Ruger (Real Name: Michael Adebayo Olayinka, born on 23rd September 1999; Age: 24 years old) is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter who became famous after the release of his debut EP Pandemic with its major hit, Bounce.
Fast-rising Nigerian singer Ruger hit the Nigerian music space in 2020 after D’Prince introduced him. With a well-polished and sound voice, the talented singer has consistently been on top of the game, releasing hit songs and showing no sign of slowing down. Know everything about the music talent, including his family background, rise to fame, music career, and love life.
Summary of Ruger’s Bio
- Full name: Michael Adebayo Olayinka
- Nickname: Ruger
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 23rd September 1999
- Ruga’s Age:24 years old
- Ethnicity: Yoruba
- State of Origin: Kogi State
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Zodiac Sign: Libra
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Single
- Ruger’s Parents: Mr. Mrs. Olayinka
- Ruger’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 8 inches
- Ruger’s Height in Centimetres: 172 cm
- Occupation: Singer, Songwriter
- Record Label: Jonzing World Entertainment Records
- Ruger’s Net worth: N150 Million
- Famous for: Bounce and Dior
- Years Active: 2020 to present
- Ruger’s Instagram: @rugerofficial
Ruger’s Real Name is Michael Adebayo Olayinka, and He Is A Kogi State Native
Although he is widely known by his stage name, Ruger, the singer was born Michael Adebayo Olayinka on 23rd September 1999, making him 24 years old. He was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, alongside his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Olayinka, and siblings. However, Ruger originally hails from Ijumu Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria.
He is reportedly the only son of his parents but has other female siblings. He comes from a Christian household that attends church regularly. Besides these, there are not many details about his parents and siblings or what they are currently up to, as the singer does not relate his family information to the public.
Ruger received his primary and secondary education from reputable schools in Lagos State. According to records, he is currently an undergraduate at a prestigious university in southwest Nigeria. From an early age, he came across various genres of music, and that made him develop a passion for art. However, the source of his music interest is not farfetched because his family was music lovers.
Ruger Developed Passion for Music at a Tender Age
Ruger’s music interest was developed at a very tender age. He joined his school band as a teenager, and at the church, he was a member of the choir, where he discovered his musical talents and participated in every church activity. At school also, he was composing some songs on his own and performed at school functions and shows.
In a short while, Ruger was able to compose gospel songs that he performed at church on some occasions. By then, he had already decided to become a musician, and his family gave him their full support. His little but consistent endeavors enhanced his passion, and today Ruger is doing reasonably well on the Nigerian music front.
He Took Off His Professional Singing Career in 2020 at the age of 20
D’Prince made the entry of the music talent into the Nigerian music industry. In 2019, luck shined on Ruger’s career after his path crossed part with the top Nigerian Afropop singer and CEO of Jonzing World. D’Prince, after listening to some of his sounds, was impressed and decided to start working with the young artist.
He started inviting him to his recording studio for sessions to help him improve and horn sounds and make him a better musician. On 18th January 2020, D’Prince took to his social media pages to announce that he had signed Ruger under his label, Jonzing World, making it the second artiste he signed within two years.
The first artist he signed was Rema, but he is co-signed to Don Jazzy’s label Marvin Records. Jonzing World partners with Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment, the U.K division. Concurrently, Ruger dropped his first official single, One Shirt featuring appearances like Remi and D’Prince.
Bounce and Dior Established Him in the Nigerian Music Scene
Barely two months after his debut single, on 12th March 2021, Ruger showed the world what he’s got with his debut music project, Pandemic, produced by Kukbeats. Pandemic is a 6-track EP consisting of the following song Bounce, Ruger, Monalisa, Abu Dhabi, Bow, and Yekpa. Meanwhile, he dropped the self-titled single, Ruger, on 17th February 2021.
Bounce turned massive commercial success. As soon as the EP was released, Bounce, which served as the EPs major hit, went viral, earning him more fame and fans and establishing him in the spotlight. The song debuted at number 39 on the 50 Top charts and reached the number 20 spot on the TurnTable End Of The Year chart in the same year.
Still in the same year, on 19th November 2021, the artist dropped his second project titled The Second Wave. The 4-track EP was led by the Dior and others; Champion, Snapchat, and Useless. The success of the EP made way for him to launch his international tour tagged The Ruger Tour.
The tour began in May 2022 in the US and has seen Ruger perform in cities like Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, Australia, Cyprus, and the Netherlands. He has also been billed to perform in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, and Malta.
Significantly, the lead song Dior arguably became one of the year’s biggest songs. It peaked at number 15 on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and number 32 on the Top 50 chart. As of June 2021, Dior has over 5 million views on the streaming platform YouTube.
On 17th June 2022, Rugger drooped his third EP, The Second Wave Deluxe. It contains seven tracks, including Girlfriend, Warning, and WeWe. Through his strong spirit and unique talents, the Jonzing World serial hitmaker has earned a decent place in the highly competitive Nigerian music industry. Though still a rising artist, Ruger’s career journey has been a consistent one and
Ruger’s Most Popular Songs
- Bounce
- Bow
- Abu Dhabi
- Ruger
- Yekpa
- Monalisa
- Lock Down
- Useless
- Dior
- Girlfriend
- Pandemic (EP)
- Snapchat
- Champion
- Warning
- WeWe
EPs
- Pandemic
- The Second Wave
- The Second Wave Deluxe
Who Is Ruger’s Girlfriend?
The fact that Ruger has gathered success in the entertainment industry justifies people’s quest for every information about him. Recently in June 2020, rumors started making the rounds that the Dior crooner is in a romantic relationship with “The Johnsons” actress Susan Pwajok who is known for her role as “Blessing” in the family sitcom.
To give credence to this, the duo was seen in a TikTok video that went viral on the internet, and all loved up with an emotional background song.
However, Ruger subsequently granted an interview wherein he attempted to trivialize his relationship with the actress by saying, “Susan has always been my bestie, and that’s all I can say about that.” As expected, fans did not take his words for that, and Ruger renounced his claims in a somewhat sarcastic way. “Ok, @susanpwajok is my girlfriend. Y’all can get off her d**k now, thank you,” he wrote on his Instagram story with a photo of Susan Pwajok.