Wizkid’s Mother, Jane Dolapo Balogun, Has Died

Jane Dolapo Balogun, the mother of Nigerian Afrobeats musician Wizkid, has died. Wizkid‘s manager, Sunday Are, confirmed the news to BusinessDay on Friday. However, her cause of death hasn’t been revealed.

Wizkid has expressed his love for his mother in some of his songs, including his “Joy” track in 2014.

“Mama had me / She was definitely smiling / Finally a boy / She was very very happy /” he sang. “She prayed for those with the love of her life eh / She called me grace / She called me blessing /
She looked into my eyes / Called me love of her life / I wish I could go back and feel what she felt / But she goes on her knees / And tell God what she felt eh.”

The special bond between Wizkid and his beloved mother was also seen on social media multiple times. In 2022, Wizkid’s manager shared videos of Balogun enjoying her son’s music as she was celebrating her birthday.

“Happy birthday mummy Wizkid who is also like a mother to me. I know it is no exaggeration when I say this that you are like a mother to me,” Sunday Are wrote. “Thank you for your continuous prayer and support. Thank you for raising a super star, You deserve all the happiness you are getting because you worked for it, you will live long enough to enjoy the good fruit of your labour to the fullest. God bless you ma, happy birthday mummy Ibrahim Ayo Deji Balogun, you are a sweet mother.”

In July, Wizkid performed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and became the first African artist to have a concert at the popular venue, CNN reported. Beyoncé and The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the only other musicians who have performed at the Tottenham stadium so far in 2023.

Wizkid has now earned 1 billion music streams in the United Kingdom. In 2021, the 33-year-old performed at a sold out London’s O2 Arena for three dates. He became the first African artist to earn that achievement.