Wizkid teams up with Justin Bieber for the remix of smash hit "Essence"

08/29/2021 12:40:52 AM

Nigerian pop superstar Wizkid is taking the global music charts by storm through his new single "Essence"—that is now bolstered even further with a remix version featuring multi-platinum artist Justin Bieber and fellow Afro-pop singer Tems. This song is also released worldwide via RCA and Sony Music.

Hailed as one of the songs that are making waves in the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200, "Essence" has been widely raved by various music publications worldwide, with NME praising its Afro-Latin production and Afrobeats percussion for evoking "a sense of homecoming." Meanwhile, Fader has cited Bieber's contribution to the infectious summer jam "switches things up" and adds a bit of pop sheen to the mix.

Before the highly anticipated collaboration with Justin Bieber, Wizkid's "Essence" has already been blazing on top of the charts, securing a No. 1 for the Nigerian pop star on the US World Digital Song Sales chart and UK Afrobeats chart. The song has made it on Spotify's Song of the Summer playlist in June 2021 and Barack Obama's favorite songs of 2020 playlist. It has also caught several Hollywood celebrities and music personalities, including Kevin Hart, Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat, Jordyn Woods, Saweetie, Diddy, Winnie Harlow, Angela Simmons.

Wizkid himself is no stranger to the international music scene. The chart-topping R&B/Afrobeats artist has appeared alongside Drake on the No. 1 worldwide bop "One Dance" and Beyoncé's Grammy Award-winning track "Brown Skin Girl," from The Lion King: The Gift.

With Bieber providing added star power to the remix, the song is expected to grow more in streaming and mainstream radio. Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh wrote, "The song is proof that Afropop acts — long honored in Black immigrant and adjacent communities — can shake the room in the States, in a major way, and on their terms."

Author: slickmaster | © 2021 The SlickMaster's Files