''More Love, Less Ego'' is the fifth studio album by Nigerian singer
Wizkid
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afric ...
. It was released on 11 November 2022 through
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
and Starboy Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from
Ayra Starr
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe (born 14 June 2002), known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer. She was born in Cotonou, Benin. Ayra Starr began a fashion career at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management before deciding to pursue ...
, Skillibeng,
Shenseea
Chinsea Lee (born 1 October 1996), known professionally as Shenseea, is a Jamaican dancehall artist. She initially gained attention after appearing on songs by Vybz Kartel, Sean Paul, and Christina Aguilera. In 2019, she signed a recording contr ...
,
Skepta
Chief Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British-Nigerian grime MC, rapper and record producer. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became foundin ...
,
Naira Marley
Azeez Adeshina Fashola (born 10 May 1991), known professionally as Naira Marley, is a British-Nigerian singer and song writer. He is known as the president of his controversial fan base, "Marlians".
Education
At the age of 11, he moved to Pec ...
, and
Don Toliver
Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles " No Idea" and " After Party", from his de ...
. Production was handled by
P2J,
Kel-P, KDaGreat, Sammy Soso,
P Priime,
Juls
Julian Nicco-Annan (born 25 October 1985), better known by his stage name Juls, is a British-Ghanaian record producer, disc jockey, and musician. He is considered one of the pioneering producers of African music in the diaspora, particularly in ...
, Kofo, and Euro. It serves as the follow-up to Wizkid's previous album, ''
Made in Lagos
''Made in Lagos'' is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid. It was released on 30 October 2020 by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Projex ...
'' (2020). The album was supported by two singles, "Bad to Me", and "Money & Love". ''More Love, Less Ego'' is a
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
,
R&B, and
Afrobeats
Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...
album that includes lyrics about falling in love with women and engaging in sexual activity.
According to Wizkid, he named the album the way it is because "everyone fights with their ego and that's where I'm at", explaining that "I'm still trying to shed my ego, like everyone else".
Release and promotion
On 30 October 2021, the one-year-anniversary of Wizkid's previous album, ''
Made in Lagos
''Made in Lagos'' is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid. It was released on 30 October 2020 by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Projex ...
'' (2020), he announced the title of his next album and stated that it would be released on the last day of his tour for it, which would be 22 January 2022. However, this did not happen. The lead single of ''More Love, Less Ego'', "Bad to Me", was released on 14 September 2022. The sole promotional single, "Money & Love", was released on 28 October 2022, the same day Wizkid announced the release date of the album for the week after that. However, three days later, fellow Nigerian singer
Davido
David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), popularly known by his stage name Davido, is an American-Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. His music blends traditional African elements with global mainstream pop. Davido is widel ...
's son died at age three from drowning in a swimming pool, in which Wizkid deleted a promotion
tweet
Tweet often refers to:
* Tweet (bird call), a type of bird vocalization
* Tweet, a post on the social media platform Twitter
Tweet may also refer to: People
* Tweet (singer) (born 1971), American R&B and soul singer-songwriter
* Jonathan Tweet, ...
for it and pushed its release back by exactly one week to show his support.
Critical reception
Nigerian-based
music magazine A music magazine is a magazine dedicated to music and music culture. Such magazines typically include music news, interviews, photo shoots, essays, record reviews, concert reviews and occasionally have a covermount with recorded music.
Notable ...
''
The Native
''The Native'' (stylized in all caps) is a Nigerian-based music magazine publishing in Lagos. Founded in 2016, ''The Native'' focuses primarily on music, style, and art, championing the sounds and culture of tomorrow: today.
History
''The N ...
'' did a review on ''More Love, Less Ego'', in which it stated that the album "still sounds pristine and does not suffer from any deals", also noting that he brings new collaborators "into his colourful world where ego takes a back seat to the pursuit of love and genuine human connections".
Writing for ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', Kyann-Sian Williams gave the "appropriately-titled" album a perfect five-star review and felt that it "is a masterful connection that sees Wizkid beginning to truly perfect his universal
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
sound".
they also praised the title of the album, opining that it "wishes to replicate the musicality of" Wizkid's previous album, ''
Made in Lagos
''Made in Lagos'' is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid. It was released on 30 October 2020 by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Projex ...
'' (2020), "using similar sonic templates - steady flowing melody, top production, and rich features while discussing the stress-free, wealthy, and hedonistic lifestyle of a megastar", while also positively writing that it "offers sonic coherence achieved through incredible sound engineering that delivers the luxurious sound needed to elevate the content and offer gratification".
Track listing
Notes
* signifies an additional
producer
* signifies a co-producer
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2022 albums
RCA Records albums
Wizkid albums