There’s so much to love about Adekunle Gold!
Real name: Adekunle Moruf Kosoko Stage name: Adekunle Gold Date of birth: January 28, 1987 State of Origin: Lagos Nationality: Nigerian Genre: Highlife, Afro Pop
Adekunle Gold stole his way into the hearts of music lovers when he gained widespread attention for the release of the 2015 hit single Sade. Since then, it has been an upward climb for one who has become one of the entertainment industry’s most beloved sons.
The talented young man is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and graphic designer born into the Kosoko royal family of Lagos State. He has a Higher National Diploma in Arts and Design from Lagos State Polytechnic.
Adekunle Gold is a nephew to veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko and though brought up in a Muslim family, his father permitted him and his three sisters to practice other religions if they so desired.
He developed an interest in music while growing up, thanks to his listening to the music of King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey.
Adekunle was a part of his church’s young choir during his teens and went on to write his first song at the age of 15. He formed a music group with a friend while in school but went solo in 2014 after the group was disbanded.
His proficiency with Adobe’s Photoshop software earned him the title “King of Photoshop” after he posted an edited image of him hugging popular singer Tiwa Savage on social media platforms.
Adekunle’s first solo work was Let It Stop, a song about peace for the nation. Unfortunately, the track didn’t get the needed recognition that the artists wanted and this was made worse by lack of funds and poor promotion.
On December 19, 2014, he released Sade, a cover of One Direction’s Story of My Life. It got critical acclaim and was subsequently nominated for Best Alternative Song at The Headies 2015.
The recognition and acceptance of Sade made Adekunle go further with his first official single which he titled Orente. Released through Olamide’s YBNL Nation (he signed a contract with them on March 5, 2015), it got him nominated in the Most Promising Act category at the 2015 City People Entertainment Awards.
July 18, 2016, saw the singer reveal the cover and tracklist of his debut studio album Gold. With 16 tracks, it features musical production from Pheelz, Masterkraft, B Banks, Sleemako, Oscar, and Seyikeyz.
Gold was released on July 25, 2016 (three days earlier than scheduled) and it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard World Album Chart for the week of 13 August 2016. It was also critically reviewed by contemporary music critics.
Adekunle departed from YBNL Nation following the expiration of his contract and he unveiled his band The 79th Element (a reference to the atomic number of the element gold) and was unveiled as the brand ambassador of Unity Bank on January 15, 2018.
He released his second solo album About 30 that same year (2018) and his most notable singles of 2019 include Before You Wake Up and Young Love.
The artist is married to fellow music dynamo Simi and announced via his Twitter handle on January 31, 2020, that he will soon drop his third solo album titled Afro Pop.
