Biography of Odunsi
Bowofoluwa Oluwafisayo Odunsi popularly known as Odunsi (The engine) is an English-born Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed to record labels, Universal Music Nigeria and Warner/Chappell Music UK. The fast rising star is the next big thing in the Nigerian music industry with a unique blend of different genres influenced by EDM, R&B, Soul and Afrobeat sounds.
Early life and background of Odunsi
Odunsi who was born on the 7th of June 1996 is one of Nigeria’s young singing sensation.
Born and raised alongside his three siblings in Lagos, Nigeria, Odunsi’s interest in R&B and soul was nurtured by artists like Sade, Prince, Donell Jones, and King Sunny Ade. For his elementary and high school education, Odunsi attended Dance-Hall high school in Ikeja and Hallefield school in Maryland. His teen years saw him dropped out of a Ghanaian university in 2015 because of his struggle with A.D.H.D. In his low moments, Odunsi found solace in making beats on his mum’s computer while she was away at work. This marked the beginning of his musical journey.
His Rise to Fame
The enigmatic talent began his musical career on the music platform, Soundcloud; the home of experimentation and collaboration for many young artists. Odunsi started his career in 2015 as a record producer and has produced for the likes of Boogey, Blackmagic, Adomaa, King Zamir, Dami Oniru and many more.
His Music Career
The Alté singer released his debut EP “Time of Our Lives” (T.O.O.L) in August 2016. The 7-track EP got critical acclaim and reviews. On 20 November 2016, Odunsi released “Situationship” featuring “AYLØ”. The song clinched the number 5 spot on Spotify United States’ Top 10 most viral tracks. 2016 was a remarkable year for the afro-fusion star as his single “Happy Hour” featuring Økuntakinte got recognized by MOBO and got featured on MOBO on a list of artist to watch out for in 2016. This feat led to successive release of singles like Desire, War and in the morning in 2017.
Odunsi who seems like never relenting in his musical pursuit went head to release another single “Divine” featuring Davido. Divine peaked at number 6 on OkayAfrica top 14 songs of the week. Odunsi has been featured on Life Magazine, a publication of the Guardian Newspaper (Nigeria), alongside Lady Donli, Maka and Santi. Also, international publications like OkayAfrica, NativeMag, A&R Report and many more has featured the “In the morning” crooner.
In March 2018, he released a single titled “AltéCruise” featuring Santi and Zamir, the song became the anthem for the new wave of young Nigerian artist. Alté’ is short for ‘Alternative’ which is a local, Nigerian slang who perform alternative styles of music, different from the mainstream afrobeats and afro-pop sounds.
He released his debut album “Rare” in October 2018. Rare incorporates dance-worthy pop and quieter ballads. The 14-track album featured Davido, Nasty C, Lady Donli amongst others. Rare is an indication that he wants to set himself apart from his contemporaries and predecessors.
The album peaked at number 1 on Apple Music in Nigeria, number 4 in Ghana and number 8 on the UK R&B/Soul Apple Music Charts. The widely-received debut album garnered over 3 million streams on Spotify and over 5 million streams on Apple music. He sold out on his first headline show in Nigeria “Rare. Live” at the HardRock Café, Lagos in December 2018. Odunsi performed at “The BBK Homecoming 2018 concert”, which also featured Skepta, Nasty C, Naomi Campbell, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Davido and many more. Odunsi once stated that he draws inspiration from real life experiences and online conversations.
2019 saw him headlining his first solo tour “rare.live tour” in the UK. The Warner Music-signed performer collaborated with the British singer Raye on the single “Tipsy” which garnered him international acclaim. The single is his most successful single till date with over 3 million streams and features on several notable playlists including “New music Friday”, “Global X” , “1Xtra Playlist on BBC”, “UK Top 50” to name a few.
On May 13, 2020, Odunsi the engine released his new EP titled Everything You Heard Is True. In an interview with Nigerian music publication The Native, Odunsi stated that the EP title is an acceptance of the chatter surrounding his career, fashion choices and ways of expressing himself. The project featured Amaarae, Gigi Atlantis, and DETO BLACK. Besides his talent, the leader of the Alté movement has a gripping sense of style influenced by celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Prince, and Pharrell Williams.
Odunsi’s Relationship
He’s not in any publicly known relationship at the moment.
Awards and Nominations
Odunsi the engine was nominated for Most Promising artiste at the 2017 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and Best New Artiste at 2018 Soundcity MVP.
Odunsi The Engine is one of the artistes at the forefront of a new generation of artistes who has carved a niche for himself in the music industry and who in no time will be ranked amongst the richest and influential celebrities.
