binki | |
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Birth name | Baraka Andrew Ongeri |
Born | Pennsylvania, United States | September 14, 1997
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Labels | Fader Label |
Baraka Andrew Ongeri (born September 14, 1997), known professionally by the stage name Binki (stylized as binki), is an American singer and songwriter.
Ongeri was born to Kenyan parents. [1] From Pennsylvania, Ongeri grew up in Hershey and North Carolina. [2] [3] He studied to be an actor at UNC Greensboro. [4] While in college, he began making music. [2] Always identifying himself as actor, he thought of music as a secondary passion even after first venturing into it. [3]
After college, Ongeri moved to New York City and was based in Brooklyn. [5]
In 2018, Ongeri released his debut single "Marco". A year later, he released "Wiggle". In August 2019, he was featured in Pigeons & Planes as one of their "best new artists" of that month. [3] He then released "Sea Sick" in September. [3] In October, he released "Heybb!" under Fader Label, as well as its accompanying music video. [5] [6] The song would later be used in an Apple Inc. advertisement for the iPad Air 4. [7] [8] "Heybb!" and "Sea Sick" also achieved virality on TikTok. [9] At the time, Ongeri was still training to be an actor. [9]
In May 2021, he released the single "Clay Pigeon", [10] and in July released "Revolve". [11] The two singles appeared on his debut EP Motor Function , which was released in August. [12] [13] The EP received positive reviews from music critics. [9] A third song, "Landline", was featured on the soundtrack of FIFA 22.
Ongeri released "Hotel Window" in March 2023, [13] [14] followed by "Rocket Ship" in April, [15] and "Doomsday" in May. [16] All three singles were featured on his second EP Antennae. [17] In August 2025, binki released a new single, Defibrillator.
Ongeri has noted Childish Gambino, Tyler, The Creator, Will Smith, and Jamie Foxx as his "idols". [3] A documentary on Jimi Hendrix inspired him to take guitar lessons. [3]