Kizz Daniel

Kizz Daniel has emerged as one of Nigeria’s leading figures and a prominent name across much of the continent thanks to his smooth vocals and bright, buoyant pop style. His breakthrough arrived with the 2014 radio favorite “Woju,” after which the full-length New Era, released in 2016, carried him onto the global stage by claiming the top spot on Billboard’s World Music Albums chart. Formerly known as Kiss Daniel, he adopted his current name before launching the independent Flyboy Inc imprint and delivering his follow-up album No Bad Songz in 2018. Frequent partnerships with Afrobeats talents such as Wizkid and Davido, electronic producer Diplo, and rapper Wretch 32 kept him in the upper reaches of the charts through the ensuing years, culminating in the massive 2022 number-one single “Buga (Lo Lo Lo).” That track ignited a widespread social-media dance phenomenon and appeared alongside the major hit “Cough” on the 2023 album Maverick. Hardly pausing, he unveiled the streaming success “Twe Twe” as part of the 2024 EP TZA.

Born Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe in Abeokuta, the singer displayed early musical talent yet waited until after completing university studies in 2013 to enter the industry. G-Worldwide Entertainment signed him under the Kiss Daniel moniker, issuing the debut single “Shoye” in May 2014; national attention followed with the second release, “Woju,” which soon received a popular remix featuring Tiwa Savage and Davido. Another strong single, “Mama,” preceded the May 2016 arrival of New Era on G-Worldwide, an album that entered Billboard’s World Album Chart at number eight.

After leaving the label and adopting the name Kizz Daniel, he established Flyboy Inc and teamed with Wizkid on “For You” and Davido on “One Ticket.” His second album, the 20-track No Bad Songz, arrived in November 2018 and topped the World Music Albums chart, boasting appearances from Diplo, Diamond Platinumz, and Wretch 32. Further cross-genre work included a feature on Mayorkun’s 2019 track “True,” while solo releases such as “Madu” and “Jaho” maintained his momentum; the latter introduced the 2020 album King of Love. Despite strong showings from cuts like “Boys Are Bad,” that project did not match the commercial peaks of earlier efforts.

He returned to form with the seven-song EP Barnabas, released in November 2021, which contained the chart-topping “Lie” and the polished “Eh God (Barnabas).” Even greater success followed in May 2022 with the Tekno-assisted “Buga (Lo Lo Lo),” a chart-dominating release whose contagious groove fueled a viral social-media dance challenge. In November of that year Daniel performed both “Buga” and its successful follow-up “Cough” at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar; the two songs later appeared on Maverick, issued in July 2023. That same year “Buga” earned Song of the Year at the Soundcity MVP Awards. Late-2023 singles “Too Busy to Be a Bae” and “Twe Twe” were collected on the TZA EP the following March.