CKay Biography: Chukwuka Ekweani, a Nigerian singer, composer, and record producer, goes by the stage name CKay. His breakthrough song Love Nwantiti from 2019 brought him international acclaim.

He is famously known for his international hit single “Love Nwantiti”, also known as “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ahh)”, which was released in 2019 by Chocolate City. Specializing in the Afro-pop genre, CKay is one of the most successful Nigerian musicians with several hit singles and albums.

 

CKay Profile Bio

• Stage name: CKay
• Full name:  Chukwuka Chukwuma Ekweani
• Gender: Male
• Date of birth: 16^th July,1995
• Place of birth: Kaduna state, Nigeria.
• State of origin: Anambra state.
• Nationality: Nigerian
• Occupation: Singer and Record Producer
• Net Worth: US$2 million-US$5 million

CKay Early Life

Chukwuka Chukwuma Ekweani, better known by his stage name CKay, was born on July 16, 1995, in Kaduna State, Nigeria. He hails from Anambra hence his Igbo name “Chukwuka” which translates God is Greater.

His father, a choir conductor at his neighborhood church, inspired him to pursue a music career. He was moved by musical instruments as a child, which inspired him to study the piano with his father.  Before joining a band of three; made up of him and two other bandmates he learned how to use the music production software “Fruity Loops”.

The group performed at several local events before CKay decided to become a solo artist and moved down to Lagos to launch his music career.

He started penning and producing his songs, taking cues from both his personal experiences and his favorite musicians.

Despite the shy reception to his early releases, CKay persisted in developing his style and sound. His big break occurred in 2019 when his song “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ahh)” was released. The song immediately became well-known and became a hit in Nigeria and other countries thanks to its catchy lyrics and irresistible beat.

Ckay Education

Regarding CKay’s education, not a lot of information is readily available to the public. It is known, nevertheless, that he studied music at Anambra State University in Nigeria. Additionally, he studied music production in Boston, Massachusetts’ Berklee College of Music.

 

CKay’s career is influenced by his musical background. His knowledge of production methods and music theory has enabled him to produce distinctive and avant-garde sounds. His versatility in fusing pop, R&B, Afrobeats, and other musical genres is evidence of his training.

Music Career

When CKay relocated to Lagos he worked for Chocolate City group label while signed under Loopy Music. Loopy Music merged with Chocolate City in 2016.

On May 6, 2016, he released a promotional song called “Bad Musician Bad Producer.” All Nigerian sites offered free downloads of the instrumental, which could be used for radio airplay, clubs, and covers.

However, CKay rose to fame and attracted a large following the release of his famous song, Love Nwantiti, which was written by Ghanaian singer Kwami Eugene. The song was published under the Chocolate City label in 2019. It was named “The biggest hit in African history” after being the first African song to reach one billion listens on Spotify on March 29, 2022. CKay and other foreign artists remixed the song numerous times.

CKay has termed his kind of music “Emo-afro beats” to highlight the emotional and romantic lyrics that he emphasizes in it. Afrobeats, R&B, and dancehall are just a few of the genres in which CKay has produced music.

CKay had a cameo appearance on Davido‘s popular song “La La” in 2020, which was featured on the A Better Time album. He also made an appearance on Ayra Starr’s Beggie Beggie as a featured artist. After reaching 21 million monthly listeners on their Spotify profile, CKay became the first African artist to achieve 20 million Spotify listeners on October 8, 2021.

As of August 18, 2022, CKay music was available on Boomplay and was included in 3,549 playlists. CKay songs were enjoyed by people in over 120 countries.

CKAY songs

CKay has had many great songs that never get old in the ears of song lovers. However, here is some of his songs;

 

• Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)
• Felony
• Emiliana
• La La
• CKay the First
• Boyfriend
• Sad Romance
• WATAWI
• HALLELUJAH
• Beggie Beggie
• Love Nwantiti (North African Remix)
• Love Nwantiti (Remix)
• Love Nwantiti (Acoustic Version)
• Love Nwantiti (French Remix)

CKAy Awards

CKay has been a recipient of some awards and has been nominated for several awards. Here is a list of some awards he has won;

• Muzikol Music Awards (Best African Song)
• Brit Awards (Songwriters & Publishers of the Most-Performed Songs of the Year)

Ckay Feud with Chocolate City Music Label

Ckay, popularly known as Ckay Yo, a Nigerian musician, responded on social media to a tweet sent by one of his followers who marked out Chocolate City record label as a label missing the marketing expertise to promote their talent.

Highlighting the poor media publicity over Ckay’s Song, the follower emphasized the song is not talked about enough. Chocolate City Record Label has the likes of Rapper M.I Abaga and BlaqBonez as its leading artists.

Ckay wrote, “if I didn’t take all the bad energy thrown at me and keep it aside, I wouldn’t have had a career in 2021, or had the chance to put out Boyfriend EP”.

CKay Relationship

Being a quiet individual, CKay rarely divulges details about his personal life, including his romantic status. He did, however, state that he is single at the moment and is concentrating on his music career in a 2021 interview with The Guardian.

Although CKay has been connected to several women in the past, he has never acknowledged being in a committed relationship with any of them. He was spotted holding hands with a lady in 2020 at a party in Lagos, Nigeria, and there were speculations that they were romantically involved. CKay, meanwhile, never addressed the rumors, and the identity of the woman remained a mystery.

CKay Net worth

It is estimated that CKay has a net worth of $1 million to $5 million. Based on his album sales, streaming income, and endorsement agreements, this estimate was made. With billions of streams on services like Spotify and Apple Music, CKay is among the most well-known Afrobeat musicians worldwide.

In addition, CKay has endorsement agreements with several well-known companies, such as Pepsi, Puma, and Beats by Dre. Millions of money are said to be involved in these trades. CKay makes money via touring and product sales in addition to his songs and endorsement partnerships.

Ckay Social Media Handles

Facebook: @Ckay_yo

Instagram: @Ckay_yo

Twitter: @Ckay_yo