CKay

Born in Kaduna in northern Nigeria and of Igbo origin, CKay, real name Chukwuka Ekweani, first trained as a producer before developing a personal project at the crossroads of Afrobeats, R&B, pop and an alt sensibility. Based in Lagos in the mid-2010s, he joined Chocolate City’s circle and released the EP Who the Fuck Is CKay? in 2017, then drew further notice with the track Container in 2018. CKay then refined a writing centered on love themes and smooth melodies, often set over slow Afro-pop rhythms, light electronic textures and an intimate vocal approach. The EP CKay the First appeared in 2019 and contains Love Nwantiti, a track relaunched internationally in 2021 through several remixes and strong social media support. This sequence markedly widened CKay’s audience beyond the Nigerian scene. Followed by the EP Boyfriend in 2021 and collaborations with Davido on La La and Ayra Starr on Beggie Beggie, before the release of the album Sad Romance in 2022. In 2024, CKay released Emotions, in the continuity of a sentimental and melodic sound which he himself describes as emo-afrobeats. In 2025, he released the EP CKay the Second after launching his Boyfriend Music structure.