Mayorkun

Mayorkun, the Nigerian vocalist, composer, and keyboardist, reached sudden prominence during 2016 after pop luminary Davido located him and placed him under contract with his own imprint. Preparatory singles paved the way for his 2018 debut full-length, The Mayor of Lagos, whose electronic Afro-pop and R&B fusion advanced it to number 15 on Billboard’s World Music chart.

Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel was born in Osun State to an actress mother and a father who worked as both film producer and visual artist, circumstances that encouraged his inventive impulses from childhood onward. He completed an accounting degree at University of Lagos, then logged several years at a bank while continuing to write and record music independently. Nigerian-American star Davido stumbled across online footage of Mayorkun performing a cover of one of his songs in 2016; after requesting and hearing original material, he extended an offer that brought the newcomer to Davido Music Worldwide.

“Eleko,” a warmly melodic synth-pop single released later that year, quickly accumulated millions of views. Additional tracks such as “Yawa” and “Sade” appeared over the following twelve months while the first album took shape. Issued in November 2018, The Mayor of Lagos showcased the singles “Mama” and the Davido-assisted “Bobo,” registered strongly on the international Billboard World Music ranking, and earned Best R&B/Pop Album at the 2019 Headies. Mayorkun followed this achievement with further singles, among them the Kizz Daniel collaboration “True” and the sleek hit “Up to Something.” Entering the next decade he maintained a steady pace, opening 2020 with the prolific sequence “Ginger You” and “Geng.”