The generally accepted song of the summer, Essence by Wizkid and Tems has finally broken into the Top 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
On Monday, October 11 2021, Essence hit a new peak on the chart, rising from 11 to 10.
This is Wizkid’s second entry into the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Following his feature on Drake’s 2016 summer hit, One Dance. One Dance was the number 1 song on the Hot 100 chart for 10 weeks in 2016. For Tems, this is her first appearance on the top 10. However, she’s also on the Billboard chart as she’s featured on Drake’s “Fountains” from the Certified Lover Boy album which debuted at its No. 26 peak.
Recently, Essence also became the first Nigerian song to go platinum in the US. Accepting his plaque, Wizkid said, “We have a platinum record and I just want to say thank you to everyone involved in this, from Tems to the producers Legendury Beatz. These are my brothers from way back. Thanks to the whole team for believing in the dreams from early [on]. To my fans, I appreciate you all and I pray God blesses all of you.”
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According to the BRITS Certified Awards website, songs are awarded platinum status when they achieve 600,000 units of sales. The records are awarded the gold status for 400,000 units and silver for 200,000 units, but this would be based on Official Charts Company data.
Essence is also the first ever Nigerian song to feature in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.