Wizkid marks 15 years in music with Afro Plus Fest headline performance
Grammy Award-winning Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, headlined the final night of the 2026 Afro Plus Fest in Maryland, United States, as he marked 15 years since his breakthrough in the music industry. The 35-year-old singer performed on Sunday, September 6, at the Northwest Stadium Complex in Landover, Maryland, bringing the three-day festival, which ran from September 4 to 6, to a close. Wizkid’s appearance carried added significance as he celebrated a decade and a half in music, having risen to prominence with “Holla at Your Boy” from his 2011 debut album, Superstar. Performing alongside a global line-up of Afrobeats, dancehall and hip-hop acts, the singer delivered several career-defining songs, including “In My Bed,” “Daddy Yo,” “Bad to Me,” “Slow Down,” “Caro,” “Essence,” “Alaye,” “Jogodo,” “Money Constant” and “Ojuelegba.” Since his breakthrough, Wizkid has built one of Africa’s most decorated music careers. He became the first Nigerian artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a co-writer and featured artist on Drake’s “One Dance” and has released albums including Ayo, Made in Lagos, More Love, Less Ego and Morayo.
Wizkid has also won a Grammy Award for his contribution to Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl” and has been recognised as one of the most-streamed African artists on platforms including Spotify. His collaboration with Tems on “Essence” achieved major international success and further strengthened his global profile. His role as the closing-night headliner highlighted his influence on Afrobeats and the growing reach of Afro Plus Fest as a major gathering for the African and Caribbean diaspora. The 2026 festival featured Nigerian superstar Davido as the Friday headliner, Jamaican dancehall artiste Alkaline on Saturday and Wizkid closing the event on Sunday, alongside acts including Lil Baby, Latto, Tems, Ayra Starr, Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Adekunle Gold. Billed as the largest Afro-Caribbean-Hip Hop festival, the 2026 edition expanded to three days across two stages, with a projected attendance of 40,000 fans daily. Founder and Executive Producer Michael Awosanya said the festival had grown from a long-held dream into a global diaspora movement, describing its sold-out debut as proof that Afro Plus Fest was more than an event and had established itself as a movement.
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