In this episode of celebrity birthdays, we look at Top Nigerian Musicians Born In June.
1. D’Banj
At number 1, we have D’Banj who was born on the 9th of June 1980. D’Banj was one of the core Nigerian singers that helped introduce Afrobeats to the international scene. He dropped his debut album No Long Thing in 2005 which means he has been active in the Nigerian music industry for more than 15 years.
Together with Don Jazzy and Mo’Hits, D’Banj totally controlled the Nigerian airwaves at one point. Particularly, this was from 2006 to 2010 when the talented artist dropped his second, third, and fourth album. They were Rundown Funk U Up, Curriculum Vitae and The Entertainer album.
After getting signed by Kanye West in 2011 to G.O.O.D Music, D’Banj went international. Subsequently, he featured Kanye West in the remix of his hit song ScapeGoat. After the Mo’Hits split, D’Banj was signed to Sony Entertainment continuing his international run.
In 2012, he dropped Oliver Twist which is unarguably his biggest hit and also one of the most recognized Afrobeats songs overseas. Currently, D’Banj floats his own record label, DB records. He has a BET, MOBO, 4 MAMAs, 2 MEMAs, 4 Headies, and 1 Sound City Music Video award amongst others.
2. Tems
Tems is a new school musician – the first of her kind in Nigeria. With the Rebel Gang behind her, Tems is currently one of the biggest female Nigerian singers; the beautiful singer was born on the 11th of May 1995. Her genres include Afrobeats and Alternative R&B.
Tems officially kicked off her music career in 2015. She made Mr Rebel in 2018 and although the song caught the attention of Nigerian music lovers, it was Try Me that did the magic. Try Me was released in 2019 and the song became popular all over Nigeria. Subsequently, Tems became a National Treasure due to her awesome vocals.
The singer put out her debut EP in 2020. These Days and Damages were the lead single off the EP and the latter became a major hit. Another hit song off the EP is The Key. In 2019, Tems was featured by Khalid alongside Davido. On Wizkid’s Made In Lagos album released in 2020, she was featured in the song Essence which is arguably the biggest song from the album.
With this, Tems has worked with two of the biggest Nigerian musicians – Davido and Wizkid.
3. Femi Kuti
Taking after his father – Fela Kuti – as the eldest son, Femi Kuti began his musical career in 1978. The Afrobeat and Jazz musician was born on the 16th of June 1962. Aside from his songwriting prowess, he’s very good with the Saxophone, trumpet, and keyboard.
Femi Kuti first started as an instrumentalist in his father’s band, Egypt 80 in late 1970s. He left to launch his own band, Positive Force, in 1986. Just like his father, Femi Kuti is a renowned activist. He’s addressed the irregular politics and corrupt state of governments in Africa in many of his songs. Examples are songs from his 2010 album Africa for Africa.
The talented musician has 10 studio albums to his name. In addition, he has 2 live albums and he’s conducted 7 major tours in different countries across the globe. In the international scene, he’s been nominated for a Grammy Award four times. All came in the Best World Music Album category and was in 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2013.
If you’ve played the Grand Theft Auto IV video game, you’ll hear Femi Kuti’s voice as the host of the IF 99 radio station.
4. Aramide
Born on June 22 1985, Aramide is a talented Nigerian female musician and vocalist. For emphasis, her song Iwo Nikan won the Headies award for Best Vocal Performance in 2015. She’s talented with the guitar and saxophone as her music centers on Afro Soul and Jazz.
Although she’s been singing since 2006, Aramide officially began her music career in 2011. Before then, she was 3rd Runner up in the music talent competition, Star Quest. Aramide was signed to Trybe Records but she left the label for Baseline Music in 2014. Her debut single for the new label was Iwo Nikan that scored her a Headies award.
Relatively, that was also a breakthrough single for the talented singer. By 2016, she put out her debut studio album Suitcase. The album featured vocals from other top Nigerian singers like Ice Prince, Sound Sultan, and Adekunle Gold. Following its release, Aramide went on tours across countries in Africa and North America.
Aramide landed her second Headies award in 2018 with the remix of the song Funmi Lowo featuring Sound Sultan and Koker. The singer also has AFRIMA and NEA awards to her name.
5. Ayra Starr
Ayra Starr is the latest celebrity on this list of top Nigerian musicians born in June. Born on 14 June 2002, the singer made it to limelight at just 19 after signing a record deal with Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records in 2020. The singer does more of R&B, Afropop, and Soul.
As it’s been a recent tradition with Mavins Signees, Ayra Starr released a self-titled EP upon her deal announcement. The EP contained the hit song Away which wasted no time in climbing Nigerian music charts. Notably, the song made number 4 in the TurnTable Top 50 Chart.
Aside from her singing talent, Ayra Starr is a beautiful model. Prior to the start of her musical career, she was signed to Quove Models and she featured to top companies including Esperanza Woman, Complete Fashion Magazine, and Mazelle Studio.
She’s also featured once as a video vixen in the song Dear Future Wife by Eri Ife.
Bottom Line
Are you a June celebrant? If yes, you now know popular Nigerian musicians who were born in June. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF THEM.