Ckay

Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer CKay, whose work fuses Afrobeat with other styles, first gained widespread attention in the opening years of the 2020s after the single “Love Nwantiti” spread rapidly across numerous countries. The track had originally appeared on his 2019 EP CKay the First; a later remix that included Joeboy and Kuami Eugene reached audiences in Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, India, and the U.K., while also entering the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Further remixes extended its reach into France, Germany, and Latin America. Capitalizing on that momentum, CKay issued his debut full-length album, Sad Romance, in 2022.

Born Chukwuka Ekweani in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kaduna, he received early piano instruction from his father, who directed the choir at their neighborhood church. Once exposed to electronic production and beatmaking, he moved to Lagos and started putting out his own material. His polished vocal style, blending R&B, Afrobeat, and dancehall, secured a deal with the prominent label Chocolate City, which put out his first EP, Who the Fuck Is CKay?, in September 2017. The South African-influenced track “Container” brought initial notice, yet it was the 2019 EP CKay the First that established him as a major figure in Nigeria. After the project’s second song, “Love Nwantiti,” achieved modest success, a 2020 remix featuring fellow Nigerian singer Joeboy and Ghanaian highlife artist Kuami Eugene was released under the expanded title “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah).” By early 2021 the reworked version had caught fire first in Nigeria and then globally, prompting additional versions aimed at East Africa, France, Germany, Latin America, and other markets; it reached the top of the U.K. singles chart and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100. CKay delivered his third EP, Boyfriend, in 2021 and followed it with the singles “Kiss Me Like You Miss Me” and “Emiliana.” Sad Romance, his first long-player, arrived in 2022 and featured appearances by Ayra Starr, Davido, and Focalistic. Throughout 2023 he continued collaborating, joining Ronisia on “Probleme,” Hamza on “Cocoro,” and Olamide on “Trumpet.”