Toyin Sokefun-Bello (born 14 January 1978), better known as TY Bello, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, photographer and philanthropist. Prior to pursuing a solo career, she was a member of the now defunct gospel band Kush. TY Bello is also a member of the Nigerian photography collective, ''Depth of Field''. She is best known for her singles "Greenland", "Ekundayo", "This Man", "Freedom" and "Funmise".

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

TY Bello was born on 14 January 1978, in

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

, Nigeria. She attained a degree in economics from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

. She briefly practised journalism and eventually ventured into photography. TY Bello emerged onto Nigeria's musical landscape as a member of the defunct group KUSH, an acronym for Kinetically Ushering Salvation into Hearts and Homes. Other members of the group included Lara George,

Dapo Torimiro Dapo Torimiro is a Nigerian songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Born in Lagos, he has worked in the music industry in the US for several years writing and producing music for artists' album projects, touring with num ...

and rapper Emem Ema. Kush gained popularity in the early 2000s with the single "Let's Live Together"; the group managed to release an album before disbanding. TY Bello was the official photographer to former President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

during his tenure in office; she also does work for ''

Thisday ''This Day'' is a Nigerian national newspaper. It is the flagship newspaper of Leaders & Company Ltd and was first published on 22 January 1995. It has its headquarters in Apapa, Lagos State. Founded by Nduka Obaigbena, the Chairman & Editor-i ...

'' fashion magazine.

2008–2013:''Greenland'', ''The Future'', The Jubilee Collection and anti-rape campaign

In 2008, TY Bello released her debut studio album ''Greenland''. It was produced by Mosa Adegboye and took two years to develop. The album earned her a Nigeria Music Award and a Sound City Award. TY Bello describes the album as a journey of her everyday life. The album's lyrical content explores themes of love, family and nation. Its title track is an inspirational song written to motivate Nigerians to liberate themselves from a place of despair to a place of hope. TY Bello first revealed plans about her second studio album, ''The Future'', while speaking to ''Ariya Today''. The album was originally slated for release in 2011, and was ranked 12th on ''

Nigerian Entertainment Today The Netng (Nigerian Entertainment Today) also known as ''NET'' is an online entertainment news organisation based in Lagos, Nigeria. It is a leading source of African entertainment, fashion and lifestyle news. Netng formed part of NET Newspaper ...

s list of the 12 Albums to Buy in 2011. The singer said she worked with producer Mosa and recorded the album in a few months. On 19 February 2011, TY Bello released "The Future" as the lead single from the album of the same name. The song urges Nigerian youth to be the change they seek. The

Kemi Adetiba Kemi Adetiba (born 8 January 1980) is a Nigerian filmmaker, television director and music video director, whose works have appeared on Channel O, MTV Base, Sound City TV, BET and Netflix. Education Kemi holds bachelor's degree in law fro ...

-directed music video for "The Future" was released on 3 April 2011. It features cameo appearances from Tara Fela-Durotoye,

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Chude Jideonwo Chude Jideonwo (born 16 March 1985) is a Nigerian lawyer, journalist and media entrepreneur. He is the founder of Joy, Inc., an American benefit corporation with a Nigerian subsidiary, which aims to make people happier. He has worked for seve ...

and

Banky W Olubankole Wellington (born 27 March 1981), popularly known by his stage name Banky W and credited in film as Banky Wellington, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, actor, entrepreneur and politician. Early life Olubankole Wellington was born in the ...

. Ore Fakorede awarded the song 7 stars out of 10, saying its "soft tribal drums, synths and a piano provide a vivid backdrop for TY to contrast her unmistakable voice against, and this she does brilliantly, bringing the poignancy in the song’s lyrics to life." Dapo Osewa of ''

Sahara Reporters Sahara Reporters is an online news agency based in New York City that focuses on promoting citizen journalism by encouraging everyday people to report stories about corruption, human rights abuses and other political misconduct in Africa, with s ...

'' described the video as "a narrative in itself that dares to capture the varying and boundless composition of emotion that is the face of the Nigerian." Makeup brand House of Tara launched The Jubilee Collection, a limited edition line of makeup inspired by "The Future" single. In October 2011, TY Bello was one of the celebrities featured in an eight-minute anti-rape video compiled by the Nigerian Ministry of Youth Development. The anti-rape video sheds light on the victim of a gang rape at

Abia State University Abia State University Uturu (ABSU) is a Nigerian public university. It is one of the state owned universities in Nigeria. These state academic institutions were created to expand admissions and bring professional skills, expertise and modern rese ...

in 2011. In December 2013, TY Bello released the

Wale Adenuga Wale Adenuga (born 24 September 1950) is a Nigerian former cartoonist/publisher, and currently series producer, best known for the publications ''Ikebe Super'', ''Binta and friends'' and '' Super Story'', and their televised versions through h ...

-assisted single "Yahweh". The song features additional vocals from Nwando Okeke and Mosa. TY Bello wrote the song's first line in 2004 during a photo-shoot.

2014:''The Morning Songbook''

On 10 October 2014, TY Bello released her third studio album ''The Morning Songbook'' for free digital download on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

. It was released without any promotion and comprises 10 tracks, including "Yahweh", "Thirsty" and "Jesu Jesu". The album features collaborations with M Sugh and

Fela Durotoye Adetokunbo Olufela Durotoye (born in Ibadan, Oyo State on 12 May 1971) is a business consultant, leadership expert, and motivational speaker. Fela is the president of the GEMSTONE Nation Builders Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organiz ...

. Udochukwu Ikwuagwu of the ''Breaking Times'' gave the album 7 stars out of 10, commending its production and TY Bello's songwriting.

Photography career

TY Bello was the official photographer to former President

during his tenure in office; she also does work for ''

'' fashion magazine.

2016: Tinie Tempah and a discovery

Bello was working in Lagos where she was creating a photo shoot for the British rapper

Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment compa ...

. She later discovered that there was a remarkable looking woman in the background. In an attempt to find Olajumoke Orisaguna, she arranged for Orisaguna's picture to appear on the cover of ''Style'' magazine.A woman selling bread got a modelling contract by accidentally photobombing Tinie Tempah
, 11 February 2016, Scott, Metro, Retrieved 25 February 2016

Humanitarian work

TY Bello organises an annual photography exhibition to raise funds for orphans in Nigeria. She is also the director of Link-a-child, an NGO dedicated to proliferating information on orphanages in Nigeria and seeking sponsorship on their behalf. In July 2011, TY Bello was honoured by the non-profit Communication For Change organisation in a five-part documentary film series, titled ''RedHot''.

Personal life

TY Bello is married and gave birth to twin boys named Christian and Christopher on 10 October 2014, which coincidentally marked the release of ''The Morning Songbook''.

Discography

*''Greenland'' (2008) *''The Future'' (2011) *''The Morning Songbook'' (2014) *''Africa Awake'' (2020) *''We Are Fire'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

;Soundcity Music Video Awards !Ref , - , 2009 , "Ekundayo" , Best Female Video , , ;

Nigeria Entertainment Awards The Nigerian Entertainment Awards were established in New York City in January 2006. The awards recognize the contributions of African entertainers with a special focus on Nigerians. Ceremonies * 2006 Nigeria Entertainment Awards * 2007 Nigeria ...

!Ref , - , 2008 , Herself , Best New Act of the Year , , ;

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 ...

!Ref , - , rowspan="4",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, rowspan="2", Herself , Recording Artiste of the Year , , rowspan="4", , - , Hip Hop World Revelation of the Year , , - , TY Bello for "Ekundayo" , Best Vocal Performance (Female) , , - , TY Bello & Abbey for "Greenland" , Best Music Video (Director) , ;Creative Industry Awards !Ref , - , 2013 , Herself , Visual Arts , ,

References

External links

*
TY Bello
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bello, TY Living people Musicians from Ogun State Nigerian gospel singers Nigerian photographers Nigerian women photographers Nigerian philanthropists University of Lagos alumni Yoruba-language singers English-language singers from Nigeria Yoruba women musicians Yoruba photographers Yoruba women philanthropists 21st-century Nigerian singers 1978 births