Kizz Daniel: The Abeokuta Boy Who Turned “Woju” Into a New Life

Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe

Kizz Daniel’s story feels like the kind of journey many Nigerian boys dream about, the type that starts quietly and then suddenly turns into something the whole country can’t ignore.

He was born Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe on May 1, 1994, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. In Abeokuta, life teaches you confidence early. You learn to carry yourself well, to hold your head up, and to keep your plans close to your chest until it’s time. Daniel was that kind of boy. Soft spoken, but with a voice that stood out whenever he sang.

As he grew, music stopped being just a hobby. It became a target. While other people were chasing vibes, he was chasing craft. He wanted to sound clean, sound different, sound like somebody that could last. Then came his first big door.

In 2013, he signed a record deal with G-Worldwide Entertainment. For a young guy, that kind of deal feels like the gates of a new life opening. But a deal is only the beginning, the real test is whether you can deliver.

In September 2014, he dropped Woju, and that was the moment the streets truly met him. The song moved like wildfire. DJs pushed it, people sang it in buses, at parties, in streets, everywhere. It was the kind of hit that doesn’t beg for attention, it just takes it. Overnight, Kiss Daniel was no longer an upcoming name. He was the new sound people were looking for.

Success can be sweet, but it can also come with problems behind the curtain. As the years went on, issues with his label became public, and the story changed from only music to contracts, court talk, and arguments in the media. Many artists get stuck there. Some never escape that stage.

But Daniel chose a different path.

In November 2017, he left and launched his own label, Flyboy I.N.C. That decision was like a young man telling the world, I’m not just a singer, I’m building my own house. Then in May 2018, he made another bold move by changing his stage name from Kiss Daniel to Kizz Daniel. It wasn’t just a spelling change. It was a statement. A reset. A new chapter where he would move on his own terms.

From there, he kept doing what he was always meant to do. Make hits, stay consistent, and keep his calm confidence. He became known as one of Afrobeats’ most reliable hitmakers, the kind of artist that can drop a song and you already know it will enter people’s playlist like it owns the place.

Then, years after the whole label drama started, another big victory came. In June 2025, major Nigerian outlets reported that he reclaimed the master rights to his debut album New Era, and also retrieved the masters of early hit singles like Yeba and Sofa. For an artist, that kind of win is not just money. It’s freedom. It’s ownership. It’s finally holding what you created with your own voice.

And that’s the real Kizz Daniel story. A boy from Abeokuta who broke out with one song, survived the industry’s hard lessons, rebuilt his name, and kept winning without losing himself.