By JOAN ODAFE

Nigerian Afrobeats musician, Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi, has been named TikTok’s 2025 Artiste of the Year.

This is contained in a statement by TikTok and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

The TikTok Awards for Sub-Saharan Africa which held in Johannesburg, South Africa, was with the theme: ‘New Era, New Icons’.

According to the organisation, Shallipopi’s hit track, “Laho”, dominated charts and fuelled viral trends across the continent.

TikTok described the song as a cultural reset that sent shockwaves across the organisations ‘For You Feeds’, and powered viral challenges that spread far beyond Nigeria’s borders.

The artiste’s win highlighted a remarkable night for Nigeria at the TikTok Awards Sub-Saharan Africa, where Nigerian creators won six out of the 10 awards.

Other Nigerian winners at the award included Brian Nwana (@briannwana) as Storyteller of the Year; Belove Olocha (@beloveolocha) as Entertainment Creator of the Year; and Raja’atu Ibrahim (@diaryofanortherncook) as Creator of the Year.

Also, Izzi Boye (@izziboye) for Education Creator of the Year and Degoke Ogunbiyi (@noositiwantiwa_) as Social Impact Creator of the Year.

The awards received was the highest for any country, showcasing the nation’s growing influence on digital creativity and African pop culture.

TikTok’s Head of Content Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Boniswa Sidwaba, said Nigeria’s dominance at the ceremony reflects the strength of the country’s creative ecosystem.

“With Nigerian creators securing six of the 10 awards, we are honoured to celebrate their impact, especially as these victories were voted for by the TikTok community, who continue to champion the stories shaping culture,” she said.

Sidwaba said the wins highlighted how Nigerian creators, from food storytellers and entertainers to tech educators and social advocates, were using short-form video to share local culture with a global audience.

The platform said Nigerian creators were steering global conversations on African identity through language, music, cuisine and community-focused storytelling.

The creators commended the organisation for giving them the platform to showcase Nigeria on the global stage.

“Every single creator is a storyteller.

“We all tell stories that help drive the local communities, our cities and our countries, and when we do that we change the perception that the world has about us,” Brian Nwana said.

NAN reports that audiences across Africa would be able to watch the ceremony, including Shallipopi’s acceptance moment on TikTok Live on Dec. 11 at 19.00 WAT. (NAN)

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