Wilson Abubakar Radido is a Kenyan artist and songwriter from

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

. He is the chief executive officer and founder of Saldido international entertainment. Paul was named male artist of the year at the 2013

Groove Awards The Groove Awards is a Kenyan annual Gospel award. The winners are chosen by the public. The award's coverage has spread to include other East African countries, including Rwanda. It is sponsored by Safaricom and MoSound Events. History The f ...

alongside his mentor

Gloria Muliro Gloria Owendi, commonly referred to as Gloria Muliro (born 1 April 1980), is a Kenyan Gospel musician and songwriter. In 2005, she released her first studio album, titled ''Omwami Aletsa'' (The Lord is Coming). As of 2013, Muliro had four albu ...

, who took the female artist of the year award. Some of his well-known singles are "I do" featuring Alaine from Jamaica'', "'' Njiwa" featuring Nandy from Tanzania, "Hallelujah" featuring Nandy, "Sikireti" featuring Cecil from Jamaica, "Nobody" featuring Yemi Alade from Nigeria, "Mmmh" featuring @rayvanny from Tanzania, "Jigi Jigi, Kanungo, Malingo", and "You Never Know" which earned him recognition and a US tour''.'' He first gained recognition after recording the song "Rabuka" and later "Sitolia" with Muliro which was an object of controversy after several claims by Willy that he was not earning much from the song because Muliro allegedly owned exclusive

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

s to the song. They settled their differences and recorded another hit song, "Kitanzi". In 2012, he was nominated for the

Kisima Music Awards The Kisima Music Awards is an annual awards program that recognises musical talent in East Africa. Despite being Kenyan-based the scheme awards artists from a variety of countries, predominantly Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and incorporates a ran ...

' Male Artist of the year managed by David Grey.

Early life

Wilson Abubakar Opondo Radido was born to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Radido in September 1993 in

Mathare Mathare is a collection of slums in Nairobi with a population of approximately 500,000 people; the population of Mathare Valley alone, the oldest of the slums that make up Mathare, is 180,000 people. Mathare is the home of football teams Mathare U ...

slums. His father was a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

, while his wife, was a hairdresser until 2011,Wilson dropped out of school in 2011 due to financial constrain. He took

Juakali Juakali is a singer and MC from Trinidad. He is known primarily for his musical output in the dubstep and reggae genres. Onstage since the age of 14, Juakali started his career as a dancer and, at one stage, a poet. He has released two albums. B ...

jobs to generate income to support his mother.

Career

His first hit was "Rabuka". His major breakthrough came in 2010. He later co-authored his first single "Sitolia" with Muliro, which was a reflection of his life history, depicting his struggles and giving himself a renewed hope that God had brought him to the limelight. His first album, ''You never know'' launched on 5 December 2013 in a ceremony at KICC, graced by

Daddy Owen Owen Mwatia popularly known as Daddy Owen was born on Friday 1, 1982, is a Kenyan contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist and songwriter from Kakamega, Kenya. Owen is the brother to Kenyan Award-winning gospel musician Rufftone. He is a member ...

, Ben Githae, Gloria Muliro, DK Kwenye Beat, Ben Bahati, Bahati, Men Of God (MOG),

Size 8 Linet Munyali (born 4 August 1987), professionally known as Size 8, is a Kenyan singer, songwriter and actress. Formerly a secular music, secular artist, Size 8 is known for her singles "Shamba Boy" and "Moto". In April 2013, she released her fi ...

, Mr Seed, Shiru Wa GP, Betty Bayo, Danny Gift, DJ Sadic and DJ Mo. The album included, "You never know", "Lala Salama", "Mpenzi" and "Kitanzi". Paul toured the US in 2014, performing in churches in 12 states. The tour began on 10 March in Sacramento, California. He performed alongside artiste Polly Odotte at the House of Glory Church. He then headed to Neema Gospel Church in Dallas, Texas, and, on 15 March, performed at St Louisiana, Missouri. On 29–30 March, Willy ministered to the audience at Neema Community Church in Overland Park, Kansas. He concluded his tour on 27 April in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. Paul beat Bahati with his "Tam Tam" song featuring Size 8 and managed to win 2 Mdundo Awards; Most Downloaded Gospel Artist and Most Downloaded Male Single. He won four nominations for the awards with "Tam Tam", a collaboration with

released in 2014 granting him Collabo of the Year, Video of the Year, Song of the year and Male Artist of the Year. He collaborated with hip-hop artist Khaligraph Jones on "Bora uhai". Following “I Do” with Alaine, they married. Paul has received constant accusations of secularism from various quarters.

Chart performance

"Jigi Jigi" peaked at number one in all major charts in Kenya, including Mdundo Weekly Top 100, the Top 40 Singles Chart, and the Local Top 20 Hits on Music Charts Ke.

Philanthropy

Paul set up a foundation in Kenya to help needy people in the area. He helped children to get access to basic education and healthcare.

Discography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Willy 21st-century Kenyan male singers Living people 1993 births