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Asake

Ahmed Ololade (born 13 January 1995), known professionally as Asake, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is signed to YBNL Nation and Empire Distribution. His stage name "Asake" is his mother's name.

In September 2022, his debut album Mr. Money with the Vibe was released, breaking the record for the biggest opening day for an African album on Apple Music at the time. The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 chart and recorded the highest charting Nigerian debut album in the history of the chart. His sophomore album Work of Art was released in June 2023, becoming his second album to debut at number 66 on the Billboard 200.

In 2020, Asake won Break Out Artist of the Year at the 2022 All Africa Music Awards, and was nominated as the Best African Music Act at the 2022 MOBO Awards, which marked his first international award nomination. In addition to that, he received Best New International Act nomination at the 2023 BET Awards, the same year he was listed number 5 on the Rolling Stone Music’s Future 25.

Asake walked home with a brand new car after winning the highly coveted Next Rated category at the 2023 headies award on September 4, 2023.

In November 2023, Asake received his first nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Award for "Amapiano" featuring Olamide.

in January 2024, Asake was nominated for the 55th NAACP Awards for his song "Amapiano".

Career

2017–2022: Career beginnings

Asake studied Theatre and Dramatic Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. He began releasing music in 2017, and his career took off in 2022 with the single "Mr. Money", followed by a remix with Zlatan and Peruzzi. In February 2022, fellow Nigerian artist Olamide signed Asake to his YBNL Records imprint. That same month, he released his debut extended play, Ololade, which featured his breakthrough song "Omo Ope", featuring Olamide, and the single "Sungba". In July 2022, Asake signed a distribution deal with Empire.

2022–present: Mr. Money with the Vibe and Work of Art

Asake released his debut studio album, Mr. Money with the Vibe, on 8 September 2022. It was supported by the singles "Terminator", "Peace Be Unto You", and a remix of "Sungba" with Burna Boy. The album was well-received by fans in his home country of Nigeria, as well as across the world, and broke several records globally. The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200.

In September 2022, Asake announced the Mr. Money with the Vibe United Kingdom tour, selling out 3 dates at the O2 Academy Brixton in London. On the final date of the Brixton Academy shows, several people were critically injured during a crowd crush. Two people – 33-year-old Concertgoer Rebecca Ikumelo and 23-year-old security guard Gaby Hutchinson – later died of their injuries.

In December 2022, Asake was crowned "artiste of the year" by "Audiomack" after his debut studio album Mr. Money with the Vibes amassed over 330 million streams, and was subsequently announced alongside Kizz Daniel, Snazzy the Optimist and 1ucid as one of the most streamed and top trending artists in February 2023 by the platform, after releasing the single “Yoga” in January 2023 which ventured into sega music. This was followed by the track "2:30" in April, and "Amapiano" with Olamide in May.

His second studio album Work of Art was announced shortly after the release of "Amapiano". In April 2023, Asake appeared on Good Morning America to discuss his music. Asake released his second studio album, Work of Art, on 16 June 2023. The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 with 13,000 units sold during its debut week. The album also reached number 20 on the UK Albums Chart and number 59 on the Irish Albums Chart. The album was reported by Nigeria's TurnTable charts as the most streamed Nigerian album of 2023 so far.

Artistry

Asake often uses uptempo Afro and Amapiano-styled production. Some listeners have also described his style as similar to fuji because of his singing in Yoruba and use of slang in his songs. Asake is also noted for the use of backing vocals in his music.

Awards and nominations

Notable performances

In August 2023 Asake joined Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy as the only Nigerian artists to have sold out the O2 Arena in London, during which he made an epic entrance in a helicopter. In February 2024, he made an appearance and performed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert during the episode that aired on the first of the month.