Wizkid’s smash hit ‘Essence‘ (remix) featuring Tems and Justin Bieber has won the Best Collaboration at the BET Awards 2022.
“This award is for Wiz, Africa and I just want to say great thing is happening out of Africa right now and the light is on everyone there and this is dedicated to Africa and Nigeria,” Tems said as she received the BET award which celebrates black excellence.
Essence beat other nominations like ‘Every Change I Get’ by DJ Khaled ft Lil baby and Lil Durk; ‘Family Ties’ by Baby Seem ft Kenderick Lamar; ‘Whole Lotta’ by Bia ft Nicki Minaj; ‘Way 2 Sexy’, Drake ft Future and Young Thug, and ‘Kiss me More’ by Doja Cat ft SZA.
Since its release in April 2021 from Wizkid’s fourth studio album ‘Made in Lagos’, ‘Essence’ has continued to break records across the world. It is the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200. It was also nominated for Best Global Music Performance at the 64th Grammy Awards.
The remix was released in August 2021 with additional vocals from Justin Bieber.
At his headline concert at the Livespot X Festival in December 2021, Wizkid had expressed his excitement over the success of the song.
He said: “How can a young small boy from Ojuelegba, Surulere make a song with another girl from the same Lagos Nigeria and that song goes all the way to sell one million copies in America? That same song also got nominated for a Grammy award. That same song got on the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The gag of the story is the same person that made that same song is one small boy from Ojuelegba.”
Wizkid is now the most awarded Nigerian at the BET Awards with four awards. His work with Beyonce, Saint Jhn and Blue Ivy on ‘Brown Skin Girl’ earned him his third BET Award in 2020.
Wizkid has also won the award for Best International Act twice – in 2012 and 2017, becoming the first Nigerian to win the award twice, then Davido, and Burna Boy who won his third Best International Act in 2021.
Source: thenet