Tonye Garrick (born 27 August 1983), simply known as Tonye is a British-born

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 ...

singer and songwriter. Her accapella song titled "''What About Us''?" was used at the Nigerian Youth Presidential debate in 2011. Born in England, Tonye was raised in France,

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 ...

and the United States of America where she dropped her job as a business consultant to pursue a career in music in 2013. In 2015, she released a marriage-themed single title " Ari Belema" which got her nominated in the "Most Promising Act" category at the

2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards The 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards was the 10th edition of the Nigeria Entertainment Awards. Wizkid won the most awards while Olamide received the most nominations with three across 39 award categories. Kiss Daniel won the Best New Act to Watc ...

. She is signed to Made Men Music Group since April 2016.

Growing up

Tonye is a native of

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

, South-South Nigeria. Her name " Tamunotonye" was given to her by her grandmother who is a native of Kalabari,

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...

. She grew up listening to songs by

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

and Brenda Fassie before she developed her interest in music at the age of 7.

Early life and education

Born in England into the family of an Edo State father who was a diplomat and an

Anambra State Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...

mother, Tonye had most of her early life in Nigeria, Paris and the United States of America. She attended Vivian Fowler Memorial College and

Queen's College, Lagos Queen's College, Lagos, is a government-owned girl's secondary (high) school with boarding facilities, situated in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Often referred to as the "sister college" of King's College, Lagos, it was founded on October 10, 1927, when ...

where she completed her secondary school education. She holds a bachelor's degree in International Business & Fashion Merchandising after graduating from Marymount University.

Career

Prior to picking music as a profession, Tonye had previously worked for

UBS UBS Group AG is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres ...

Financial and

Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...

Touche Tohmatsu Limited as a

business analyst A business analyst (BA) is a person who processes, interprets and documents business processes, products, services and software through analysis of data. The role of a business analyst is to ensure business efficiency increases through their know ...

. She dropped her corporate job for a career in music in 2013 and went on to release her first official single titled "Were Niyen" which was received to critical acclaim. On 2 October 2014, she released another song produced by Password titled "''Criminal''" which did well to gain grounds. In 2015, her song titled "''Abi Belema''" became popular and thus winning her a nomination at the

. She cites Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson,

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

and

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

as her musical influences. In an interview granted to ''

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 ...

Live'' on 21 June 2014, she said she is working on her debut studio album.

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garrick, Tonye 1983 births Living people Singers from London Musicians from Edo State 21st-century Nigerian women singers Nigerian women singer-songwriters Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls alumni Queen's College, Lagos alumni Marymount University alumni 21st-century Black British women singers