Wizkid becomes latest Afrobeats star to make history with sold-out stadium show in London

The first African musician to hold that distinction was Wizkid, a Nigerian Afrobeats sensation who played on July 29 in front of a packed-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The Grammy winner began the European leg of his “More Love, Less Ego” tour in front of 45,000 people.

He is the only other musical artist to have performed at the stadium so far this year, joining Beyoncé and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also made history by being the first African musician to win the BRIT Billion award for having 1 billion song streams in the UK after the performance.

Wizkid created live performance history in the UK for the second time in 2021 when he became the first African artist to sell out three performances at London’s O2 Arena.

The global afrobeats scene continues to soar in popularity. The Grammy Awards will introduce a new category in 2024 called Best African Music Performance, which “recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent,” according to a statement from the organizers earlier this year.

The most recent performance by Wizkid is the latest in a string of historic appearances this year by some of the biggest artists in the genre, including Burna Boy, who in June headlined sold-out stadium concerts in two countries: the UK (London Stadium) and the US (Citi Field in New York).

At the NBA All-Star Game halftime show in February, Burna Boy brought Afrobeats to the forefront alongside Tems and Rema.

Tiwa Savage, known as the “Queen of Afrobeats,” is expected to play on November 26 at OVO Arena Wembley in the UK, making history as the first female singer from the popular genre to headline the venue.