Zainab Elizabeth Donli, known as Lady Donli, is a

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 ...

musician. She is an alternative R&B, hip hop, alternative jazz and

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...

singer and songwriter.

Biography

Lady Donli was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She is the youngest of six children. She spent her early years in Abuja and

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern Nige ...

, where her dad is from. After her secondary school education, she moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

where she obtained a degree in law, from the University of Surrey. Donli's earliest musical influence was the

Evangelical Church of West Africa The Evangelical Church Winning All, previously known as the Evangelical Church of West Africa, is one of the largest Christian denominations in Nigeria, with about ten million members. ECWA is a partner church of the international Christian missi ...

, where a particular style of synchronous praise-chanting had become established. She was also influenced by the music of

Brenda Fassie Brenda Nokuzola Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004) was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the "Queen of African Pop", the " Madonna of The Townships" or s ...

, Angelique Kidjo,

Aṣa Bukola Elemide (born 17 September 1982"There's 'Fire O ...

and

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

, as well as Nigeria's pop pioneers. Donli is part of Nigeria's

Alté Alté (locally pronounced as "uhl-teh"), is a fusion genre of music that combines elements of afrobeats, dancehall, reggae, hip hop, and alternative R&B. The term was coined in the 2010s by Nigerian music group DRB LasGidi, meaning alternative a ...

music scene, which is known for blending sounds from multiple genres of music, including

, R&B, and

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

. She released her first project, the 12-song mixtape ''Love or War'', in 2014. Donli has worked with new-age music acts like

Adekunle Gold Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko (born 28 January 1987), known professionally as Adekunle Gold and AG Baby, is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter. He gained widespread attention after releasing the 2015 hit single "Sade", a highlife cover of On ...

, Nonso Amadi, Tomi Thomas, M.I Abaga,

Mr Eazi Oluwatosin Ajibade (born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-born, Ghana-based singer. He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressio ...

, SDC, Davido, Ayüü, Odunsi (The Engine), and

Tay Iwar Austin Iornongu Iwar (born 9 June 1997), better known by his stage name Tay Iwar, is a Nigerian neo soul singer, songwriter, record producer, composer and sound engineer. Iwar signed a licensing deal in 2018 with Soulection, and a publishing dea ...

amongst others. In 2018, Donli lent her vocals on a number of projects. She teamed up with Nigerian rapper, Boogey on 'Motion' and veteran MC Terry Tha Rapman on 'Open Letter'. She also worked with

on his sophomore album, 'Life is Eazi Vol.2', including a featured track off M.I Abaga's A Study on Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl album. In 2019, Donli released her debut album, ''Enjoy Your Life.''

Discography

Lady Donli at Enjoy Your Life Concert in 2020

Studio albums and EPs

* ''Love or War EP'' (2014) * ''Wallflower EP'' (2016) * ''Letters to Her EP'' (2018) * ''Enjoy Your Life'' (2019) * WILD (2021)

Selected singles

Major features

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Donli Alumni of the University of Surrey Nigerian singer-songwriters 21st-century Nigerian singers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Nigerian alté singers