How CKay’s Love Nwantiti became a global hit – Warner Music boss reveals

Warner Music Africa’s Managing Director, Temi Adeniji, has shared the untold story behind the meteoric rise of CKay’s Love Nwantiti, the Afrobeats anthem that took the world by storm in 2021.

Speaking during the Afrobeats Martell session, Adeniji recalled how the record’s global explosion began just months after she took office in April 2021.

“I was in the US. I got a text saying this thing is going viral in August. I had just finished a programme with the marketing lead and one of my music friends. I said, ‘I see it’s moving fast. Do you think we can go to radio?’ They never do that for a song like this, but for whatever reason, they decided to go,” she said.

The gamble paid off, the song shot to number one globall

“I saw it was moving in India, so I called the MD there and said, ‘This thing is moving in India, I want to push it here,’ and he did. We were number one for 16 weeks,” Adeniji revealed.

Since the release of CKay’s Love Nwantiti, the record has achieved remarkable global milestones that have not only redefined his career but also elevated Afrobeats on the world stage.

The breakout single has recorded several notable achievements over the years. It was certified 8× Platinum in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 2024, making it the most-certified Nigerian song in U.S. history, according to Pulse Nigeria, Music In Africa, and The Tide News Online.

The song also peaked at No. 26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as confirmed by Pulse Nigeria, and became the first African song to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify, a milestone documented by Wikipedia and Atlantic Records Press.

In 2021, Love Nwantiti topped Shazam’s global chart, becoming the longest-running No. 1 song worldwide on the platform, Music In Africa reported. It also charted across six continents, reaching No. 1 in countries such as India and Norway, while inspiring multiple high-profile remixes across Africa and beyond.

Beyond charts and certifications, the track became a viral TikTok phenomenon, serving as one of the key records that helped cement Afrobeats as a truly global genre.

Meanwhile, CKay officially exited Warner Music South Africa in April 2025  and signed a new deal with AWOL.