Wizkid Biography: Age, Wife, Children & Family

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun known professionally as Wizkid is a Nigerian singer and songwriter.

Biography of Wizkid

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun was born on 16 July 1990 in Surulere, Lagos State.

He was raised in a big family with twelve sisters, which impacted his music journey from a young age.

As a child, Wizkid was influenced by legendary musicians such as Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and King Sunny Ade.

This inspired him to form a music band with his friends which they named the “Glorious Five“.

Education 

Wizkid attained his primary education at a community school in Surulere, Ikeja.

He attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School where he had his secondary education and got his West African Senior Secondary Certificate (WASSCE).

He then proceeded to the Lagos State University for his higher education degree.

However, in his second year, he transferred to Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State.

While at Lead City University, his passion for music became stronger and he dropped out to pursue his musical career full-time.

In 2009, when his music began to blow up, he was asked if he regretted dropping out of school and he said,

‘ I don’t regret stopping school for a bit because it did give me all the time to push and work on my music. I’m definitely going back to school. Education is very necessary and I hold it in high esteem.

Sacrificing his education for his music might have been the life-changing decision that propelled him not only to become one of the best musicians in Nigeria but also one of the biggest Afrobeats artists in the world.

Family Background

Wizkid grew up in a large interfaith polygamous family with 12 sisters and was the only son.

Father

His father, Alhaji Muniru Balogun, is a devout and highly respected Muslim cleric and a titleholder from Ogun state.

Wizkid’s father married a total of three wives and we cannot say for sure if wizkid’s mother, was the first, second, or third wife.

Mother

Wizkid’s mother Juliana Morayo Balogun, was a Christian and ardent supporter of Wizkid’s career.

She was a familiar sight at his concerts and events, especially while he was still up and coming.

Sadly, Morayo Balogun died on the 18th of August 2023 in London at the age of 66 and was survived by her 4 children, Yetunde, Omolara, Olubusayo, and Ayodeji (Wizkid).

She was buried on the 13th of October 2023 in her hometown.

Siblings

Wizkid’s father Alhaji Muniru had a total of 13 children from his three wives.

Among them, Wizkid’s mother, Juliana Balogun, gave birth to three children, including the singer. 

His other two siblings from his mother are girls, named Lade Balogun and Yetunde Balogun.

Yetunde Balogun is currently married and residing in the US, whereas Lade Balogun is Wizkid’s younger sister, and there is not much information available about her online.

Wizkid has ten more sisters who are from his stepmothers, but there isn’t much information about them available online.

Despite the polygamous nature of his family, Wizkid and his large number of siblings were raised in a loving and peaceful home.

The close relationship between the singer and his sisters is a testament to this.

Out of Wizkid’s 12 siblings, only two of his sisters, Yetunde Awoniyi and Lade Balogun (younger sister), are from his mother.

Music Career

Wizkid started his music career when he was just 11 years old.

At that young age, he recorded his first collaborative album ‘Lil Prinz‘ with the ‘Glorious Five‘, a musical group consisting of his church friends in 2001.

In 2006, he decided to pursue music full-time and take his music career more seriously.

His big break came when he caught the attention of Nigerian music mogul Banky W, who was impressed by his talent. 

Banky W signed Wizkid to his Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) record label in 2009, marking a pivotal moment in his career that provided the platform to showcase his unique sound and talent.

By 2011, Wizkid was ready to record his debut studio album as a solo artist.

His first studio album ‘Superstar‘, was released via Empire Mates Entertainment and was widely acclaimed across the continent.

The album featured hit tracks like “Holla at Your Boy,” “Tease Me-Bad Guys,” and “Don’t Dull.” 

After releasing his first flagship project, Starboy embarked on a tour in London alongside his label mates Skales, Shaydee, Banky W, and Niyola. 

He also worked with his label mates to record E.M.E‘s compilation album titled, “Empire Mates State Of The Mind”, which was released in 2012.

Wizkid’s fame continued to soar, and he quickly became a sought-after artist for collaborations.

His collaboration with senior colleague, Banky W on “The W Experience” album further increased his popularity in the Nigerian music industry.

However, it was his collaboration with UK artist Tinie Tempah on the 2010 track “Mamacita” that set him on the stage for international success.

In 2013, Wizkid created his record label Starboy Entertainment, after multiple delays and label disagreements with him leaving EME Records.

Under two record labels, Star Boy Entertainment and EME Records, he released his second studio album ‘Ayo‘ in 2014.

Ayo, which means Joy in the Yoruba language, was coined from his first name, Ayodeji.

The album featured many mega-hits and appearances from other talented musicians like Femi Kuti.

One of Wizkid’s greatest songs ‘Ojuelegba‘ was also featured on the album.

The song speaks about the early days of his career and the hurdles he faced on the way to the top.

This effect of this song was life-changing for the singer as it opened the doors to international collaborations for him.

In 2016, Wizkid collaborated with Drake on one of the biggest chart-topping singles “One Dance”.

This song marked a historic moment for Afrobeats, and Wizkid became the first Nigerian artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The song also topped the music charts in fifteen different countries.

Due to his involvement with ‘One Dance‘, he became the first Afrobeats artist to appear in the 2018 Guinness World Records.

In July 2017 he dropped his third studio album, ‘Sounds From The Other Side‘, under RCA Records.

The album contained notable songs like African Bad Gyal, Expensive Shit, Daddy Yo, Come Closer, and Sweet Love.

In 2019, he had the honor of being invited to work on Beyoncé‘s album, The Lion King: The Gift.

He was featured on the single, Brown Skin Girl alongside SAINt JHN, Blue Ivy Carter, which went on to win the Grammy Award For Best Music Video in 2021.

In October 2021, he released his fourth studio album, ‘Made In Lagos‘, which was a commercial success internationally, as the album found its way to the number-one position on the Billboard World Album Chart.

It was also listed as the number 1 album on Native Mag and was featured on Vogue’s 20 Best Albums of 2020.

One of the project’s singles, ‘Essence’, featuring fellow Nigerian singer, Tems, became the first Nigerian song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100.

In February 2021, he was the most-streamed Nigerian artist of all time on Spotify, garnering over 3.4 billion streams across the songs on his discography.

Discography

Below is a list of all Wizkid’s albums to date:

• Superstar (2011)

• Ayo (2014)

• Sounds From The Other Side (2017)

• Soundman Vol 1 (2019) – EP

• Made In Lagos (2020)

• More Love, Less Ego (2022)

International Recognition 

Drake made Wizkid famous internationally after they both featured in the songs “One Dance”, “Come Closer” and “Ojuelegba” (remix).

On April 5th, 2016, Wizkid achieved a major milestone by becoming the first Nigerian musician to feature on the Billboard charts, courtesy of his feature in Drake’s single “One Dance”, which peaked at number 21.

“One Dance” went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 12th, 2016, for a total of 10 non-consecutive weeks.

The song was a massive success internationally, reaching number one in 15 different countries, including Canada, France, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

For Big Wiz, it was his first number-one single as a featured artist in all of these countries.

Record Label

Wizkid is currently signed to both Starboy Entertainment Records and Sony’s RCA Records.

After leaving his previous label, EME, Wizkid created Starboy Records in 2013.

In March 2017 Wizkid signed a record deal with RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music.

In 2014, he signed three new artists to the label: ‘Maleek Berry’, ‘Legendary Beats’, and ‘LAX’.

The StarBoy label expanded to StarBoy Worldwide in 2016 with the signing of Ghana’s ‘Efya’, ‘Mr. Eazi’, and ‘R2Bees’.

In 2021, Lagos-born singer ‘Terri’ joined the label.

Wizkid’s musical journey in Nigeria started in 2009 when he signed his first major music deal with EME Records.

Under the label, he released two albums, ‘Starboy’ and ‘Ayo’.

The label was owned by ‘Banky W’, ‘Segun Demuren’, and ‘Osagie Osarenz‘, who was Wizkid’s ex-manager and introduced him to Banky W.

The record deal wasn’t completely favorable to him, but he did not have any other choice at that time.

Later on, Wizkid left the label and also sacked his manager, Osagie Osarenz.

He is currently managed by his baby mama, Jada Pollock.

Personal Life

Just like other famous personalities in Nigeria’s Afrobeat scene, Big Wiz enjoys a luxurious lifestyle.

He owns beautiful mansions, accessories, and cars. 

However, despite all of this, the Afrobeat Singer keeps a low-key lifestyle.

He has become a present father to his kids, and this just shows how much the singer values his family over fame.

The singer has spoken about how he enjoys living a regular life and doesn’t feel the need to share his personal life with the public.

Achievements/Awards

Wizkid has won a total of 85 awards so far.

Below is a list of all awards won by Wizkid:

• BET Awards (3)

• Soul Train Awards (2)

• Billboard Awards (3)

• iHeartRadio Music Awards (2)

• MOBO Awards (4)

• Headies (17)

• Nigeria Entertainment Awards (6)

• MTV Europe Music Awards (2)

• All Africa Music Awards (7)

• African Muzik Magazine Awards (2)

• NAACP Image Awards (4)

• Teen Choice Awards (1)

• Soundcity MVP Awards (4)

• 3Music Awards (1)

Net Worth

Read our article on Wizkid’s net worth for extensive details about the singer’s fortune and sources of income.

Age

As of 2024, Wizkid is 34 years old

Wife

It was revealed in a recent GQ interview that Wizkid might have tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend and baby mama, Jada Pollock.

During the interview, the interviewer mentioned “Wizkid’s wife and son” being present during a photo shoot, to which the singer did not provide any correction.

Fans have been speculating about the rumor of their secret marriage, and this interview might be proof of it. 

Jada Pollock is a well-known music executive, talent manager, and entrepreneur who has worked with top artists like Drake, Chris Brown, Pia Mia, and Akon. 

She met Wizkid in 2012 while working as a brand manager for Chris Brown, and in 2015, she started working as his manager.

The couple welcomed their first child, Zion Ayo-Balogun, in 2017, and they recently had their second child together.

Their relationship hasn’t been without its ups and downs, in 2019, Jada Pollock accused Wizkid of domestic abuse and fled the relationship.

The couple would however resolve their feud privately a few months later and since then have been living in harmony.

Children

Wizkid has 4 children from 3 baby mamas.

His first son Boluwatife Balogun was born by Oluwanishola Ogudugu his first babymama.

Boluwatife was born in 2011 when Wizkid was only 21 years old and Shola was 19.

The two fought over child support and had a DNA test to prove that Wizkid was the father.

His second son Ayodeji Balogun was born to him in 2016, by American-based Guinean model, Binta Diallo.

She also had to do a DNA test for her son to prove that Wizkid was his father.

On October 28th, 2017, Wizkid welcomed his 3rd son Zion Balogun with Jada Pollock.

This time there was no argument regarding the paternity of the son.

Just recently, Wizkid welcomed his 4th son and second child with Jada P.

Although the name of his son wasn’t shared, the singer shares pictures and videos of him every once in a while.