Adekunle Gold

Adekunle Gold is an Afropop vocalist who has received significant critical acclaim and commercial success in his homeland of Nigeria. He was born as "Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko" on January 28, 1987, in Lagos State, Nigeria. After discovering his vocal power while singing in the church choir as a child, he began writing songs at 15 years old and rose to national fame in 2014, when he released a cover of the One Direction song "Story Of My Life." Retitled "Sade," the cover was named "Best Alternative Song" at The Headies, Nigeria's equivalent of the Grammy Awards, in 2016. That same year, Adekunle Gold received two additional honors at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards, including "Best New Act To Watch," and released the debut album Gold, which peaked at number 7 on Billboard's World Albums Chart. His second album, About 30, was released in 2018, followed by Afro Pop Vol. 1 in 2020 and Catch Me If You Can in 2022. He also established himself as a songwriter for other artists, most notably his wife, Simi, and won "Songwriter of the Year" at the The Headies 2023 for writing her hit song "Loyal." Also in 2023, Gold signed with Def Jam Recordings and released the album Tequila Ever After, earning hits with tracks like "It Is What It Is" and "Party No Dey Stop." The latter song became his first hit in the US, where "Party No Dey Stop" reached number 40 on the Top 40 Radio Mainstream R&B / Hip-Hop chart.