Nigerians have done amazingly well with afrobeats — Akon

Senegalese-American singer Akon has described working with late pop icon Michael Jackson as one of the proudest moments of his career.

Speaking during a recent episode of the We Need To Talk podcast, the ‘Oh Africa’ crooner said taking a photo with Michael Jackson remains his “proudest moment” as a celebrity .

According to Akon, despite already being an established global star at the time, he still considered himself “a child” compared to Jackson because of the enormous influence the late singer had on his life and career.

“My photo with Michael Jackson is my most proudest photo. I was already a full blown celebrity at the point the photo was taken. But I am a child compared to this man (Michael Jackson).

“I was so happy because I grew up looking up to him. He is like everybody’s Idol,” he said. 

The 53-year-old music star also spoke about his support for African music, mentioning that he once signed some Nigerian Afrobeats artists, including P-Square and Wizkid. 

He, however, clarified that he didn’t sign Wizkid directly but through his involvement in Banky W’s Empire Mate Entertainment, which Wizkid was signed to.

“Nigerians are the most intelligent people on the planet. They have done amazingly well with Afrobeats,” he added.