Canada’s Justin Bieber has added his voice to a remix of “Essence” by Wizkid ft. Tems.
“Thank u for letting me jump on the song of the summer,” Bieber tweeted.
The original version of “Essence,” which appears on Wizkid’s 2020 album Made in Lagos, was released as a single in April and became the first Nigerian song ever to make it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart (where it is currently No. 54).
Many fans of the original track are celebrating the addition of pop powerhouse Bieber, who helped take the Latin hit "Despacito" to No. 1 in 2017 by appearing on the remix.
Justin Bieber: iHeartRadio.ca Music News Coverage
“Those saying Wizkid doesn’t need Justin Bieber to hop on ‘Essence Remix’ should go find out what happened when Justin Bieber hopped on ‘Despacito,’” tweeted podcaster Ovie. “Sometimes, that little ‘stardust’ is all that’s needed to turn a hit into a worldwide #1 smash.”
Music producer Taye Olusola agrees, tweeting that the song “is about to go into #1 on all charts. Wizkid, Tems, and Justin Bieber did magic. Afrobeat culture has finally grown into something phenomenal.”
Wizkid has another Canadian to thank for his only No. 1 in the U.S. – he was featured on Drake’s 2016 smash “One Dance.”
Earlier this month, Bieber reflected on being called out in 2014 for using the N-word. “When I was a kid I was incredibly ignorant and said some very hurtful racist jokes that clearly were not funny,” he shared in an Instagram Story. “I hurt a lot of people especially the black people in my life but was fortunate enough to have had them educate me on the horrifying origin of the n word.”
In April, Bieber was accused of cultural appropriation for sporting dreadlocks. A month earlier, the pop star blamed Ontario schools for not educating him about Black history. “It was just not a part of our education system,” he said on Clubhouse.
Check out all the latest songs at iHeartRadio's New Music.