Fireboy DML | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Adedamola Oyinlola Adefolahan [1] |
Born | Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria | 5 February 1996
Genres | Afrobeats, R&B, Afropop |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 2014–present |
Labels | YBNL Nation, Empire Distribution |
Website | fireboydml |
Adedamola Oyinlola Adefolahan (born 5 February 1996), [2] [3] who is known professionally as Fireboy DML, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is signed to YBNL Nation, a record label founded by rapper Olamide. [4] His debut studio album, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps , was released in 2019. [4] He won Listener's Choice and was nominated for Song of the Year for "Jealous" at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. [3]
Fireboy DML was born and raised in Abeokuta, Ogun state, and was a member of his church choir. [5] He developed interest in music while studying at Obafemi Awolowo University.
His breakthrough single "Jealous" first appeared on YBNL Nation's collaborative album YBNL Mafia Family (2018), before being re-released on 25 March 2019. [6] [7] The song is composed of guitar riffs, traditional drums and percussion; it combines African harmonies with elements of country and soul music. [6] [5] "Jealous" was produced by Cracker Mallo and is centered around love and the complicated feelings that go along with it. [5] The visuals for "Jealous" were directed by Director K. [6]
In June 2019, Fireboy DML released the romantic single "What If I Say". [8] It was produced by Pheelz, who incorporated a mix of percussion, ambient synth harmonies, and a drum riff into the production. [9] The visuals for "What If I Say" was directed by TG Omori. [9] On 1 August 2019, Fireboy DML released another single titled "King", in the song, he declares his worth to his love interest. [10] [11] The accompanying music video for "King" was directed by TG Omori; it contains images of Fireboy and his love interest in a rose petal embellished Rolls-Royce, as well as images of him singing at a fashion show where models walk on a runway. [11]
Fireboy DML released his debut studio album Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps on 29 November 2019. It was initially scheduled for release on 25 November. [12] The album's music is a brand of R&B that combines love and social issues with empirical songwriting. [12] LTG comprises 13 tracks and doesn't feature any guest artist; it amassed over 6 million streams on Spotify three days after its release. [13] [14] It received generally positive reviews from music critics, but was criticized for being labeled an "Afro-Life" record instead of an R&B album. LTG was supported by the previously released singles "Jealous", "What If I Say" and "King". [15] The single "Vibration" was a fan favourite.
On 17 August 2020, Fireboy released the tracklist to his sophomore album, Apollo. [16] Ivie Ani of Pitchfork gave the album an 8.3 rating out of 10, calling it "the peak of his vision so far, a melodious, detailed, and effortless album of feel-good pop and R&B." [17] NotJustOk wrote: "At the base of his writing is a deep-seated knack for introspection, the desire to be himself and a whole others like himself, spinning personal and borrowed accounts of existential crisis, ambition, love, lust and depression."[ citation needed ]
In 2021, Fireboy released the single "Peru," which Music in Africa wrote "affirms [his] Afrobeats intelligence." [18] He was featured on Ladipoe's hit "Running" [19] and WSTRN's single "Be My Guest", [20] and Cheque's single "History." He made a musical appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and performed a medley of the songs "Vibration," from Tears, Laughter and Goosebumps, and "Champion," from Apollo. [21]
On 24 December 2021, he released a version of Peru with Ed Sheeran which debuted on the United States' Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 2 on the United Kingdom's Official Singles Chart in 2022. [22] [23] [24]
On 3 March 2022, Fireboy was featured on the Sickick remix to Madonna's 1998 single "Frozen". [25] The official music video was filmed on the same day. On 6 July 2022, Fireboy announced via his official Twitter account that his third studio album titled "PLAYBOY" [26] would be out by 5 August 2022. In 2024, Fireboy was featured on the Justin Timberlake song "Liar". [27] [28]
Fireboy describes his sound as "Afro-Life" and said he writes songs that audiences can relate to. [5] Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork characterized his sound as "slow-groove pop" and said it "tells stories about love with the formulaic structure of a Hallmark Christmas romance". [29]
He has cited Jon Bellion, Passenger and Wande Coal as his key contemporary influences. [5]
In 2020, Fireboy DML gained media coverage in Nigeria when his hit single "Champion" was used by FC Bayern Munich for their UEFA Super Cup celebrations. [30]
His song "Scatter" from his debut album Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps was included in the FIFA 21 game soundtrack. [31]
In November 2022, his song, "Coming Back For You," was included on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. [32]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
US [33] | ||
Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps [34] |
| — |
Apollo [35] |
| — |
Playboy |
| 123 |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [36] | FRA [37] | IRE [38] | SWE [39] | SWI [40] | UK [41] | UK Indie [42] | US [43] | US World [44] | WW [45] | ||||||
"Jealous" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps | |||
"What If I Say" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"King" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"New York City Girl" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Apollo | |||
"Eli" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Tattoo" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Champion" (with D Smoke) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Peru" (solo, with Ed Sheeran, or with 21 Savage and Blxst) | 2021 | 37 | 40 [46] | 7 | 35 | 31 | 2 | 13 | 53 | 2 | 34 | Playboy | |||
"Running" (with Ladipoe) [49] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Providence | ||||
"Beauty & the Madness" (with Rexx Life Raj and Wale) [50] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||
"Playboy" [51] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Playboy | ||||
"Someone" [52] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Someone | |||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US Dance [53] | |||
"Frozen (Fireboy DML remix)" (Madonna vs Sickick featuring Fireboy DML) | 2022 | 12 | Non-album single |
"Me and My Guitar" (Jax Jones featuring Fireboy DML) | 2023 | — | TBA |
"Drink Water" (Jon Bellion featuring Jon Bellion and Fireboy DML) [54] | — | Non-album single | |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Liar" (Justin Timberlake featuring Fireboy DML) | 2024 | — | Everything I Thought It Was |
Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | The Headies | Next Rated | Himself | Nominated | [55] |
Viewer's Choice | Nominated | ||||
Song of the Year | "Jealous" | Nominated | |||
City People Music Awards | Most Promising Act of the Year | Himself | Won | [56] | |
Best New Act of the Year | Nominated | ||||
Revelation of the Year | Nominated | ||||
2020 | Soundcity MVP Awards Festival | Song of the Year | "Jealous" | Nominated | [57] |
Listeners' Choice | Fireboy DML for "Jealous" | Won | |||
Best New MVP | Himself | Nominated | |||
The Headies | Album of the Year | Apollo | Won | [58] [59] | |
Best Pop Album | Won | ||||
Best R&B Album | "Tears, Laughter and Goosebumps" | Won | |||
Best R&B Single | "Tattoo" | Won | |||
Headies Revelation | Fireboy DML | Won | |||
2021 | African Entertainment Awards USA | Song of the Year | "Peru" | Nominated | |
All Africa Music Awards | African Fan's Favourite | Himself | Won | ||
NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding International Song | "Peru" | Nominated | [60] [61] | |
The Future Awards Africa | Prize for Music (Endowed by Infinix) | Himself | Nominated | [62] | |
2022 | The Headies | Best Songwriter of the Year | "Peru" | Nominated | [63] |
Best Afrobeat Single (Nigeria) | Won | ||||
Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
Viewer's Choice | Himself for "Peru" | Nominated | |||
BET Awards | Best International Act | Himself | Nominated | [64] |
"Frozen" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna from her seventh studio album, Ray of Light (1998). Maverick and Warner Bros. Records released it as the album's lead single on January 23, 1998. The song was also included on the compilation albums, GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). "Frozen" was written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, who both produced it in collaboration with William Orbit. The downtempo electronica ballad, which has a layered sound enhanced by synthesizers and strings, lyrically addresses a cold and emotionless man.
The discography of English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran consists of seven studio albums, seventeen extended plays, one video album, sixty-five singles, eight promotional singles, one box set, and seventy-one music videos. As of October 2021, Sheeran has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in history. According to RIAA, Sheeran is the 13th best-selling digital singles artist in the United States with certified sales of 80.5 million.
Olamide Gbenga Adedeji is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. One of the most influential artists in Africa, he has been pivotal to the creative and commercial success of several Afrobeats music stars, and is consistently praised for his role in elevating Street Pop to mainstream recognition as a distinct music genre. He records in Yoruba and English. In 2011, he released his debut studio album Rapsodi while signed to Coded Tunes. YBNL, his follow-up album, was released under his label imprint "Yahoo Boy No Laptop," aka YBNL Nation. The album was supported by the singles "First of All," "Voice of the Street," "Stupid Love," and "Ilefo Illuminati." On 7 November 2013, he released his third studio album Baddest Guy Ever Liveth. The album's singles include "Durosoke" and "Yemi My Lover." On 17 July 2013, Olamide became the first Nigerian to sign an endorsement deal with Cîroc.
Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. is an independent American record label, distribution and publishing company founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami. Based in San Francisco, EMPIRE has offices in New York, London, Lagos, and Johannesburg in addition to recording studios in San Francisco and New York.
Oluseye Desmond Sodamola, professionally known as Spinall, is a Nigerian disc jockey, record producer, and songwriter. He has released six studio albums and collaborated with artists that have included Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Asake among others. He has won numerous awards for his work, including All Africa Music Awards and The Beatz Awards. He is also the first Nigerian disc jockey to play at festivals such as Coachella, SXSW, and Glastonbury.
Yahoo Boy No Laptop Nation, popularly known as YBNL Nation or simply YBNL, is an independent record label founded by Olamide in 2012.
Phillip Kayode Moses, better known as Pheelz, is a Nigerian record producer, singer and songwriter who has worked with several artists and musicians, such as Davido, Usher, Olamide, Wizkid, Fireboy DML, Teni and Tiwa Savage. Pheelz is credited to have produced all but one song on Olamide's Baddest Guy Ever Liveth album. In 2022, he had a hit with his song "Finesse", a collaboration with Bnxn.
Tobechukwu Victor Okoh, known as Peruzzi, is a Nigerian singer. He began recording music after working with Rodney malice at the age of seven. Though his signing to Davido's DMW was being disputed at some point, Peruzzi is a front member of the 30 Billion Gang (30BG), a record label including Blacktycoon, Tunegee, and B-Red. Peruzzi was featured on 2Baba's single 'Amaka'.
The following is a list of events and releases that have happened or are expected to happen in 2019 in African music.
Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps is the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Fireboy DML. It was released by YBNL Nation on November 29, 2019. The album comprises thirteen tracks and doesn't feature any guest artist. It was primarily produced by Pheelz, along with production from Cracker Mallo, Echo the Guru, IamBeatz and P.Prime. LTG was supported by the previously released singles "Jealous", "What If I Say" and "King". It received generally positive reviews from music critics, but was criticized for being labeled an "Afro-Life" record instead of an R&B album.
ThankGod Omori Jesam known professionally as TG Omori or Boy Director, is a Nigerian music video director and cinematographer. TG Omori has directed music videos for recording artists across various genres of new generation, includes Olamide, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tekno, Kizz Daniel, Fireboy DML, Falz, Timaya, Naira Marley, Asake and many others.
Carpe Diem is the eleventh studio album of Nigerian rapper Olamide and his first body of work under American label and distribution company, Empire Distribution. According to The Olamide Music Chart on X formerly (Twitter), Carpe Diem crossed the 500 million stream mark across all dsps on June 1, 2021.
Aremu Olaiwola Qudus is a Nigerian music video director. He has worked with artists of several musical genres including Wizkid, Skepta, Davido, Burna Boy and many others, winning 2020 The Headies Award for best music video of the year.
Akinbi Bamidele Brett, known professionally as Cheque, is a Nigerian rapper and singer. He rose to mainstream fame for his 2020 single "Zoom". In 2021, he won an award for Best Duo African HipHop at the All Africa Music Awards alongside Fireboy DML. He is currently signed to Phyno's Penthauze imprint.
Bolaji Odojukan, better known by his stage name BOJ is an English-Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is one-third of the musical group DRB LasGidi with TeeZee and Fresh L, and is known as a pioneer of alté.
"Merry Christmas" is a song by English singer-songwriters Ed Sheeran and Elton John. It was released through Asylum and Atlantic Records as a single on 3 December 2021. The song appears on the Christmas edition of John's collaborative album, The Lockdown Sessions, and originally appeared on the now-removed Christmas edition of Sheeran's fifth studio album, =. Sheeran and John wrote the song and it was produced by Steve Mac. "Merry Christmas" entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart during the chart week of 10 December 2021, becoming Sheeran's twelfth chart-topper in the country and John's ninth number-one single in the country. It also topped the charts in the Flanders region of Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
"Sausage Rolls for Everyone" is a song by British blogger couple LadBaby, featuring vocals from British musicians Ed Sheeran and Elton John. It was released through Frtyfve as a single on 17 December 2021. "Sausage Rolls for Everyone" is a remix and comedy version of Sheeran and John's single "Merry Christmas", which was released exactly two weeks earlier. It has a sausage roll theme as a charity single with the proceeds going to The Trussell Trust. It was released as a single on 17 December 2021.
"Peru" is a song by Nigerian singer Fireboy DML. It was released on 20 July 2021, through YBNL Nation, and distributed by Empire. "Peru" was written by Fireboy DML, Ivory Scott, & Kolten Perine and produced by Shizzi & Perine. On 23 December 2021, a reworked version of "Peru" was released, in collaboration with English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The music video for the version with Sheeran was released on 24 December 2021. An additional remix, featuring rappers 21 Savage and Blxst was also later released. The song was nominated at the 7th annual African Entertainment Awards USA for Song of the Year. The song is not about the country of Peru, but rather a reference to Nigerian singer Peruzzi; the government of Peru nonetheless reacted positively to the song on Twitter.
Ayobami Olaleye professionally known as Phantom is a multi-gold, award-winning Afrobeats record producer, singer, and songwriter. In 2020, he became the third Nigerian Afrobeats producer in history to be certified by Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) after Burna Boy’s "Ye" became a certified gold record in France. The song earned him an award at 2019 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, in the African Producer of the Year category, with a nomination at The Headies, in the Producer of the Year category.
Charles Chibueze Chukwu, professionally known as Crayon, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. In 2019, he was signed to Mavin Records.
The 23-year-old artist...
Media related to Fireboy DML at Wikimedia Commons