Wikipedia

More Love, Less Ego

More Love, Less Ego is the fifth studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid. It was released on 11 November 2022 through RCA Records and Starboy Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Ayra Starr, Skillibeng, Shenseea, Skepta, Naira Marley, and Don Toliver. Production was handled by P2J, Kel-P, KDaGreat, Sammy Soso, P Priime, Juls, Kofo, and Euro. It serves as the follow-up to Wizkid's previous album, Made in Lagos (2020). The album was supported by two singles, "Bad to Me", and "Money & Love". More Love, Less Ego is a pop, R&B, and Afrobeats album that includes lyrics about falling in love with women and engaging in sexual activity.[1][2] According to Wizkid, he named the album the way it is because "everyone fights with their ego and that's where I'm at", explaining that "I'm still trying to shed my ego, like everyone else".[2]

More Love, Less Ego
Studio album by
Wizkid
Released11 November 2022 (2022-11-11)
Genre
Length53:15
Language
Label
Producer
Wizkid chronology
Made in Lagos
(2020) 		More Love, Less Ego
(2022) 		S2
(2023)
Singles from More Love, Less Ego
  1. "Bad to Me"
    Released: 14 September 2022

Release and promotion

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On 30 October 2021, the one-year-anniversary of Wizkid's previous album, Made in Lagos (2020), he announced the title of his next album and stated that it would be released on the last day of his tour for it, which would be 22 January 2022.[3] However, this did not happen. The lead single of More Love, Less Ego, "Bad to Me", was released on 14 September 2022.[4] The sole promotional single, "Money & Love", was released on 28 October 2022, the same day Wizkid announced the release date of the album for the week after that.[5] However, three days later, fellow Nigerian singer Davido's son died at age three from drowning in a swimming pool, in which Wizkid deleted a promotion tweet for it and pushed its release back by exactly one week to show his support.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [8]
The Daily Telegraph     [9]
The Native8.4/10[10]
NME     [1]
Pulse Nigeria7.7/10[11]

More Love, Less Ego was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 87, based on 4 reviews.[7]

Nigerian-based music magazine The Native did a review on More Love, Less Ego, in which it stated that the album "still sounds pristine and does not suffer from any deals", also noting that he brings new collaborators "into his colourful world where ego takes a back seat to the pursuit of love and genuine human connections".[10] Writing for NME, Kyann-Sian Williams gave the "appropriately-titled" album a perfect five-star review and felt that it "is a masterful connection that sees Wizkid beginning to truly perfect his universal pop sound".[1] they also praised the title of the album, opining that it "wishes to replicate the musicality of" Wizkid's previous album, Made in Lagos (2020), "using similar sonic templates - steady flowing melody, top production, and rich features while discussing the stress-free, wealthy, and hedonistic lifestyle of a megastar", while also positively writing that it "offers sonic coherence achieved through incredible sound engineering that delivers the luxurious sound needed to elevate the content and offer gratification".[11]

Track listing

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More Love, Less Ego track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Money & Love"
P2J3:11
2."Balance"
3:01
3."Bad to Me"
  • Balogun
  • Isong
  • Samuel Awuku
  • P2J
  • Sammy Soso[a]
2:58
4."2 Sugar" (featuring Ayra Starr)
P2J3:07
5."Everyday"
  • Balogun
  • Isong
  • Awuku
  • P2J
  • Sammy Soso
3:20
6."Slip n Slide" (featuring Skillibeng and Shenseea)
P2J3:29
7."Deep"
P2J2:34
8."Flower Pads"
  • Balogun
  • Isong
  • Awuku
  • Kevin Ekofo
  • P2J
  • Sammy Soso[b]
3:27
9."Wow" (featuring Skepta and Naira Marley)
P2J2:59
10."Pressure"
  • Balogun
  • Peace Oredope
P Priime3:02
11."Plenty Loving"
  • Balogun
  • Isong
  • Bernardis
  • Gaetan Judd
P2J2:51
12."Special" (featuring Don Toliver)
Juls3:23
13."Frames (Who's Gonna Know)"
  • Balogun
  • Iwar
  • Isong
  • Ekofo
  • Jamal Europe
3:25
Total length:40:55

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[b] signifies a co-producer

Charts

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Chart performance for More Love, Less Ego
Chart (2022-2024) Peak
position
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[12] 10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 91
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 157
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] 45
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 30
French Albums (SNEP)[17] 135
Irish Albums (IRMA)[18] 100
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 54
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 16
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[21] 15
US Billboard 200[22] 59
US World Albums (Billboard)[23] 2

References

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  1. ^ a b c Williams, Kyann-Sian (11 November 2022). "Wizkid – 'More Love, Less Ego' review: Afrobeats' biggest star perfects his universal sound". NME. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b Adegoke, Yomi (11 November 2022). "Afropop star Wizkid on ego, alter egos and elections: 'I make a lot of club records but I feel like a pastor'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  3. ^ Kenechi, Stephen (30 October 2021). "Wizkid announces 'More Love, Less Ego' album, sets release date for Jan 2022". The Cable Lifestyle. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. ^ Darville, Jordan (14 September 2022). "Wizkid returns with new single "Bad To Me"". The Fader. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  5. ^ Arcand, Rob (27 October 2022). "Wizkid Announces New Album, Shares Video for New Song "Money & Love": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Wizkid deletes album promotion tweet after death of Davido's son". Vanguard. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  8. ^ Monger, Timothy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  9. ^ McCormick, Neil (11 November 2022). "Christine and the Queens turns electro gothic, Wizkid is a wonder – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Our First Impressions Of Wizkid's 'More Love, Less Ego'". The Native. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b Adebiyi, Adeayo. "Wizkid basks in the exotic life of a megastar on 'More Love, Less Ego' [Pulse Album Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  12. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 21 November 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1707. Australian Recording Industry Association. 21 November 2022. p. 24.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wizkid – More Love, Less Ego" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wizkid – More Love, Less Ego" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Wizkid Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wizkid – More Love, Less Ego" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Top Albums (Week 46, 2022)". SNEP. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 18 November 2022". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Wizkid – More Love, Less Ego". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  21. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Wizkid Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Wizkid Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
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