Naijabrain speaks with Seni Saraki, co-founder of Native Magazine and Native Records, about Wizkid: Long Live Lagos. Premiering on HBO on December 11, the documentary highlights the Afrobeats superstar’s journey to fame, his electrifying London performance, and his growing influence on the global music scene.
HBO will premiere Wizkid: Long Live Lagos on December 11 as part of its Music Box documentary series curated by Bill Simmons. Directed by Karam Gill—best known for Untrapped: The Lil Baby Story—the HBO original will also begin streaming across Africa on Showmax from December 26, 2025.
The film examines how music and art can reshape global narratives through the story of Nigerian superstar Wizkid, as he prepares for his landmark performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most commercially successful musicians, Wizkid’s global reach has helped push Afrobeats into the mainstream, challenging Western stereotypes while spotlighting African identity on an international scale.
The documentary features commentary from notable figures including Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, Jada Pollock, Julie Adenuga, Seni Saraki, Sunday Are, Karen Binns, Tops (tour manager), and a fan known as Starboy, among others.
One of the film’s defining moments revisits Wizkid’s historic July 2023 Tottenham show. As he ended his set, he stood shirtless before a crowd of over 62,000 fans, while a blazing eagle projection loomed behind him—a powerful visual symbol of his rise. The performance marked a major milestone: Wizkid became the first African artist to sell out Tottenham Stadium, further cementing his status as one of Afrobeats’ biggest global exports.
But beyond the spectacle, Long Live Lagos digs into the deeper story—what it took to stage such a massive event, the pressure behind the scenes, the emotional toll of rehearsals, and what that achievement truly meant to fans and the culture at large.
Set to premiere first at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6, the documentary offers an unusually personal look at Wizkid navigating international fame while staying connected to his roots and the promises he made to himself. Co-producer Seni Saraki describes it as “the most intimate view of Wizkid” ever captured. Over its 1 hour and 23 minute runtime, the film follows Wizkid from London back to Surulere, the Lagos neighborhood that shaped his identity and continues to fuel his creativity.
Saraki notes that the project feels like a full-circle moment, especially considering Native Magazine’s influential 2020 “Wizmag” edition—a four-cover tribute that chronicled Wizkid’s global rise during the Made in Lagos era. That publication, he explains, became an important research tool in shaping the documentary’s cultural accuracy and depth, ensuring the story was told through the lens of people who truly understood Wizkid and his environment.
According to Saraki, the documentary highlights the discipline and preparation behind Wizkid’s success, portraying the hard work required to sustain excellence at that level. He believes the film will stand as a key cultural record for emerging Nigerian artists, showing that global dominance is built through intention, process, and relentless commitment.
Beyond Wizkid’s personal journey, the documentary also explores the wider Afrobeats movement, including the rise of stan culture in Nigeria and how fandom has evolved into a powerful ecosystem. Saraki explains that modern stanship is no longer driven mainly by celebrity wealth, but by emotional connection—fans rally around artists because the music has shaped their lives.
Ultimately, Saraki hopes the film serves as both a tribute to Wizkid and a celebration of Afrobeats as a global force. He believes it will encourage viewers to pause and reflect on how far Nigerian music has come—and how much further it can still go.