Nigeria: CKay shares debut album Sad Romance

The album features previously-released singles including the global chart-topping 2019 single ‘Love Nwantiti’ and recent offerings like ‘Emiliana’, ‘Watawi’ and ‘You’. Guests on the project include fellow Nigerians Ayra Starr and Davido, South Africa's Focalistic as well as Cape Verdean singers Mayra Andrade and Ronisia.

Sad Romance chronicles its author’s journey through romantic relationships. It combines Afro-pop with other pulses like soul, R&B, jazz and Afrohouse.

Among Afrobeats’s most recognisable faces, CKay traces his love for music back to his childhood when he learned to play the piano from his father who was a choirmaster.

He first came to mainstream notice when he landed a record deal with Chocolate City under which he released his first single ‘Nkechi Turn Up’ in 2016. His debut EP WTFiCKay arrived in 2017.

CKay’s sophomore EP CKay The First was released in 2019, with ‘Love Nwantiti’ as the focus track. In addition to being popular in countries such as Morocco, India, and Portugal, ‘Love Nwantiti’ has dominated streaming charts including YouTube’s ‘Top Songs Global’ and Spotify’s ‘Global Viral 100’ charts. The song has also garnered over 956 million streams across differet platforms. The song’s successor ‘Emiliana’ was released earlier this year and has amassed over 290 million streams.

“While the numbers are impressive, CKay is still deeply rooted in making music that connects to people in the sincerest of ways and his commitment to artistry remains crucial,” a statement reads. “Writing and singing about love is the basis of his creativity. This fascination with love and passion has also inspired his persona as ‘Africa’s boyfriend’.”

CKay will be taking Sad Romance on a tour of multiple cities in the US, Canada and Europe. The self-defined ‘emo Afrobeat’ musician and producer will kick off the 22-city tour in Oakland, California, on 1 October and round things up across the pond in London on 20 November. Other stops will include Toronto, Brussels, Copenhagen, Cologne and Paris.