d'banj - London-based Nigerian singer and songwriter

Twenty-four year old D’banj is a London-based Nigerian singer and songwriter, as well as a harmonica master and a charismatic stage performer with boundless energy. D’banj grew up listening to music by Fela Kuti (“My great mentor.”) and has performed at Femi Kuti’s New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, as well as the Shrine Synchro System’s regular London night at Cargo and the Black President (The Art & Legacy of Fela Kuti) concert series at the Barbican in London. Without ever turning into a mere carbon copy of his hero D’banj brings Afrobeat to life and into the 21st century with breathless enthusiasm, as well as a good dose of humour. He vows that all of his songs are based on true stories of his own life, often hilarious, but also with a deeper meaning which documents the struggle of a young African trying to achieve his dreams – in his case is to be a successful artist/musician (D’banj: “D’banj is music, music is D’banj”).

D’banj performs in Yoruba, English and, like his hero Fela Kuti, in Pidgin (broken) English. D’banj was born in 1980 as Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo in the Northern city of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, to Colonel Daniel Duro Oyebanjo, an artillery officer, and Faith Olubukolola Oyebanjo, a business woman and church dignitary, both from Ogun State. D’banj has a brother (Kehinde) and three sisters (Shola, Yinka and Taiwo). His older brother, Femi, who was in the NDA (Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna), tragically died at only 17 in a plane crash when D’banj was 15 years old. Due to his father’s job D’banj’s family moved numerous times. They left Zaria when D’banj was one to move to Jos, then Kaduna, and later Bombay in India where they stayed for a year and a half while D’banj’s father worked in the artillery barracks there. When D’banj was 11 years old he was sent to the Nigerian Military School in Zaira, where he stayed for four years, after which he went to Abeokuta in Ogun State for two years to finish his high school education in 1997. He then moved to Lagos, and in 1999 started studying Mechanical Engineering at UNILAG (Lagos State University). Having lived in the Northern regions of Nigeria, means he is able to speak a little Hausa, while his mother tongues are Yoruba and English - plus he is fluent in pidgin English.Growing up D’banj was to enter the military like his father, but at 14 D’banj picked up a weapon of a different kind, and altogether more peaceful: the harmonica. He was introduced to it by his late brother Femi who played it, too.

In fact, his brother’s harmonica was one of his possessions that was recovered after the tragic plane crash, and D’banj started to cherish it. D’banj’s incredible harmonica skills are self-taught; he says: “I play the harmonica like it was built for me.” D’banj also plays the piano – his father bought a piano when the family were living in India - but for him the harmonica wins hands down - on portability which is important to D’banj as he wants music around him constantly. At school D’banj also left an impression: he came third in music in his school and also performed with his school band. Later on in 1999, D’banj came third in a talent show, part of the Music Festival and held at the Muson Centre in Lagos. While all other contestants performed classical pieces D’banj opted for performing Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” as a solo harmonica piece. D’banj also used to play harmonica in church,

at Winners Chapel Living Faith in Lagos, which is one of his best childhood memory of Nigeria.D’banj became more and more involved in music and could not see himself doing anything else with the same passion. His song “All Da Way (Airbourne)” is about the struggles he has faced with his parents over his chosen career path. Dapo had now adopted the elegant, almost French-sounding, name D’banj, a combination of his first name Dapo and his surname Oyebanjo, and went on to start his professional music career in Lagos. In 2002, he collaborated with the Nigerian rap star Ruggedman on the track “Kiss Me Again” (on which D’banj sang and played harmonica). The song was included on a compilation (released by SilverTones Records in Nigeria) which also featured Harmony, Simone, Ruggedman (solo tracks) and top Nigerian producer/artist O.J.B. Jezreel who produced all the tracks. “Kiss Me Again” generated a lot of publicity and its accompanying video went to number 5 on the Groovoids charts on MBI TV, while D’banj also appeared on many radio stations, including Eko FM and 93.7 Rhythm FM. Other tracks D’banj recorded in Nigeria were “Gba-si-be” (featuring Abounce) and “One More Wish”.

D'BANJ WINS MTV BEST AFRICAN ACT AWARD

Our very own dapo daniel oyebanjo aka d'banj or skibanj or the koko master won the award for the MTV BEST AFRICAN ACT, making him the 2nd nigerian and the third artiste to win such award since it was initiated in 2005. tuface idibia launched the award. the event took place at the olympia hall arena, munich, yesterday (1st nov).....NO LONG TINGS...'am PROUD of him jare...ermm....a lil bit about d'banj....hopefully my source is right...lol..birth place: kaduna...born: 1980base: londonoccupation: singer/songwritergenre: r&b, african hiphop.....he sings in english, yorubaawards won: most promising male artiste-kora awards 2005artiste of the year-nigerian music award 2006; and a few more/nominations...