Joeboy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joeboy
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus
Born	(1997-05-21) 21 May 1997 (age 28) Lagos State, Nigeria
Genres	Afrobeats contemporary R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2017–present
Labels	Young Legend WMA
Associated acts	Mr Eazi King Promise Mayorkun

Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus (born on May 21, 1997), known as Joeboy, is a popular Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is currently signed to Warner Music Africa and also runs his own record label, Young Legend. Joeboy was first discovered in 2017 by Nigerian artist Mr Eazi through a special program called emPawa Africa. His music style mixes Afro-pop and R&B, making him a favorite among many fans.

Joeboy's Musical Journey

Joeboy started his music career in 2017. He gained attention by singing a cover of Ed Sheeran's song "Shape of You". This cover helped him switch from rapping to singing, which a friend encouraged him to do.

Discovery and Early Success

His cover song caught the eye of famous Nigerian artist Mr Eazi. Mr Eazi found Joeboy on Instagram and invited him to join the emPawa Africa program. This program helps new African artists by giving them tools and support to grow their careers.

In October 2018, Joeboy released a song called "Fààjí" with Mr Eazi. He used some money from the emPawa100 grant to make a music video for it.

Hit Songs and First Album

In early 2019, Joeboy recorded his big hit song "Baby". He wrote and recorded the song very quickly, in just 45 minutes. When Mr Eazi heard it, he shared it online, making people excited for its release on March 1, 2019.

To promote "Baby", Joeboy used a simple visualizer video, which helped the song become very popular. He said that emPawa Africa taught him how to market his music well and stay independent. "Baby" was streamed over 20 million times on YouTube and Spotify in 2019. The visualizer video for "Baby" has been watched more than 31 million times on YouTube.

Later in 2019, Joeboy released another song called "Beginning". Its visualizer music video also became very popular, getting 23 million views on YouTube. In this video, he sings about liking a friend he had not thought about that way before.

After these hits, he released his first collection of songs, an extended play (EP), called Love & Light in November 2019. This EP included "Baby" and "Beginning," along with other songs like "Don't Call Me" (featuring Mayorkun) and "All for You".

Awards and Recent Music

Joeboy has won several awards for his music. In 2019, he won Best Artiste in African Pop at the All Africa Music Awards. In 2020, he won Best Pop at the Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. He was also nominated for many other awards.

In April 2020, Joeboy released the song "Call." This song was described as a "catchy love song." The music video for "Call" had a cool, futuristic look.

In January 2021, Joeboy announced his first full album, Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic. It came out in February 2021 and was quite successful.

On May 19, 2023, he released his second album, Body & Soul. This album included popular songs like "Sip (Alcohol)," "Contour," "Body & Soul," and "Duffel Bag."

In November 2023, he released the song "Only God Save Me." He also released an EP called "Body Soul and Spirit" with "Only God Save Me" as a lead song.

On February 2, 2024, Joeboy started his own record label, "Young Legend." Soon after, on February 16, 2024, he released a very popular song called "Osadebe," which became well-known across Nigeria.

Joeboy's Music Albums

Joeboy has released several albums and EPs. Here are some of his main works:

Albums

Extended Plays (EPs)

Awards and Nominations

Joeboy has been recognized for his talent with several awards and nominations: