Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
Nigerian Afrobeats singer Daniel Anidugbe, popularly known as Kizz Daniel, has explained that his recent decision to step away from music was influenced by the death of his mother, rather than being solely connected to his music plans or a desire to work on a new album.
The singer’s explanation offers a more personal context to his period away from recording and releasing music, coming after years of maintaining a demanding schedule in Nigeria’s competitive music industry.
Kizz Daniel has built a reputation for frequent releases and commercially successful songs, including Woju, Buga, Cough (ODO) and Rich Till I Die. His career has also been marked by periods in which personal experiences have influenced the direction of his music.
Kizz Daniel opens up about the break
Kizz Daniel’s latest explanation presents his absence from music as a response to personal grief.
The singer said the death of his mother this year played a significant role in his decision to take time away from music. The revelation gives a different perspective to a period that had previously generated speculation among fans about whether he was preparing another major project or deliberately slowing down his release schedule.
For an artist whose career has largely been characterised by consistency and a steady flow of music, the decision to step back has attracted attention from fans following his work.
The singer has previously spoken publicly about how personal experiences and bereavement have affected his music. His comments suggest that family and personal circumstances have increasingly become important considerations alongside his professional commitments.
His earlier decision to step away from music
Kizz Daniel had already publicly announced a break from releasing new music in November 2024.
At the time, he said he would not release another song until 2026 following the release of his Uncle K project. His announcement came shortly after he disclosed that his wife had lost her mother to breast cancer.
Reports at the time quoted Kizz Daniel as saying that his wife had lost her mother and that he was mourning with her. He asked his fans, known as the Vaddicts, to pray for the family.
That announcement created an expectation that the singer would reduce his musical activity for an extended period.
By June 2025, however, Kizz Daniel provided another explanation for stepping away from recording. He said his family had accused him of giving too much attention to the studio and indicated that he wanted to spend more time with his loved ones.
He also said he had more than 600 unreleased songs, suggesting that his decision to slow down did not mean he had run out of material or ideas.
Personal loss has featured in his music
Kizz Daniel has previously connected his music to experiences of grief and loss.
In 2025, while discussing his Uncle K: Lemon Chase project, the singer explained that some of the songs reflected difficult experiences in his life.
One of the songs, Al-Jannah, was described as a tribute to people he had lost, including his father, his son and his wife’s mother.
The singer has therefore previously acknowledged that personal bereavement can influence both his creative process and the way he approaches music.
His father died in 2015, while the singer also experienced the loss of one of his children in 2021. His wife’s mother died in 2024 after battling breast cancer.
These experiences have formed part of the personal background surrounding Kizz Daniel’s music in recent years.
A career built on consistent releases
Kizz Daniel emerged as one of Nigeria’s prominent Afrobeats singers after gaining widespread attention with Woju.
He later released projects including New Era, No Bad Songz, King of Love and Maverick, while building an international audience through songs such as Buga, a collaboration with Tekno.
His catalogue has continued to expand through singles and collaborative releases.
His official music catalogue also shows activity in 2026, including releases such as Owo Oluwa, demonstrating that his relationship with music has continued despite periods when he has spoken about taking breaks. (Apple Music – Web Player)
That distinction is important because a break from recording or releasing music does not necessarily mean that an artist has permanently retired.
Why the explanation matters
Kizz Daniel’s latest account places his career decisions within the broader reality of balancing professional demands with family and personal loss.
The Nigerian music industry has developed into a highly competitive environment in which artists are often expected to maintain regular releases, performances, collaborations and public engagement.
For established artists, however, periods away from the spotlight can also provide space to deal with personal circumstances away from the pressures of continuous production.
Kizz Daniel’s previous statements indicate that family has increasingly influenced his decisions about how frequently he records and releases music.
His 2025 decision to focus more on his family came after he said his relatives felt he had prioritised the studio over them. At the time, he described his decision as a desire to enjoy life and spend more time with loved ones.
The singer’s latest explanation adds another layer to that history by linking his break to bereavement.
Fans await his next musical move
Kizz Daniel’s fans have continued to follow his career despite the periods in which he has reduced his musical activity.
His ability to return with new releases after announcing breaks has also meant that questions about his next project remain a regular part of discussions around his career.
His 2026 releases show that he has not completely withdrawn from music.
What remains less clear is how his personal loss will affect the timing, themes or scale of his future projects.
The singer has previously demonstrated a willingness to draw from personal experiences when creating music. His comments about Al-Jannah, for example, showed how grief could become part of his songwriting and storytelling.
What happens next
For now, Kizz Daniel’s explanation suggests that his break should be understood within the context of personal circumstances rather than simply as a commercial or artistic strategy.
There has been no indication that he is permanently leaving music.
His earlier comments about having hundreds of unreleased songs also suggest that a period of reduced activity does not necessarily signal the end of his career.
As one of Nigeria’s established Afrobeats performers, his eventual return to a more regular release schedule is likely to attract significant attention from his audience.
For Kizz Daniel, however, the latest explanation makes clear that his relationship with music cannot be separated entirely from the personal experiences that have shaped his life.
The singer’s account of losing his mother this year provides the latest explanation for why he chose to step back, although the specific circumstances surrounding the reported death were not detailed in the material reviewed for this report.
Weng Global – stories beyond borders
Sources
Kizz Daniel
Premium Times
The Nation
Punch Newspapers
Vanguard
Apple Music
