Joeboy
Joeboy | |
|---|---|
 Joeboy chatting with Capital FM Kenya in August 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus |
| Born | 21 May 1997 |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels | emPAWA Africa |
Joseph Akinfenwa Donus (born May 21, 1997), known by his stage name Joeboy, is a Nigerian musician. He was discovered in 2017 by Afrobeats[1] Icon Mr. Eazi after he watched his cover of Ed Sheeran's song titled 'Shape of you'. He became the first recipient of funding from emPAWA Africa music initiative[2] speared headed by his now mentor - Mr. Eazi.
Joeboy released his first single featuring Mr. Eazi titled Faaji[3] to lukewarm reviews from media and critics. His follow up single 'Baby' was released on March 1 alongside a visualizer video also released on Youtube. The visualizer featured an animated version of Joeboy wooing a girl and performing super-heroic acts; this video instantly went viral in a month of its release in East Africa and had hit a whopping 10 million views in September 2019. His followup Beginning hit 1 million streams in its first week of release in August 2019 becoming an instant hit garnering over 15 million views on Youtube by December of the same year. The newcomer artist had managed to become one of the most talked-about names [4]bubbling out of the Nigerian music scene. Joeboy has also become a poster child for the huge potential that Mr Eazi's emPawa initiative can bring to new African artists.
Billboard magazine tagged him as the Next Big Thing from Nigeria[5] in an article published in November 2019 following the release of his debut EP Love & Light under emPawa Africa; containing his hit singles Baby and Beginning which topped charts in several African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe. The EP also spurred hits like 'don't Call me' back featuring Mayorkun and All for you.
Joeboy has won the Award for Best Artiste in African Pop category[6] at the 2019 edition of the Afrima Awards and most recently won the award in the same category for Best Pop in Africa[7] at the 4th edition of the Soundcity MVP Awards. He was also nominated for City People Music Awards[8] and The Headies Awards[9] formerly known as The HipHop World awards.
Discography
EPs
- Love & Light (2019)
Singles
| Year | Title | Producer | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Realest" (featuring Triple N) | Non-album single | |
| 2018 | "Fire" (featuring King Promise and GuiltyBeatz) | GuiltyBeatz | |
| "Fààjí" (featuring Mr Eazi) | E Kelly | ||
| "Gbese" (featuring Oxlade and DJ Voyst) | |||
| 2019 | "Baby" | Dera the Boy | Love & Light |
| "Beginning" | Killertunes | ||
| "Don't Call Me Back"[10] (featuring Mayorkun) | K.O | ||
| "Blessings" | |||
| "All For You" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Headies | Next Rated | Himself | Nominated | [11] |
| Best Pop Single | "Baby" | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Viewer's Choice | "Beginning" | Nominated | |||
| All Africa Music Awards | Best Artiste in African Pop | Himself | Won | [12] | |
| City People Music Awards | Popular Song of the Year | "Baby" | Nominated | [8] | |
| Most Promising Act of the Year | Himself | Nominated | |||
| Best New Act of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Revelation of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| 2020 | Soundcity MVP Awards Festival | Best New MVP | Himself | Nominated | [13] |
| Best Pop | Won | ||||
| Listeners' Choice | "Beginning" | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | "Baby" | Nominated |
References
- ^ Hancox, Dan (2012-01-19). "The rise of Afrobeats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ "emPAWA100: Mr. Eazi to empower 100 young artistes every year". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ Lala, Emmanuel (2018-10-25). "DOWNLOAD mp3: Joeboy - Fààjí' ft. Mr Eazi | 36NG". Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ Egbejule, Eromo (2019-12-24). "2019 in African pop: 10 must-listen tracks". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ "Why Joeboy, With Help From Mr Eazi, Is Nigeria's Next Big Thing". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ "Nigerian musicians pack awards for AFRIMA". BBC News Pidgin. 2019-11-24. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ "4th Soundcity MVP Awards Festival - winners and video". Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ a b Reporter (2019-10-25). "#CityPeopleMusicAwards: Nominees List Out". City People Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- ^ "4th Soundcity MVP Awards Festival - winners and video". Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ Leight, Elias; Leight, Elias (2019-10-24). "Joeboy Reckons With Heartbreak on 'Don't Call Me Back'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
- ^ Gbenga Bada (October 20, 2019). "Headies 2019: Here are all the winners at the 13th edition of music award". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "Burna Boy, Nasty C, Stonebwoy, Nadia Nakai & More Win 2019 AFRIMA Awards". OkayAfrica. 2019-11-24. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- ^ Damola Durosomo (January 13, 2020). "Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Rema, Teni & More Win Big at 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 19 January 2020.