Rema made history as the first Nigerian musician to perform at the Ballon d’Or Awards ceremony, presented by France Football.

Nigerian music continues to break borders on the continental stage.

Some of Afrobeats biggest exports like Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy have taken the genre to a whole new level internationally.

While it has since established itself as the dominant sound in African music, full credit has to also go to the key players racking in the numbers and awards across and beyond the continent.

Rema on the Ballon d’Or stage || Image credit: AfricaFactsZone

The prominence of Afrobeats has also seen a number of veterans and A-list superstars perform at some of the biggest sporting events across the globe.

In this article, Pulse Sports reveals the list of Nigerian artistes who have represented Afrobeats in the sporting world.

Nigerian musicians who have performed in Sporting Events across the world

Nigerian music stars who have performed at Sporting events across the globe | Illustration by Pulse Sports

1. Davido

Nigerian music star Davido| Photo Credit: IMAGO

In 2022, multi-award-winning singer, performer and record producer David Adeleke, know globally as ‘Davido’ performed at the closing ceremony of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before the final match between Argentina and France.

OBO performed “(Hayya Hayya) Better Together” alongside Aisha at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, just north of Doha, in front of 88,966 spectators.

That performance marked the return of Davido to the limelight having an emotional break from the public eye following the tragic loss of his son, Ifeanyi, last year.

2. D’banj

Afrobeats icon D’banj | Credit: IMAGO

In 2013, Dayo Daniel Oyebanjo popularly known by his stage name ‘D’banj’ performed at the closing ceremony of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Kokomaster and multi-award-winning singer gave an electrifying performance of his hit track ‘Top Of The World,’ at the event in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Throughout his career, D’banj has won several music awards, including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, Best International Act: Africa at the 2011 BET Awards, Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards, Evolution award at the 2015 MTV Africa Musical awards.

3. Rema

Rema became the first Nigerian artiste to perform at the Ballon d’Or Awards ceremony | Credit: IMAGO

Rema has since risen to become the leader of the next generation of Afrobeats superstars.

Rema, real name ‘Divine Ikubor’, made history as the first Nigerian artiste to perform at the Ballon d’Or ceremony after his appearance this Monday at France Football’s glamorous event.

The 23-year-old multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, rapper, and performer performed his 2022 global hit single ‘Calm Down’ as Lionel Messi received a record 8th Ballon d’Or at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

The remix with American singer Selena Gomez of which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100,[3] and led the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-setting 58 weeks until it was surpassed by Tyla’s ‘Water’ on October 21, 2023.

Calm Down is also widely regarded as one of the biggest Afrobeats songs of all time.

4. Burna Boy, Tems and Rema

NBA All-Star Halftime show entertainers announced.

Three Nigerian music stars represented Afrobeats with their individual performances during the halftime show at the NBA All-star games in 2023.

Burna Boy took centre stage with some of his hit songs like It’s Plenty, Last Last and Anybody, before Rema performed Calm Down and Holiday.

Tems completed the lineup by performing some of her best songs like Free Mind, Crazy Tings, as well as her collabs with Wizkid [Essence] and Future [Wait For You].

4. Kizz Daniel

Kizz daniel | Credit: Instagram (@kizzdaniel)

Kizz Daniel was absolutely ecstatic after achieving his dream of performing at a FIFA World Cup.

Kizz Daniel, real name, ‘Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe’ had previously highlighted his desire to perform his hit songs at football’s global showpiece, only to receive an invite months later to the FIFA Fan Fest in Qatar.

The Nigerian hitmaker and Flyboy Inc. owner, performed his hit songs like Buga and Cough.

5. Patoranking

Popular dancehall musician Patoranking | Credit: Instagram (@patoranking)

Like Kizz Daniel, Patoranking, also lit up the crowd in Qatar as he also performed at the FIFA Fan Festival in 2022.

One of the highlights from the singer’s performance saw him encourage the impressive crowd to keep their flashlights on as he entertained them with his voice.

6. Burna Boy

Popular Nigerian musician Burna Boy || Credit: Billboard

Burna Boy became the first African artiste to perform at the finals of the UEFA Champions League.

The self acclaimed ‘African Giant’ performed at the 2022/23 Uefa Champions League (UCL) halftime show by Pepsi in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

The Grammy Award winner performed alongside Brazilian popstar Anitta at the  74,753 capacity, Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

Burna Boy, real name ‘Damini Ogulu’,  delivered an electrifying performance, with his classy delivery of his hit song ‘Last Last;, as well a few other of his hit songs.

7. CKay

Popular Nigerian music sensation CKay | Credit: IMAGO

CKay graced the closing ceremony of the 2023 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria

The Nigerian singer whose real name is ;Chukwuka Chukwuma Ekweani’ entertained over 40,000 fans seated inside the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki

He treated the fans to hit trending songs ‘Love Nwantiti’ and ‘Emiliana’ with a delightful performance.

To date,CKay’s  “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ahh)”, which was released in 2019 is widely known as the first-ever African song to surpass one billion streams on popular streaming platform Spotify.

He is also one of the most successful Nigerian digital artistes of all time.