Nigerian Afrobeats star, Adekunle Gold, has hit a new high in his music career after signing with popular American record label, Def Jam Recordings.
This was announced in a statement by the company’s Chief Executive Officer/Chairman, Tunji Balogun as reported by Billboard on Tuesday.
“I’ve been following Adekunle Gold since I first heard his record ‘Sade’ in 2016,” he said. “Over the years, everything in AG’s world has elevated — his songwriting has refined, the scope of his artistry has widened, his vocals have strengthened, his approach to fashion is more distinct, and his showmanship and performance ability have grown exponentially,”
“He’s stepped into stardom on his own terms and is completely comfortable being his true self.
Balogun also revealed how he had been planning all along to bring Def Jam label into the Afrobeats space as soon as he started working at the label in 2022
“Adekunle felt like the perfect fit – he’d already done so much work on his own to build a base, but I knew that we could scale his audience to an even bigger level if we combined our energies and worked together,” he continued.
In his remarks, Gold expressed excitement upon signing with the label, conceding that the move is the right one for him at the present stage of his music career.
He also relished getting to work with Balogun, describing him as his studio buddy.
“He understands it,” Gold said. “So signing to Tunji makes sense. He’s like my studio buddy that just comes everywhere I go. The day he doesn’t have time to be there, I know he must’ve been like stupidly busy. He’s great.
“The track record is there. The history is there. They break artists, and they have niche, unique artists like me, so I think it’s the right move for me. All of the things that I’ve done for myself already, they know already and that’s why they’re on board.”
Def Jam Recordings, which is owned by Universal Music Group, had boasted in its rank superstars alumni like Jay Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West.
Adekunle Gold rose to fame in 2015 with his debut hit, “Sade”. AG Baby, as he is popularly referred to, then proceeded to signing his first record label deal with YBNL Nation, before releasing his debut studio album, “Gold”, in 2017.
Two years later, he launched his own label, Afro Urban Records; putting out two albums: “About 30” in 2018 and “Catch Me If You can” in 2022. He released his 2020 album, Afro Pop, Vol. 1, under EMI.
He is, however, set to release a new album under Def Jam in June, 2023.
SOURCE: Vangaurd
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