Wizkid: Jidenna to record new music with Nigerian pop star

Jidenna recently opened up about future his plans. These plans include a collaboration with the Nigerian Afrobeats superstar.

Jidenna has confirmed that he is on course to work on a new song with Wizkid.

The Nigerian-born American singer is currently having his best career moments yet, after his single ‘Classic man’ became a hit and catapulted him into worldwide charts.

Jidenna recently shot an exclusive interview with media correspondent Raro Lae, and opened up to her about future plans. These plans included a collaboration in the works with Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid. In the video (scroll below to watch), Jidenna all but confirmed the planned project.

 

“I met a lot of people recently, one of them is Wizkid, so we definitely have something coming up.” Jidenna said.

The new song is yet to be recorded, but Jidenna is open to any location for the process, further revealing that the venue is yet to be decided.

“We travel a lot, so whether it’s L.A, or London, or Lagos, we’ll figure it out, I don’t know.” He explained further.
 

Jidenna also recently named Wizkid as the  Nigerian act he is feeling at the moment.

 

“I love his voice, I love his production team. I was just hanging out with them recently.” Jidenna told Billboard in a recent interview.

“I’m looking forward to what’s to come, and I love his catalog already." He further said.

Jidenna and Wizkid performed on stage at the Africkan Festival back in July, and as it stands now, a collaboration between both acts is most definitely a highly anticipated one.

Jidenna also further disclosed that he is influenced by Nigeria’s Highlife music which is the first music he ever listened to as a child.

 

Jidenna had been in the news, finding himself as the topic of conversation earlier in July as he opened up about his upbringing and being biracial with a Nigerian-born father. In a recent interview with DJ Vlad, he details some of the dangers he faced traveling to his father's homeland simply based upon the color of his skin.

He has since cleared the air on his controversial comments on DJ Vlad in June. Jidenna further clarified his statement.

 

"What I said was...I was referring to my mixed heritage, and being a man who may be perceived as more valuable because you are light skinned, because you look really closer to a white man which all around the world, a white man, the white man is perceived as more valuable. Unfortunately light skinned is often perceived as more valuable. So my comments were referring to that. When I went home to bury my father it was the highest kidnapping time in our area, the area that I am from, the South East Nigeria. So my family in the village was concerned about me burying my father so they said "look you have to take extra precautions this time because one-you are a foreigner, you are coming from America, and then two- your appearance is going to make you a target" he said.

Jidenna has been very vocal about Nigeria. Last month he was interviewed on The Breakfast Club alongside Janelle Monae and the group Deep Cotton.

After speaking about The Wondaland's group effort 'The Eephus EP' the discussion turned towards country of origin. Jidenna revealed Nigeria is a proud country where excellence is demanded.

"Nigeria is a very proud place, and it's also a place where you try to humiliate if you don't see excellence. I always tell the story of my father. I remember coming to America, in the US you get a highest score on the test and your teacher says "bring it home to your parents. show your parents." So I brought it home to my father like "dad I got a 98 on my math exam", and he said "ah ah 98? Where are the other two points? Go there and bring them back, then I will celebrate with you" narrated Jidenna.

"And that's how I grew up with everything I did, basketball, soccer, football. Everything that I played. In Nigeria its standard to try to check somebody if you see them making misstep. With the words that I said I didn't make a miscalculation in my experience, but I can see how certain people perceive that" he further said.