Dwele

Adult contemporary R&B singer, songwriter, and producer Dwele, born Andwele Gardner, spent his formative years on the west side of Detroit immersed in the soul sounds of Motown legends Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye alongside jazz broadcasts. At age ten, following the murder of his father outside their residence, he started composing songs and later graduated from Cody High School. After completing one year of music coursework at Wayne State University, Gardner chose self-directed study, creating tracks from his Dearborn residence while employed by AAA. His 1998 demo The Rize circulated widely throughout the Motor City, leading to joint work with local hip-hop outfit Slum Village and Philadelphia MC Bahamadia. Virgin Records signed him based on those songwriting and vocal abilities; the resulting album Subject appeared in mid-2003, after which a European tour that summer—highlighted by airplay on Gilles Peterson’s influential Radio 1 show—solidified his overseas following. His follow-up, Some Kinda..., arrived in 2005 and climbed into the R&B Top 10. Several years afterward he supplied the hook for Kanye West’s hit single “Flashing Lights,” then moved to Koch/eOne for Sketches of a Man in 2008 and W.ants W.orld W.omen in 2010, both of which extended his run of Top Ten R&B releases. The 2012 eOne project Greater Than One showcased some of his most buoyant and engaging productions.