Joeboy (Real Name: Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa Donus, born 21st of May, 1997) is a Nigerian Afro pop and R&B singer and songwriter known for his singles “Baby” and “Beginning” among others.
The rise of young artists in the Nigerian music industry in recent years is a blessing to the Afrobeats genre, which is getting broader worldwide. Amongst these fast-rising acts is this dreadlocks young man, Joeboy. The young talent is rising considerably very fast in the industry and this has drawn lots of attention to him with fans wanting to know more about him.
Summary of Joeboy’s Bio and Personal Profile
- Full name: Joseph Akinfenwa Donus
- Stage name: Joeboy
- Place of Birth: Lagos, Nigeria
- Date of Birth: 21st of May, 1997
- Marital Status: Single
- Education: University of Lagos
- Occupation: Singer, Songwriter
- Label: Empawa
An Insight to JoeBoy’s Childhood
Joeboy as he is famously known was originally named Joseph Akinfenwa Donus at birth by his parents Mr. and Mrs. Donus. He was born in the inner cities of Lagos on the 21st of May, 1997 into the Donus family. Unlike other acts that struggled to get their parents’ acceptance with their musical career, Joeboy’s was different. Fortunately for the R&B and Afro-pop singer, he grew up in a music-loving family, as his father played the keyboard in the church while his elder brother was a chorister in the church choir. He is the last of four siblings.
Growing up at the heart of Lagos, Joeboy had his primary and secondary education in Lagos. He proceeded to the University of Lagos where he graduated in 2011 with a degree in Human Resource Management. The name Joeboy was given to him by his peers, coined from his first name, Joseph.
He Drew Inspiration From 9ice
Joeboy began singing at a young age in his church choir alongside his elder brother. He’d spend time rehearsing and singing songs he created. He continued to develop his craft, taking account of Afropop’s evolving aesthetics and mastering everything therein. At seventeen, he recorded his first song Gbeseyin and released it. He started as a singer and songwriter recording songs in the R&B genre. His melodious voice was breathtaking and noticeable by anyone who listens and comes across his sounds. He admitted been inspired by the music of legendary musician and producer, 9ice and I.D Cabasa, which will later influence his AfroPop sounds. Despite starting early in the industry, it took the Nigerian pop star a bit longer before he could gain a notability.
In 2017, Joeboy did a cover of Brit Musician, Ed Sheeran’s, “Shape of You”, and uploaded it on Instagram. He only wanted to grow his social media platform through his musical skills before getting into stage performance but the industry had another plan. The cover garnered positive reviews by music listeners home and abroad and attracted EmPawa record label Don, Oluwatosin Ajibade also known as Mr. Eazi to approach him and partner with him in a mouth-watery record deal. His journey with Mr. Eazi’s label turned a new chapter in Joeboy’s musical career and the rest they say is history.
Becoming One of Nigerian Music’s Most Important Voices
Mr. Eazi, impressed by his talent, agreed to release a track with him titled “Faaji” in 2018. Joeboy was able to create a video for the track using the grant (about $3000) he earned from EmPawa 100, a program that encourages artists to submit their work through Instagram, to be considered by Mr. Eazi and his colleagues in the music industry.
His breakthrough came in March 2019 following the release of his single “Baby.” In that year alone, the hit was streamed by 20 million people on both Youtube and Spotify. The song also hit the top 10 on Apple music charts in Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda. Its visualizer video gained over 31 million views on Youtube. In August of that year, the hitmaker released Begining. The track was produced by a Nigerian AfroBeats Record Producer and songwriter popularly known as Killertunes and it has garnered over 23 million views on Youtube. He remains unstoppable like other top musicians in Africa and continues to release new projects.
His Latest Album Was Released In February 2021
With the success of “Baby”, “All of You”, and a few of his other singles doing numbers in top music charts, it was only right that his growing fans and fanbase get a well-deserved body of work. This comes after Joeboy had placed himself up there to the extent of earning a nomination in the next rated category for one of the biggest awards ceremonies in Nigeria. Thus, on February 4th, 2021, Joeboy blessed his fans with his long-awaited album, “Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic”.
It is important to note that before this time, Joeboy had released three EPs (Extended Playlist) namely;
- How To Make Friends In a Brand New Town
- THC (The Herrera Chronicles)
- Love and Light
His Best Songs
Joeboy is only just starting but he has already released quite a number of songs. Here’s his best canon so far.
- Baby
- Beginning
- All of You
- Faaji
- Don’t Call Me Back ft Mayorkun
- Call
- Lonely
- Celebration
Awards He Has Won
- 2019 – All Africa Music Awards – Best Artiste in African pop.
- 2020 – Soundcity MVP awards – Best Pop.
His Award Nominations
Headies
- Next Rated for his song Himself
- Best Pop Single “Baby”
- Song of the Year (baby)
- Viewer’s Choice (Beginning)
All Africa Music Awards
- Popular Song of the Year (Baby)
City People Music Awards
- Most Promising Act of the Year (baby)
- Best New Act of the Year (Himself)
- Revelation of the Year
- Best New MVP (Himself)
Soundcity MVP Awards Festival
- Listeners’ Choice (Beginning)
- Song of the Year (Baby)
The Artist Keeps His Love Life Away From The Public
Although there have not been any official post, announcement, or publications to suggest if the singer is single or in a relationship, speculations have it that he is in a relationship but maintains privacy unlike his boss, Mr. Eazi, whose boo, billionaire daughter, Temi Otedola is all over the timeline. However, the artist is rumored to be in a relationship. This comes after the musician posted a photo with an unidentified lady on Twitter and since then, there have been speculations that the particular lady is the girl after the singer’s heart.