Good news for the Afrobeat community as Adekunle Gold signs international deal with Def Jam.
Yep! You read that correctly…Afropop singer Adekunle Gold has joined the league of Nigerian artistes breaking grounds internationally after officially signing with popular American record label, Def Jam Recordings which boasts of superstar alumni like Jay Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West.
Gold’s signing was announced in a statement by Def Jam’s CEO/Chairman Tunji Balogun who said “I’ve been following Adekunle Gold since I first heard his record ‘Sade’ in 2016. 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 continued, “he’s stepped into stardom on his own terms and is completely comfortable being his true self.”
Balogun added, “When I started at Def Jam, I knew I wanted to bring the label into the Afrobeats space tastefully, with the right artists and partnership. 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.”
Gold also expressed excitement on signing with the label, and getting to work with Balogun especially with their shared Nigerian roots. “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.”
Following his signing with the label, Gold is set to release a new album under Def Jam in June, 2023. Let’s see what he has in store for us…
