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- Adekunle Gold joins Def Jam, set to drop an album in June.
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Adekunle Kosoko, a Nigerian musician better known by his stage name Adekunle Gold, is poised to join the group of Nigerian artists making waves abroad.
According to a report from Billboard on Tuesday, the "High" crooner has formally joined the well-known American record company Def Jam Recordings.
Tunji Balogun, the company's chief executive officer and chairman, announced this in a statement.
Balogun praised Kosoko for his songwriting, artistry, vocals, and showmanship in the album.
“I’ve been following Adekunle Gold since I first heard his record ‘Sade’ in 2016,” he said. “Over the years, everything in AG’s world has elevated — his songwriting has refined, the scope of his artistry has widened, his vocals have strengthened, his approach to fashion is more distinct, and his showmanship and performance ability have grown exponentially,”
“He’s stepped into stardom on his own terms and is completely comfortable being his true self.
Balogun disclosed that as soon as he began working at the label in 2022, he had intended to introduce Def Jam into the Afrobeats space.
“Adekunle felt like the perfect fit – he’d already done so much work on his own to build a base, but I knew that we could scale his audience to an even bigger level if we combined our energies and worked together,” he added.
Gold also expressed excitement about joining the label and working with Balogun, particularly given their common Nigerian ancestry.
“He understands it,” Gold said. “So signing to Tunji makes sense. He’s like my studio buddy that just comes everywhere I go. The day he doesn’t have time to be there, I know he must’ve been like stupidly busy. He’s great.
“The track record is there. The history is there. They break artists, and they have niche, unique artists like me, so I think it’s the right move for me. All of the things that I’ve done for myself already, they know already and that’s why they’re on board.”
Def Jam Productions, which is owned by Universal Music Group, has produced legendary artists like Jay Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West in the past.
With his debut success, "Sade," he became known as AG Baby and entered the Nigerian music industry in 2015. His debut studio album, "Gold," was released in 2017, the same year he inked his first record label contract with YBNL Nation.
The father of one established his own label, Afro Urban Records, two years after the contract ended. Two albums were subsequently published by him: "About 30" in 2018 and "Catch Me If You Can" in 2022.
He is set to release a new album under Def Jam in June, 2023.
Pristine Network
- 2023-03-15 15:11:29
