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El Mafrex (born Mfreke Obong Ibanga; 14 May 1984) is a
In 2001, El Mafrex started a boy band, M.O.D. (Men of Destiny), and was the lead vocalist of the five-man group. The band toured and played shows in Nigeria, especially in its south-south region before later expanding from a boy band to a family project. The family project gave birth to the Destiny Kids and MOD dancers.
While in the University of Uyo, he formed another boy band, Da Grooves, made up of Louis and GeePee. Together they played gigs on campus and its environs.
At the end of 2004, he left the band to start his own solo career, which he called the "el MAFREX" project. He was voted Artiste of the year in 2005 by the SUG of University of Uyo, and his songs "Rhythm in the Air" and "Esio Mkpo" were played on radio and television stations in Nigeria. "Rhythm in the Air" won song of the month, on the then Cosmo FM Enugu.
On 21 December 2013, el Mafrex headlined the Sixth edition of the
Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
-born, urban gospel
Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched prima ...
singer-songwriter, based in Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland.
He was nominated for Best Gospel Act consecutively at the 2012 and 2013 editions of the (MOBO
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
) Music of Black Origin Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
. He won Artiste of the year and Urban Recording of the year at the 2012 Scottish New Music Awards, making him the first black man to win the SNMA.
His song, "Jehovah", which features Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...
band Royal Foundlings had more than 500,000 hits in the first five months of its release on YouTube. He released "That Man from Galilee" in the first quarter of 2013, which debuted at no 49 on the iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
UK Chart for Gospel and had over a million hits on YouTube in its first 6 months.
On 30 September 2012, he was featured in the '' Sunday Mail''.
He was nominated for the Season 8 of The Future Awards Africa
The Future Awards Africa (previously known as The Future Awards) are a set of awards given by The Future Project, a social enterprise communications firm affiliated to Red Africa. The awards are intended to celebrate young people between the ages ...
on 10 July 2013.
Early life and education
He was born in Nigeria and educated at theNigerian Military School
The Nigerian Military School Zaria, popularly known as (NMS), founded as the Boys-Company of Nigeria in 1954, was established under the auspices of Nigerian Regiment Training centre of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF). The school was ...
in Zaria
Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau Emirate Council, and one of the original seven Hausa city-states ...
, Kaduna State
Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...
.
He graduated in 2006 from the University of Uyo
The University of Uyo is located in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The university was formerly known as the University of Cross River State, Uyouniuyo.edu.ng.
On 1 October 1991 the Federal government of Nigeria established it as a ...
, Akwa Ibom State
Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...
, where he studied physics and majored in electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
. In 2010, he obtained a master's degree in information-systems development from the Edinburgh Napier University
, mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain
, established = 1992 – granted University status 1964 – Napier Technical College
, type = Public
, academic_staff = 802
, administrative_staff = 562
, chancellor = Will Whitehorn
, ...
.
Career
In 2001, El Mafrex started a boy band, M.O.D. (Men of Destiny), and was the lead vocalist of the five-man group. The band toured and played shows in Nigeria, especially in its south-south region before later expanding from a boy band to a family project. The family project gave birth to the Destiny Kids and MOD dancers.
While in the University of Uyo, he formed another boy band, Da Grooves, made up of Louis and GeePee. Together they played gigs on campus and its environs.
At the end of 2004, he left the band to start his own solo career, which he called the "el MAFREX" project. He was voted Artiste of the year in 2005 by the SUG of University of Uyo, and his songs "Rhythm in the Air" and "Esio Mkpo" were played on radio and television stations in Nigeria. "Rhythm in the Air" won song of the month, on the then Cosmo FM Enugu.
On 21 December 2013, el Mafrex headlined the Sixth edition of the Akwa Ibom State
Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...
Government Christmas Carol (9999 Carol SIngers) night with other International gospel artists like Israel Houghton
Israel Houghton (; born May 19, 1971) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, producer and worship leader. He is usually credited as Israel & New Breed.
Musical career
Houghton produced an album by Michael Gungor, ''Big ...
, South African gospel legend Lionel Peterson and Nigerian Gospel acts like Frank Edwards, Aity Dennis, Freke' and Nathaniel Bassey
Nathaniel Bassey is a Nigerian singer, pastor, trumpeter and gospel songwriter popularly known for his songs "Imela", "Onise Iyanu" and "Olowogbogboro." He attends The Redeemed Christian Church Of God and pastors The Oasis Lagos, The Youth Ch ...
. He led a Reggae praise session in the Guinness book of world records listed event at the Uyo Township Stadium
Uyo Township Stadium is a multi-use stadium located in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Akwa United F.C. of the Nigerian Premier League. It is also a center for social ...
.
STV interview
In November 2012, he was interviewed by Scottish television news STV, where he talked about his music and recent MOBO Awards nomination.Business interest
El Mafrex has other interests besides music as he prepares to launch his own line of designers eyeglasses. He told ''The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
'' that he had his own personal sunglasses customized specially for himself and has since received compliments from many people who are interested in acquiring them, which has propelled him towards the direction of having a line for his sunglasses. The name of the line would be 3:16 derived from the Bible verse, John 3:16.
Singles
Awards and nominations
See also
* List of Christian hip hop and rap artists *List of Nigerian gospel musicians
This is a list of notable Nigerian gospel musicians arranged in alphabetical order.
* Ada Ehi
* Bidemi Olaoba
* Bola Are
*Cobhams Asuquo
* Dunni Olanrewaju
*Eben
*Ebenezer Obey
* el Mafrex
* Frank Edwards
* Funmi Aragbaye
* Jahdiel
* Jeremiah ...
* List of Edinburgh people
This list contains famous or notable people who were either born, residents, or otherwise closely associated with the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. The entries in each section are listed alphabetically.
Architecture
Arts
Authors
Medicine, s ...
* List of gospel musicians
This incomplete list is specifically for Christian music performers in the gospel music genres who have either been very important to the genre, or have had a considerable amount of exposure, such as in the case of one that has been on a major ...
* List of Nigerians
This is a list of notable Nigerian people. It includes some but not all notable Nigerians.
Politicians
A–M
* Abba Kyari – late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari
* Abdulkadir Kure
* Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq
* Abdulsalami Abub ...
* List of R&B musicians
* List of reggae musicians
This is a list of reggae musicians. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as in the case of one that has been on a major label). Bands are listed by the first lett ...
* List of Scottish musicians
This list of notable Scottish musicians is part of the List of Scots series. Please see List of Scots#Composers for classical writers.
0–9
* 18 Wheeler, band
*1990s, indie rock band
A
* John Abell, countertenor, composer and lutenist
* Ab ...
* List of singer-songwriters
This is a list of singer-songwriters who write, compose, and perform their own musical material. The list is divided into two sections to differentiate between artists categorized as singer-songwriters and others who do not fall under the definiti ...
* Music of Nigeria
The music of Nigeria includes many kinds of folk and popular music, styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments, and songs. Little is known about the country's ...
* Music of Scotland
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which remained vibrant throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music. In spite of emigration and a well-developed con ...
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mafrex, El Living people 1984 births 21st-century Black British male singers 21st-century Nigerian male singers Alumni of Edinburgh Napier University British gospel singers Black British male rappers British performers of Christian hip hop music British reggae musicians British contemporary R&B singers Nigerian hip hop singers Nigerian expatriates in Scotland Nigerian singer-songwriters Nigerian Military School alumni Scottish singer-songwriters Urban contemporary gospel musicians University of Uyo alumni 21st-century Scottish male singers British male singer-songwriters