Reekado Banks

Reekado Banks leveraged substantial guidance from his producer sibling to establish himself as a thriving pop vocalist and tunesmith in Nigeria during 2014, the same year he launched his professional career and earned a Heady as a member of the Mavins, the star-studded collective tied to Don Jazzy's Mavin imprint. Two years afterward, his first standalone full-length Spotlight earned another Heady, solidifying the performer's stature within Afropop.

Born Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon and raised amid a devout, music-filled environment in Lagos, the artist began laying down tracks while still in his early teens, drawing on his brother's expertise in vocals, composition, and studio craft along with direct collaboration on those initial efforts. The sibling forwarded several pieces to a web-based talent search, which ultimately secured Banks a contract with Mavin. His 2014 arrival featured multiple standalone releases plus guest spots, among them the Mavins' "Dorobucci," a collective cut that also included contributions from Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, and further label associates. That track received several Headies nominations—an annual event honoring Nigerian music—and captured the prize for Best Pop Single. More singles followed, most notably "Katapot," throughout 2015, the year Banks collected Headies trophies for Next Rated and Video of the Year, paving the way for Spotlight, which took the Heady for Best Album in 2016. Further releases arrived in 2017 and 2018, highlighted by the Duncan Mighty-assisted "Bio Bio."