RELATED: Just In: Wizkid’s ‘MIL’ Becomes 1st Album To Spend 100 Weeks On NG Apple Albums Chart
- RELATED: Kylian Mbappe teases contract decision with Champions League pledge.