Wizkid does the simple things, but he does them so well, and brings them all together like an orchestra conductor.
Wizkid is currently Nigeria’s hottest artiste and arguably Africa’s most bankable.
His
recent collaboration with Drake is just one of the many milestones he
has achieved in his career. The Starboy singer has come a long way from
the young kid who simply showed up in Banky W’s videos, creating
friends, enemies and records along the way.
Many
keep wondering what the secret to his success is. Peering closely into
his career, Wizkid’s strategy for growth is a simple one. The singer
leverages on a lot of external factors, taking opportunities as they
come, and showing off a rare brand of bravery off the mic.
Pulse Music outlines 5 of his core strategies and how he incorporated them into his game.
Releasing Music
Wizkid
understands that an artiste with no song is not an artiste, just a
celebrity. The Starboy works hard at his craft, recording day and night,
coming up with new music, and releasing them. Have you ever questioned
why at every point in the industry, since his “Superstar” album, there
have always been a Wizkid song on radio, sounding banging and fresh?
This
is the basic of everything he has achieved, and he constantly works
hard at bringing out the music always, staying fresh in our memories and
having a new song on every playlist.
Collaboration
I tried to write out a long list of Wizkid’s
collaborations, and by jove, it read out like a long roll call of the
biggest artistes in the industry. Wizkid has a song with almost every
A-List act on the continent. The singer has songs with Phyno, Olamide,
Cassper Nyovest, Uhuru, Tiwa Savage, Chris Brown, Drake, 2face Idibia,
and a lot more.
Wizkid finds out the biggest acts
in the game, records with them, and leverages on their fan base to grow
his stock and career. That’s why these collaborations are an important
part of his movement. Without them, he’ll be in creative isolation and
stagnation.
Controversy
The powers that surround Wizkid will never admit
this, but Wizkid loves controversies. He doesn’t just attract them by
virtue of being a superstar. He smiles when they come knocking and owns
them. When Skales attacked him on twitter, he went in. When Davido had a
mild beef with him, Starboy came with a bazooka. Linda Ikeji repeatedly
went in, and Wizkid was right there, with even messier and petty
ammunition.
The Magnum Opus of his celebrity
indiscretions will have to be his fight with Dammy Krane. The Hypertek
Records act had accused him of theft, and threatened him to a showdown.
Wizkid simply found him in a club, and attacked him with a glass cup.
Bravo!
Many will point to these fights as
detrimental to his brand, but they aren’t. Instead, they keep him in the
news, and give him an air of bravery that many appreciate. Don’t mess
with Wizkid, they’ll say. He’s a beast of controversy.
Branding
Wizkid understands the importance of branding. That’s
why he is always in your face, in your radio and in the news. New media
and technology has been his forte, with his every post and tweet
generating massive feedback and interaction. Also, his looks are
casual-smart, and his presence, has all the markings of a true star.
That’s
Wizkid in five points. That’s why his star is rising, and currently,
all of these, simple as they sound, are the secret ingredients to his
thriving. Wizkid does the simple things, but he does them so well, and
brings them all together like an orchestra conductor.
Royce Dion in the Studio 
