CKay (Real name: Chukwuka Ekweani, born July 16, 1995) is a 28-year-old Nigerian songwriter and record producer known for his international hit single Love Nwantinti.
Ckay is one of the renowned Nigerian musicians who started their musical careers in 2016. His perfection of beats, rhythms, lyrics, and vocals has carved a niche for him in the industry and shot him to fame in 2018.
Ckay is known to specialize in the Afrobeat, pop, classical, and electronic music genres and has about three Extended Plays (EPs) to his name. The musician has also collaborated with top artists in releasing hit songs and has won global recognition.
Summary of CKay’s Bio
- Full name: Chukwuka Ekweani
- Nickname: Ckay/Your boyfriend
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: July 16, 1995
- CKay’s Age: 28 years old
- Ethnicity: Igbo
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Single
- CKay’s Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Ekweani
- CKay’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 9 inches
- CKay’s Height in Centimetres: 175.26 cm
- CKay’s Weight: 62 kg
- CKay’s Net worth: $2 million
- Famous for: His hit track Love Nwantinti
- CKay’s Instagram: @ckay_yo
- Twitter: @ckay_yo
What is Ckay’s State of Origin and Ethnicity?
Ckay was born in Kaduna, in the northern part of Nigeria, in 1995 to Mr. and Mrs. Ekweani. His father hails from Anambra State, the south-eastern region of Nigeria. Following his father’s state of origin, the singer is said to be of the Igbo ethnicity. Despite living in northern Nigeria, where Islam is the dominant religion, his family remained committed to their Christian faith.
His father is undoubtedly the one his son took after, as he is an active choir member, holding the post of the Choir Coordinator in an Anglican church. Ckay’s childhood is seen to be greatly influenced by his father as he introduced him to music at the age of seven. His parents are in the medical profession as the father practices as a doctor, while the mother is a nurse.
He is seen to be a reserved person, as details of his siblings, how many they are, and what they are up to have been kept private by the singer. Details of the schools he attended are also off records, but reports have it that he attended schools in both the northern and southern parts of Nigeria.
What Is CKay’s Age Currently?
Ckay is currently 28 years old. He was born on July 16, 1995, in Kaduna State. Following his date and month of birth, his birth sign is cancer. He is of Igbo ethnicity and holds Nigerian nationality.
He Started His Music Career at The Age of 7
Looking at how far Ckay has gone in music and the perfect songs that he has released so far, it is clear that music flows in his bloodstream. This was achievable because he ventured into music at the age of 7.
As a lover of musical instruments, he took piano lessons from his father, who was a choir coordinator. At the age of 13, the musician was already producing beats and writing songs for Christian music groups.
His friend introduced him to a digital audio workstation, Fruity Loops, where he learned how to produce beats. To be perfect in music, he became part of a music band, from where he developed himself extensively to climb the ladder of success in music today.
CKay Started His Professional Music Career In 2014 Under The Loppy Music Label
Having built himself for years and practicing music on the side, Ckay decided it was time to lend his voice to the world. In 2014, he moved to Lagos State, the center of West African entertainment. In no distant time, fortune smiled at him, and he was signed to Loopy Music, a record label owned by M.I Abaga (African rapper number 1), as a recording artist.
In 2015, the African rapper’s record label merged with Audu Maikori’s record label, Chocolate City. After the two record labels merged, M.I Abaga became the new C.E.O and signed CKay to the record label. This made the Love Nwantinti crooner become the official in-house producer of the Chocolate City Music label.
As an in-house producer, he produced music for top musicians like Jesse Jagz, Blaqbonez, M.I Abaga, Dice Ailes, DJ Lambo, Coker, Ice Prince, Victoria Kimani, and many more. After he was signed as a producer, he released a plug copy titled Bad Musician Bad Producer, which was made available for free download and commercial use for cover, airplay, and clubs.
Ckay also saw to the success of the Chocolate City’s debut album titled TICBN Vol 1. On November 3, 2016, his music profile was extended to include recording artists within the record label. With the expansion of his profile under the label, he released his first EP titled Who The Fuck Is Ckay.
His Debut Hit Track Love Nwantinti Catapulted Him To International Fame
Ckay released Container, an afrobeat record with a special dance known as the South African gwara gwara dance step. It was produced by Tempoe under the Chocolate City record label. The single became a major hit and gained him lots of airplay. The hit single’s music video, directed and shot by Myth, was released on July 6, 2018.
Having gained fame with his hit single, he released his second EP titled Ckay The First on August 30, 2019, under the Chocolate City record label. The hit track Love Nwantinti became a huge success in Nigeria and beyond. On February 14, 2020, he released the remix of the hit track Love Nwantini (ah ah), featuring Kuami Eugene and Joeboy.
The remix became frequently used on the short-form video hosting service TikTok in 2021. The song gave him a big break and ranked him on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. It also reached number 23 in the UK and became an international hit, charting across Africa, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
His North African remix of Love Nwantinti, featuring ElGrande Toto, a Moroccan rapper, was a success in Germany and Maghreb countries. Ckay further released the remix in different languages featuring top artists. He released remixes in German with Joeboy, Kuami Eugene, and Frizzo, French with Franglish, Spanish with De La Ghetto, East African with Rayvanna, South African with Tshego, and Gemini Major.
He released his third EP titled Boyfriends in 2021 under Warner Music South Africa. In December 2021, he released Emiliana, and in collaboration with Bixckie, he released By Your Side. Emiliana became a success across Europe and Africa.
The song peaked at number 9 in France and placed him in the top 5 on the Nigeria TurnTable Top 50 chart. The song was certified platinum in France on May 20, 2022. In June 2022, he released another single that became a major hit titled Watawi, featuring Davido, Focalist, and Abidoza.
The single became a major success and earned him the title of the second artist to reach 1.2 billion streams after Burna Boy. In 2022, he left the record label to Warner Music South Africa and is currently being managed by Plug Entertainment, which is owned by Asa Asika and Bizzle Osikoya. He has also collaborated with several artists in releasing hit songs.
Ckay Has A Special Style of Music
Since Ckay started singing, he has embraced a special style of music that is a mixture of Afrobeat, pop, classical music, and electronic music and has nicknamed his sound Emo-Afrobeats. The singer sings his songs in Pidgin, English, Igbo, and other foreign languages.
He once revealed in an interview that his music is Afropop from the future. The singer has been able to gain the interest of his fans through the love messages he sends through his music. This special music style has made him successful in the music industry.
Ckay’s Music Credits
Eps
- Who The Fuck Is Ckay
- Ckay The First
- Boyfriends
Singles
- Container
- Way
- Felony
- Love Nwantinti
- Skoin Skoin ft. Bianca Coasta
- Love Nwantinti (ah ah) ft. Joeboy and Kuami Eugene
- Kiss Me Like You Miss Me ft. Payal Dev
- Emiliana
- By Your Side ft. Bixckie
- Maria ft. Silly Walks Movement
- Watawi ft. Davido, Focalist, and Abidoza
Featured
- Beggie Beggie by Arya Starr
- La La by Davido
CKay is Currently Single
After Ckay’s big break in the Nigerian music industry, his love life has also been brought to the limelight. He has been tight-lipped about his relationship and has not revealed any information about it. The Kaduna-born singer has also not been spotted with any woman yet or rumored to be in a relationship with any.