Grammy award-winning singer Ayo Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has recently been crowned the African artiste of the year by Apple.

Apple made the announcement on Tuesday via their website while also naming Wizkid as one of the five artists to emerge as ‘Artist of the Year’ from various regions.

“In October 2020, he released Made in Lagos, his critically acclaimed and most commercially successful album, which included his hit song “Essence,” a track that gained 125 million plays on Apple Music and over 2.8 million Shazams.

“This past year, he’s been the most streamed African artist on the continent on Apple Music and ranked on the Daily Top 100 charts in 60 countries, in addition to his monthly plays on Apple Music growing by more than 250 percent outside of Africa.

“He’s also been featured on Apple Music’s Today’s Hits and R&B Now playlists, and he’s a frequent guest on Apple Music Radio shows,” Apple highlighted the singer’s achievement.

On receiving the award, Wizkid remarked, “Thank you to Apple Music for this award. It’s a blessing to get to do what I do, and I’m proud to be representing Africa.”