Adedamola Adefolahan, professionally known as Fireboy DML is a 28-year-old Nigerian singer born on February 5, 1996. He is signed to YBNL Nation and is famous for his songs like “Jealous” and “Peru”.
Afrobeat is one of the largest music genres in the Nigerian entertainment industry with the likes of Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, Tiwa Savage, and Burna Boy leading the way. It is home to fast-growing stars like Fireboy DML, who is famous for some of the trending beats across West Africa.
Since his emergence in 2012, Fireboy has tirelessly released hit songs that have, in turn, led the way to his rise to fame. His unique style which stems from a combination of Afrobeats and R&B is among the many reasons millions of fans love him across the nation and beyond. To know more about Fireboy DML and his best songs, here are interesting facts we have to share with you.
Summary of Fireboy’s Biography
- Full name: Adedamola Adefolahan
- Nickname: Fireboy
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 5 February 1996
- Fireboy’s Age: 28years old
- Ethnicity: Yoruba
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- School Attended: Obafemi Awolowo University
- Occupation: Singer
- Marital Status: Single
- Fireboy’s Parents: Mr and Mrs Adefolahan
- Siblings: Adefolahan Adedolapo
- Fireboy’s Height in Inchescc 5 ft 9 inches
- Fireboy’s Net Worth: $1 million
- Famous for: “Peru”, “Jealous”
- Fireboy’s Instagram: @fireboydml
- Twitter: @fireboydml
Who Is Fireboy?
Fireboy is a Nigerian singer and songwriter signed to YBNL Nation. He is one of the most outstanding Nigerian singer-songwriters at the moment. He is best known for his album “Laughter, Tears, and for his chart-topping single “Jealous,” which amassed millions of streams and earned him various music awards.
What Is Fireboy’s Age Now?
Fireboy’s current age is 28 years. He was born on February 5, 1996. The trailblazing Nigerian artiste of Yoruba descent began his music career at the age of 16, the same year he completed his secondary education and was hopping to gain admission at Obafemi Awolowo University. He eventually released his debut single “Jealous” at the age of 23.
With several music albums released, Fireboy DML won his first award at the young age of 23 with the City People Music Awards’ ‘Most Promising Act of the Year’. However, his biggest award list was at the age of 24, when he received a total of six awards, particularly at that year’s ‘The Headies’ where he received 5 awards for various categories.
Fireboy’s Real Name
Fireboy’s real name is Adedamola Adefolahan. He is of Yoruba descent and was born and raised in the city of Abeokuta, Ogun state capital. The singer was formerly known by his stage name DML, coined from his name Damola, but in an exclusive interview, he said the need to rebrand made him add “Fireboy” to DML.
Before settling with the new stage name, Fireboy DML, the singer said he had to Google what pops up when someone searches for DML. He further noted that Fireboy was a nickname he got from a friend.
Who Are in Fireboy’s Family?
Fireboy grew up in a devout Christian home. Although he is not an only child, he is his parent’s only son. Fireboy did not come from a family of artists, his parents, Mr and Mrs Afolahan, raised him alongside his siblings. He is the firstborn and has two younger brothers who are not musicians. However, one of his brothers, Adefolahan Adedolapo is a lover of music and is a Music Producer and Sound Engineer.
All about Fireboy’s Music Career
Fireeboy’s interest in music dates back to his early years when as a devout Christian, he was a member of his church choir. However, according to him, he never knew he would pursue music as a career until he got admission to study English Language at the famous Obafemi Awolowo University.
While studying, Fireboy’s improved his song creation by scribbling songs. He devoted more of his time to creating songs which he records in a studio located near his university campus. Over the course of time, he evolved into one of the institution’s best up-and-coming performers, among the likes of rappers Chinko Ekun, Cheque, and
Blaqbonez, as well as the vocalist Asake.
Fireboy met Olamide, the owner of the record label YBNL, and soon they established a solid relationship to such extent that the famous rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive decided to incorporate him into his record label. Olamide not only decided to sign Fireboy DML but he also made him his mentor.
According to Olamide, Fireboy is such a unique music creator; he writes like an old man and only a handful of artists could write anything compared to the kind of music he makes. Fireboy’s first major breakthrough came with the release of his debut single “Jealous” which first appeared on YBNL Nation’s collaborative album YBNL Mafia Family before being re-released on 25 March 2019. This was followed by his romantic singles “What If I Say” and “King” which both recorded huge success upon their release.
November 29, 2019, saw Fireboy releasing his debut studio album Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps, to widespread critical praise and financial success. The album which is a brand of R&B combines love and social issues with empirical songwriting. It comprises 13 tracks with no guest artist featured. The album was amid all the praises, criticized for being labelled an “Afro-Life” record instead of an R&B album. However, it amassed over 6 million streams on Spotify three days after its release.
Now with three official studio albums, with the last two Apollo and Playboy, released in 2020 and 2022, respectively, Fireboy is now regarded as one of the biggest Afropop singers of his time. Apollo contains 7 track list with the likes of Wande Coal, D Smoke and Olamide, his record label boss featured in it. The album was rated 8.3 out of 10 by an American online music publication, Pitchfork which equally described it as “the peak of his vision so far, a melodious, detailed, and effortless album of feel-good pop and R&B”.
Generally, Fireboy’s song is described as “slow-groove pop”. Its storyline is about love with the formulaic structure of a Hallmark Christmas romance. One of his biggest performances was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he performed a medley of the songs “Vibration,” from Tears, Laughter and Goosebumps, and “Champion,” from Apollo.
Fireboy’s Most Successful Songs
As one of the youngest young artists in Nigeria, Fireboy has continued to release songs that stand the test of time despite the steady release of hit songs in the country. It’s amazing how he captivates the hearts of millions of fans with his great music style. It is no doubt that his obsession with words and storytelling always powers his work of art.
His songs have seen him perform in venues like The Showbox, August Hall, Buckhead Theatre, The Echo Lounge & Music Hall, The Fillmore Silver Spring, Fonda Theatre, House of Blues, LoanDepot Park, and The Pourhouse. No wonder he is being heralded as an integral part of a new school of generation artists which also includes acts like Omah Lay, Rema, Joeboy, and several other young artists thriving in their own right. Fireboy’s best songs so far include the following:
“Jealous”
“Jealous” is Fireboy’s debut single that not only announced him to the music world but was also a stepping stone upon which he gained international fame. Composed of guitar riffs, traditional drums and percussion; Fireboy’s “Jealous” combines African harmonies with elements of soul and country music. The song centers around love and the complicated feelings that go with it. It’s produced by Cracker Mallo and was directed by Director K.
“Jealous,” was first made available through the record label’s group effort, “YBNL Family”. Since the song was already performing well on the radio and was getting significant exposure on a daily basis from a wide variety of stations, it was then re-released on March 25, 2019, exactly one month after its initial release.
With “Jealous”, Fireboy was listed for several award nominations some of which he won. In 2019, both he and his song were listed for six award nominations at The Headies and at the City People Music Awards. He was, however, able to win only one – the City People Music Award for “Most Promising Act of the Year”.
Luckily, the song earned him the Listeners’ Choice award at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. The official music video for “Jealous” recorded over 20 million views upon its release in 2019.
Peru
Peru is Fireboy’s pop single released on 20 July 2021, via YBNL Nation. The song was written by Fireboy DML, Ivory Scott, & Kolten Perine and produced by Shizzi & Perine. Fireboy recorded the song “Peru” after Nigerian platinum record producer, Shizzi invited him over to San Francisco to listen to some beats.
The YBNL signee noted that parts of the song’s lyrics were inspired by DMW artiste, Peruzzi, who usually uses a hook on his songs. ”I’m looooo, Peru don dey para”, was particularly an allusion to Peruzzi, Fireboy said, adding that recording Peru was a spontaneous move after he experienced writer’s block prior to that time.
The word “Para” as used in the lyrics means losing control in the Nigerian pidgin language. Here, Fireboy is said to nod to Peruzzi’s chorus on “4U,” his song with DJ Ecool and Davido, where he sings: “Baby I’m losing control.”
Fireboy’s “Peru” was nominated for several awards, including African Entertainment Awards USA’s Song of the Year, and NAACP Image Awards for “Outstanding International Song”, but it did win The Headies 2022 ‘Best Afrobeat Single (Nigeria)’ award. Months after its remix, ‘Peru’ garnered over 31 million views on Youtube, topped Apple Music charts in the UK, and had 35 million Spotify streams.
King
“King” brought to bare the true nature of Fireboy when it comes to dictions in songwriting. The song was released on 1 August 2019 and it has the YBNL signee declaring his worth to his love interest. “King” is one of Fireboy’s biggest songs and it has topped various charts and logged thousands of streams weeks after its release.
TG Omori directed the music video for the song and it contains images of Fireboy and his interest in a rose-petal-embellished Rolls-Royce. The video also has Fireboy singing at a fashion show where models walk on a runway. It garnered over 6 million views on YouTube barely a month after its official release.
Bandana
From the production to the powerful vocals, ‘Bandana‘ is the type of joyride you don’t want to stop. The song which is one of the tracks off his album “Playboy” became an instant sensation following its release and it featured rave artiste, Ololade Mi Asake.
Bandana’ is apparently the biggest No. 1 song ever on the Top 100 – tallying the most chart points across streaming and airplay. The song tallied 67.7 million in radio reach (No. 1 on radio, up 5.5%) and 4.48 million streams (No. 1 on streaming, up 0.1%), becoming Fireboy DML’s longest No. 1 single in Nigeria – surpassing the four-week reign of his previously released single ‘Peru.’
‘Bandana’ is also Asake’s longest of his four No. 1 singles (‘Omo Ope,’ ‘Sungba’ and ‘PlayBUY’). The song apparently stayed at No. 1 for another week on the Top 100 chart; as it looks to fend off competition from Asake’s ‘Terminator.’ The former is leading airplay 2:1 while the latter is leading streaming 2:1. On Youtube, the song garnered over 78 million views and was ranked #28 top music video.
Tattoo
Off Fireboy DML’s second studio album Apollo, ‘Tattoo’ is one big song rated among the best performing, with its sensual official video which has so far attracted over 12 million views on YouTube. The song was released in August 2020 and Produced by Type A.
‘Tattoo’ is also rated as one song that is full of passionate and sensual lyrics that were clearly amplified in the visuals. Interestingly, Fireboy DML revealed in an exclusive interview that he composed the song when he was missing someone.
“My song Tattoo is a song that was just vibes, I was missing someone that night and I wanted to make something sensual…not exactly one person in mind but mostly my female fans,” the 28–year-old singer said. Following its success, the song won the Headies 2020 Best R&B Single, and its official music video garnered over 70 million views.
Fireboy’s Songs
- Peru
- Vibration
- King
- Champion
- Lifestyle
- Like I Do
- New York City Girl
- I Need You
- “Champion”
- “Running”
- “Champion”
- Peru (feat. Ed Sheeran)
- Tattoo
- “Eli”
- “Beauty & the Madness”
- Scatter
- What If I Say
- New York City Girl
- Jealous
Fireboy’s Albums
- Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps
- Apollo
- Playboy