Mavo Teases Major 2026 Release As Billboard Names Him African Rookie Of The Month

Nigerian rising star Mavo is leaning into the momentum of his breakthrough year, hinting that a “major announcement” will drop in early 2026 after Billboard crowned him its African Rookie of the Month.

The 22-year-old, whose real name is Oseremen Marvin Ukanigbe, revealed in a new interview that he has something “really, really big” lined up for the first quarter of next year. “It’s serious music,” he said, adding that the rollout will “blow minds” by God’s grace.

The honour from Billboard caps a year in which Mavo became one of Afrobeats’ most-watched newcomers while still juggling full-time studies in optometry at Afe Babalola University, where he is set to graduate in July 2026.

His birthday earlier this month doubled as a celebration of a rare chart triumph: Mavo occupied all top three spots on the Apple Music Nigeria chart with “Money Constant,” “BODY (danz)” and the remix of “Shakabulizzy,” featuring Davido.

Those collaborations, he revealed, came directly to him. Wizkid’s team reached out through DJ Tunez for “Money Constant,” while Davido personally messaged him on Instagram asking for the “Shakabulizzy” files and returned his verse within a day. Davido also supported the video budget, which Mavo described as “a really nice gesture.”

The singer says his genre, “Burbur music,” blends Afrobeats, rap and his own quirky vocabulary. He has even published a physical slang dictionary, the Bizzpedia, which documents over 80 of his self-created terms. His viral hit “Escaladizzy”, and its all-star sequel with Ayra Starr, Shallipopi, Zlatan and ZerryDL, helped bring that lexicon into mainstream pop culture.

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Another viral moment came from “BODY (danz)” and its controversial lyric, “Your body na meat pie.” After social media debates over its meaning, Mavo told Billboard the phrase is metaphorical. He plans to lean into the joke during his December show by handing out free meat pies to fans.

Despite the rapid success, Mavo says optometry remains personal for him due to his mother’s past eye issues. He originally began studying medicine before switching fields and now has over 1,500 unreleased songs recorded between his hostel room and studio sessions.

Mavo’s latest release, “Galorizzy,” featuring Davido, DJ Ecool, Scott Maphuma, Morravey and Iphxne DJ, dropped on November 26 and is already tipped as a strong contender for Detty December playlists.

The singer says everything happening now is only the beginning: “I’m stepping into a new phase. Next year is going to be crazy.”