Timi Dakolo (born January 20, 1981) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and music producer. He emerged winner of the inaugural season of ''

Idols West Africa ''Idols West Africa'' is the West African version of the Idol series franchise. Based in Nigeria, it is a talent contest to find a recording artiste, and aired on M-Net in 2007. Like the Pan-Arab entry to the series, the show incorporated countri ...

'' in 2007. Accompanying his victory was a recording contract with Sony BMG, in addition to other prizes.

Childhood and early career

Timi Dakolo was born in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

to a Nigerian father,

Bayelsa Bayelsa is one of the states in the South-South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta region. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. Yenag ...

-native David and a Ghanaian mother, Norah Kimmy Head, who died when Dakolo was thirteen years old. Despite being born in Ghana, Timi has a Nigerian passport and does not claim dual citizenship. He was raised in Port Harcourt by his grandmother Ateni Dakolo and his aunt Susan Larry, and he credits his aunt as his early singing teacher. So deep was their relationship that Timi declined an offer to move to Lagos with his parents, opting to stay back in Port-harcourt with them. Timi started singing in church at the age of twelve. In 2003, he joined the singing group ''Purple Love'' as a founding member. They dominated the Port Harcourt club circuit, but disbanded in 2005 as all its members had gained admission into the

University of Port Harcourt The University of Port Harcourt is located in Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt and was given university status in 1977. The University of Port Harcourt was rank ...

. Around that same period, Timi won a local talent hunt contest ''G.E FACTO,'' which held in Port Harcourt.

''Idols West Africa''

In 2006, Dakolo auditioned for reality show Idols West Africa in Calabar, Cross River State 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 ...

. Timi Dakolo's songs of choice were Commissioned's ''More Than I'' and

Lemar Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show ''Fame Academy'', he was later signed to Sony BMG ...

's ''Time to Grow''. His vocals impressed the judges, and he was seen as a contender for the prize. While in the competition, Timi Dakolo was never in the bottom 3. In the final three weeks of the competition it was revealed by the producers of the show that Timi had the highest number of votes each of those weeks. During the competition, Timi's grandmother died, a week before the viewing of the Top 24 performances. This was a big emotional blow to him. At that time, he turned to his Christian faith for strength to pull through in the competition. Before going to Idols West Africa, Timi was a student of Communication Studies in the

After ''Idol''

After winning ''Idol West Africa'' in 2007, on January 1, 2008, on New Year's Day, Timi Dakolo was shot at the

lobby Lobby may refer to: * Lobby (room), an entranceway or foyer in a building * Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians :* Lobbying in the United States, specific to the United States * Lobby (food), a thick stew ...

of the Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt. He had gone to the hotel to attend a church service in the company of his friends. The attack was a random act of violence by a faction of

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitical ...

militants and did not target Timi. Although a hotel security guard was murdered in the attack, Timi escaped with a flesh wound, was rushed to the hospital, treated and discharged on the same day.'' Timi Dakolo Shot on New Year's Day'' from Ayeni The Great Blog. Retrieved December 17, 2008, from http://ayenithegreat.wordpress.com/2008/01/02/timi-dakolo-shot-on-new-year-day Timi Dakolo released his first single comprising three songs in October 2009. In 2011, he released the song "There's a Cry". The music video was filmed in Nigeria. He is currently signed with Lone Records/Now Muzik. Timi Dakolo is one of the Judges on The Voice Nigeria. Timi Dakolo released a Christmas album titled "Merry Christmas, Darling" featuring guest duets such as Emeli Sandé and Kenny G in November 2019.

Personal life

Timi Dakolo married Busola Dakolo (née Amupitan) in 2012. They have three children.

Discography

Albums

*2011: "Beautiful Noise" *2019: "Merry Christmas, Darling “

Singles

*2011: "There's a Cry" *2011: "Great Nation" *2014: "Iyawo Mi" *2015: "Wish Me Well" *2016: "The Vow" *2017: "Medicine" *2018: "I Never Know Say" *2019: " Merry Christmas Darling feat. Emeli Sande" *2020: "Take" Ft. Olamide *2021: "Everything (Amen)"

Awards and nominations

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

: Hip Hop World Revelation of the Year – Nominated, during

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 ...

*2015: Best Recording of the Year- Wish Me Well

References

External links

Timi's Official Website

Idols WA Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dakolo, Timi Living people 1981 births Nigerian soul singers Nigerian musicians of Ghanaian descent 21st-century Nigerian male singers People from Bayelsa State Musicians from Accra The Headies winners English-language singers from Nigeria Yoruba-language singers University of Port Harcourt alumni Ghanaian people of Nigerian descent