Oyindamola Ogunbowale
The next generation of Nigerian celebrity offspring is beginning to make its own noise in music, with Champz and IceKing Ochacho steadily drawing listeners to their respective catalogues.
Champz, son of Afrobeats superstar Wizkid, is back in the spotlight with “Groove”, his latest single as he continues to build a music career of his own.
The release adds to a growing catalogue that already includes his debut EP, Champion’s Arrival, and his follow-up project, Young Poet.
Champz made an early statement with Champion’s Arrival, which surpassed one million Spotify streams within its first 24 hours and reached No. 1 on the Apple Music Nigeria Top Albums chart.
Its standout track, “Champion Sound”, peaked at No. 4 on Spotify Nigeria, while songs including “Grind”, “Superstar”, “Champion Montana” and “Champiano” also appeared on the Nigerian Spotify chart.
His Young Poet project extended that run, with “Bad Guyz”, “Militia” and “War Lord” also making appearances on Spotify Nigeria’s Top 200.
With tens of thousands of followers on Audiomack and millions of plays across his catalogue, Champz is gradually turning the curiosity surrounding Wizkid’s son into sustained interest in his own music.
Another young name attracting attention is IceKing Ochacho, who has been building his own following with a string of releases, including “No Competition” and “Oh Papa”.
“No Competition” has become one of his most visible records, reaching No. 49 on Spotify Nigeria and continuing to appear on the chart in September.
The song has also travelled beyond Spotify, reaching No. 35 on YouTube Nigeria and No. 31 on Nigeria’s Shazam chart on September 23.
On Audiomack, it has surpassed 179,000 plays. IceKing has also built a growing audience on Audiomack, adding to the attention around his expanding catalogue.
While their backgrounds have naturally placed both young artistes under the celebrity spotlight, their recent releases are increasingly giving fans something else to watch: the music itself.
For Champz, “Groove” represents another step in developing a sound separate from the shadow of his father’s superstar status.
For IceKing, the continuing traction around “No Competition” is adding to his visibility as he builds his own place in the music scene.
As both artistes continue releasing music and attracting listeners, attention is increasingly shifting from the famous names connected to them to what they can create and sustain for themselves.
