Wizkid Makes History as First African Artist to Surpass 100 Million Shazams

Nigerian superstar Wizkid has become the first African artist to exceed 100 million Shazam tags.

The milestone is especially significant because it signifies not just streaming volume (which has been widely reported) but listener curiosity—when people hear his music and ask “Who is this?” via the music-identification app Shazam. In a sense, it shows how often his songs are provoking interest in real-world listening situations across geographies.

Wizkid’s rise has been remarkable. He first broke out in the Nigerian music scene as a teenager, and by 2016 he featured on One Dance with Drake and Kyla, which became a global smash, topping charts in multiple countries.  His 2020 album, Made in Lagos, and its standout single Essence (featuring Tems) further propelled him into the mainstream global conversation with the song becoming one of the most Shazamed African songs in the U.S.

By May 2025 he had reportedly become the first African artist to surpass 20 billion global on-demand audio streams, reinforcing the idea that his music resonates worldwide. This specific milestone of 100 million Shazams carries a few key implications. First, it reflects the breadth of his reach in public, radio, social-sharing contexts, where listeners may not already know the artist but are compelled to identify the track.

Wizkid’s crossing of the 100 million Shazam barrier is more than a numeric feat, it is a narrative moment. An African artist has achieved a global curiosity threshold that rarely signals only regional success. It underscores how the world is listening, identifying, and engaging with his music. As he continues to evolve his sound and global presence, this milestone signals that the journey is still very much ongoing—and perhaps that the best is yet to come.