Ckay is emerging at the forefront of Afropop but then has always called his genre Emo-Afrobeats
Since debuting in 2019, Nigerian singer and songwriter CKay has successfully created bouncy, futuristic guitar-laden records that adorn Afrobeats with cool, romantic feels that shoot him as an emerging artiste at the forefront of Afropop.
Chukwuka Ekweani, better known by his stage name CKay, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Warner Music South Africa.
He was formerly signed to Chocolate City, a member of Warner Music Group independent label services ADA.
His music is an immersive, ultra-romantic experience of light and airy vocals, vulnerable lyrics, and intoxicating beats.
Despite a global pandemic, 2020 was Ckay’s breakout year. The many remixes of his song “Love Nwantiti” dominated local airwaves and charts before breaking through globally, scoring shout-outs from celebrities like Justine Skye, Winnie Harlow, and Diddy.
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His international hit single “Love Nwantiti”, also known as “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)”, was released in 2019 by Chocolate City.
Within the new class of rising Afrobeats artists, no one breaks down love quite like Ckay, he understands the fickle nature of life; he’s focused on loving wholly and telling blunt stories of romance through his music.
CKay Makes History As First African Artist to Hit 20 Million Spotify Listeners
High off of his Tik Tok success and debuting on the Billboard Global 200 list, the singer shows no sign of slowing down.
‘Africa’s boyfriend’ took to Instagram to share his excitement on having reached 12 million listeners, at the time, saying, “Music does bring the world together. Love y’all, Let’s get to number 1!”
The futuristic Afrobeat connoisseur has been doing us proud lately, with a host of wins under his belt since his 2019 debut.
The success of the hit single, “Love Nwantinti,” and the multiple international remixes that followed certainly helped solidify his place on top.
And the popularity that the track reached on social media video-sharing app Tik Tok certainly did its part.
Tik Tok users from across the world all took part in the “Love Nwantiti” Dance challenge, further pushing the song into the charts.
Over 3 million videos have been created on the app using Ckay’s remix featuring DJ Yo and Axel, with the song becoming the most Shazamed song as a result of the social media demand.
The remix initially wasn’t approved by Ckay but finally, all credit has been restored to the rightful parties.
In 2021 the song charted across Europe, Australia, Latin America, and New Zealand, reaching number one in India, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, and gained popularity across TikTok.
It also peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and reached number one on the UK Indie Singles Chart.
It also reached No. 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on the Canadian Hot 100.
However, the Nigerian artiste that’s emerging at the forefront of Afropop is non but the great Ckay.