Sadiq Onifade, known popularly known as WurlD, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Nigeria, WurlD relocated to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia to pursue a secondary education and record music. He describes his style of music as electro-fusion. He released his debut EP ''Evolution'' in 2013.

Early life

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, WurlD relocated to the US as a teenager and received his college education at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the ...

, studying computer science. While in school, WurlD developed a serious interest in musical performance.

Career

In late 2012, WurlD released his first single, "Beyond Our Dreams" from his debut EP titled ''Evolution'', due summer 2013. Coinciding with the release,

SESAC SESAC is a for-profit performance-rights organization in the United States. Founded in 1930 as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, it is the second-oldest performance-rights organization in the United States.

held an exclusive listening party at their Atlanta office for WurlD's forthcoming ''Evolution'' EP. By early 2013, WurlD was in the recording studio with

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

, writing songs for the R&B superstar's upcoming album. Shortly after, the music video for ''Evolution's'' second single, "Alive", produced by Black Shield Entertainment producer Hood Beatz, was premiered exclusively via

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

: The Wrap Up on 2 May 2013. WurlD also teamed up with

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

's artist, BK Brasco as a featured artist on "Beautiful Girls." He also appears in the song's video. In May 2016 WurlD released "Show You Off" an Afro-soul record featuring Walshy Fire of

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...

and Afro-beat producer

Shizzi Oluwaseyi Akerele, popularly known as Shizzi, is a Nigerian platinum record producer, disk jockey and songwriter. Music career 2009–2015: Early life and career Shizzi started out as a drummer in church. He achieved recognition for his work on ...

. In June 2016 WurlD released the collaborative track "Better Days" with Sir Felix; it became the official anthem for DelfSail 2016. WurlD (Sadiq Onifade) co-wrote the hit song "Blow my Mind" by Davido featuring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

in 2019. The song was produced by Davido's long time collaborating producer Shizzi.

Awards and recognition

In 2015 WurlD went certified Gold with his

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

release track "Follow You" with Polish DJ,

Gromee Andrzej Gromala (born 14 December 1978), better known by his stage name Gromee, is a Polish DJ, record producer, remixer and owner of Kingztown Music. In 2016 he signed a record deal with Sony Music. At the Eska Music Awards 2017 he won the award ...

and in 2017, he received a nomination for ''Best Diaspora Act'' at the ''Nigerian Entertainment Award'' alongside Rotimi and Wale. He has a Hit single now called 'Trobul'

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

Awards and recognition

References

External links

Official site
1987 births Living people Musicians from Lagos Nigerian soul musicians Nigerian male pop singers Nigerian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Nigerian male singers Yoruba musicians Nigerian expatriates in the United States {{Nigeria-musician-stub