Soul Train Awards 2022: Who is CKay? Meet the Nigerian Singer-Songwriter Who Took TikTok by Storm
CKay is the latest Afro-pop star to take over the international airwaves. In 2022, he gained prominence thanks to his sleeper track “Love Nwantiti,” which found massive success on the popular social media platform TikTok that later spawned a dance challenge created by TikToker Tracy Joseph.
This year, the singer and record producer is up for the “Best New Artist” award alongside several equally talented stars, including Coco Jones, DIXSON, Doechii, Fireboy DML, Muni Long, Steve Lacy, and fellow Nigerian star Tems. Ahead of this year’s ceremony celebrating the biggest and brightest in soul and r&b, get to know the nominee more with these interesting facts.
His breakout song gradually became a massive Hit
In 2019, CKay released his smash hit “Love Nwantiti,” also known as "Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ahh). However, it wouldn’t take steam until 2022 after gaining traction on the short-form video platform TikTok. The track debuted at number one following the launch of the Billboard Afrobeats chart.
His father sparked his interest in music, but he didn’t initially approve of it as a career
Growing up, CKay’s father worked as a choice conductor at their local church. He ultimately became interested in playing musical instruments, telling Drum, “When I was very young, I remember I would take the remote in the house and sing along to whatever music was being played. I always wanted to be a star.”
He added, "My parents, however, never really saw music as a very stable career. I had to make the decision to either chase my dreams or regret it and spend the rest of my life thinking, 'what if?'” They have since reconciled.
He started as part of a band
CKay first got his footing in the music business as part of a band with two of his friends. The group would gather what little money they had to put on shows for crowds performing their music.
He considers himself Africa’s boyfriend, “because of the music that I make, the predominant thing in my life is love. That’s the one thing that I feel defines me, and I have experienced a lot of joys and pains in love.” In 2021 he released his EP Boyfriend.
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He coined his own sound, “Emo-afrobeats”
CKay says his sound focuses more on emotional and romantic lyricism, but he’s created tracks across various genres, including Afrobeats, R&B, and dancehall.
He’s already received several accolades
In a short time, CKay has already received several accolades for his musical contributions, including a Brit Awards nomination. This year the international star earned himself a 2022 Soul Train Awards nom for Best New Artist.
The Soul Train Awards 2022 premieres Saturday, November 26 at 8 pm ET/PT on BET and BET Her.
