Bowofoluwa Olufisayo Odunsi (born June 7, 1996) known professionally as Odunsi the Engine stylized Odunsi (The Engine) is a Nigerian alternative singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer. Odunsi came into the music scene in 2018 with his full-length debut album "Rare" which earned him nominations at

The Headies The Headies (originally called the Hip Hop World Awards) is a music awards show established in 2006 by the ''Hip Hop World Magazine'' of Nigeria to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. The annual ceremony features pe ...

and

SoundCity MVP Awards The Soundcity MVP Awards Festival ("TheMVPs" or "MVP") is an event presented by Soundcity TV which awards plaques to musicians and performers across Africa. Since 2007, the winners are chosen by the viewers and fans by visiting #TheMVPs' website ...

establishing him as a critical figure in the innovative Nigerian

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, he is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of Alte music. In 2019 he was profiled by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as the new guard of Nigerian music.

Early life

Odunsi (The Engine) was born on June 7, 1996, in the former capital of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

. He grew up with his family in Lagos, growing up he listened to R&B music from artistes like

Donell Jones Donell Jones (born May 22, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is most notable for the hits "U Know What's Up", " Where I Wanna Be", and his cover of Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet". Jones' first studio alb ...

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and

King Sunny Ade King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

which he credits his older brother for introducing him to the genre. Odunsi grew up alongside his siblings, he had a good relationship with them but at some point felt alone while he was still a teen because he felt his older siblings were too old for him and his younger brother was too young for him. Odunsi dropped out of school in 2015 because of his struggle with

A.D.H.D Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise Development ...

which he describes as part of his inspiration.

Career

Odunsi started honing his skills musically in high school with his friends where they often made songs in class before started going to studio but was unable to afford the studio time. He started music professionally in 2015 as a record producer and rapper before transitioning into a singer the same year. His debut single, "Vibrate" was released in 2016, same year he released "Happy Hour" featuring Okuntakinte which caught the notice of

Mobo 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 Af ...

and was listed as an artist to watch in 2016. Same year he released "Situationship" featuring Aylø. He's debut studio album "Time Of Our Lives" was released same year. The following year he released "Desire" featuring Funbi 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 ...

. His collaborative Extended play "War" with

Nonso Amadi Nonso Amadi (born September 1, 1995) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and music producer. He is a self-taught songwriter and music producer who embarked on his music career in 2012, while at Covenant University, where he studied chemical engineeri ...

was released the same year and "Alte cruise" with Zamir and

Cruel Santino Osayaba Andrew Ize-Iyamu, better known by his stage name Cruel Santino, is a Nigerian alternative singer-songwriter, rapper, creative director, filmmaker, and music video director. He is a member of Monster Boys collective, with music producers G ...

was released in 2018. After releasing multiple singles including "Better Days" featuring

WANI Wani may refer to: *Vani (custom), a child marriage custom in tribal areas of Pakistan *Wani (dragon), a Japanese dragon translated as "sea monster", "crocodile", or "shark" *Wani (scholar), a legendary scholar, sent from Korea to Japan during the ...

and "Decided" featuring Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter

Tems Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer. She rose to prominence after she was featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence," which reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after the releas ...

, his second studio album which he saw success with "Rare" was released and featured stars like

Davido David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), popularly known by his stage name Davido, is an American-Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. His music blends traditional African elements with global mainstream pop. Davido is widel ...

Amaarae } Ama Serwah Genfi, known professionally as Amaarae, is a Ghanaian singer known for her work around representation of gender and race in music. After collaborating with local artists and putting out a few non-album singles, she released her debut ...

, duendita,

Nasty C Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo (born 11 February 1997), known professionally as Nasty C, is a South African rapper, songwriter, and record producer. After releasing three mixtapes, one being "Undisputed" and two EPs, Ngcobo released his debu ...

Hamza Hamza ( ar, همزة ') () is a letter in the Arabic alphabet, representing the glottal stop . Hamza is not one of the 28 "full" letters and owes its existence to historical inconsistencies in the standard writing system. It is derived from ...

, Zamir,

Runtown Douglas Jack Agu (born 19 August 1989), better known by his stage name Runtown, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer. Biography Runtown was born on 19 August 1989 in Enugu but grew up partly in Abuja and Lagos, where he finished his ...

, Solis and

. His 3rd studio album "EVERYTHING YOU HEARD IS TRUE" was released in 2020.

References

External links

Odunsi The Engine
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engine, Odunsi the Living people 1996 births Nigerian alté singers Nigerian record producers Musicians from Lagos State