Nigerian Afrobeats star Crown Uzama, known as Shallipopi, has been named TikTok’s 2025 Artiste of the Year.
TikTok announced the win in a statement shared with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos. The awards for Sub-Saharan Africa were held in Johannesburg with the theme New Era, New Icons.
TikTok said Shallipopi earned the top spot after his hit track Laho spread across the continent and powered viral trends. The platform said the song was a cultural reset that pushed new challenges across its feeds.
Nigeria recorded a strong showing at the event, winning six out of the 10 categories.
The winners include Brian Nwana as Storyteller of the Year, Belove Olocha as Entertainment Creator of the Year, and Raja’atu Ibrahim as Creator of the Year.
Others are Izzi Boye as Education Creator of the Year and Degoke Ogunbiyi as Social Impact Creator of the Year.
TikTok’s Head of Content Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Boniswa Sidwaba, said the country’s success reflects its strong creative base. She said, “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.”
Sidwaba also noted that Nigerian creators are helping to share local culture with the world through music, food, language and storytelling.
Some of the winners thanked TikTok for giving them a global platform. Brian Nwana said, “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.”
Audiences across Africa will be able to watch the ceremony on TikTok Live on Dec. 11 at 19.00 WAT.
