Azanti (born: Nathan Ayomikun Otekalu-Aje), is a Canadian-based Nigerian singer, songwriter, and music producer, signed to Apex Village, and

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. He came into the music scene with a collaborative eponymous extended play titled ''YP and Azanti, Vol. 1'' with PsychoYP, released by the music collective Apex Village. The project lead tracks include "Focused", and "Caro".

Early life

Nathan Ayomikun Otekalu-Aje hails from

Ondo State Ondo () is a States of Nigeria, state in Points of the compass, southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State (Nigeria), Western State. Ondo borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast fo ...

, Nigeria. Most of childhood, he spent immersed in music, honing his craft as a singer, songwriter, and producer. He grew up in a musically inclined environment, which influenced his early exposure to different genres. His passion for music led him to experiment with various sounds, blending Afropop, R&B, soul, and Afrobeats. From a young age, Azanti was dedicated to developing his skills, often writing songs and creating beats, which eventually set the foundation for his career. His collaborative work, such as his EP with PsychoYP, reflects the depth of his early experiences in exploring music production and collaboration.

Career

On 16 October 2021, DJ Roesh presented Azanti new single "Time Difference" on

BBC Music Introducing BBC Music Introducing is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. The backbone of that network consists of 32 BBC local radio shows on stations across England and the Channel Islands, various ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. In 2022, Tunji Balogun signed Azanti to

. Shortly after signing with

, he made his first US debut with "Gettin' Hot" off his studio album ''Heart Parts & Nostalgia'', with guest appearances from Odeal, and The Cavemen. In 2023, PsychoYP made his signing to Apex Village official. The music video for "Gettin' Hot", was shot in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

, and directed by Cindy Ihua. Azanti told MoreBranches author Nasir Ahmed Achile, "I wasn't trying to connect with Apex. I just wanted to send an email to YP to get proper feedback on my music. Which led to us making music together". On 20 July 2023, he released a deluxe version of ''Heart Parts & Nostalgia'' with guest appearance including PsychoYP,

Adekunle Gold Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko (born 28 January 1987), known professionally as Adekunle Gold and AG Baby, is a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter currently signed to Def Jam Recordings. He gained widespread attention after releasing the 2015 hit ...

, and Rowlene. On 31 July 2023,

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

magazine listed "late4dinner (Remix)" featuring

as one of the Afrobeats Fresh Picks of July, off ''Heart Parts & Nostalgia '' deluxe album. In 2022,

Sarz Osabuohien Osaretin (born 17 March 1989), better known by his stage name Sarz, is a Nigerian record producer, mixing engineer and musician. Born in Benin City, Edo State, he is popularly known for the tag "Sarz on the beat" or "Really", at the b ...

announced Azanti as the winner of the #FreeSarz Freestyle Challenge. Azanti has earned writing credit for

Mr Eazi Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade (born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is the pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife a ...

, and vocal credit on Joeboy's "Police" record.

Artistry

On 18 November 2022, Office Magazine called his music a blend of R&B and Afrobeats rhythms with a touch of trap soul. In 2023, Azanti told Guardian Life Magazine multimedia journalist Chinonso Ihekire, when asked about his music influence. He said: "Musically, Drake. Drake is a very good story teller; I look up to him. It is Chris Brown when it comes to melodies. I'm also into a lot of rap artistes. Like a lot of storytellers, Jcole, Kanye West. Now, I'm listening to more rap. I have been listening to melodies all my life; from Tope Alabi to Wizkid, to Wande Coal. So, all my life I have been listening to melodies. But in the past year or two, I have been more into rap, old rap. Kanye, Drake, Jcole, people that tell intricate stories, I just find it very interesting. And I try to figure out how I can put that and make my own".

Discography

Albums

EPs

References

{{reflist Living people 21st-century Nigerian male singers English-language singers from Nigeria Nigerian singers Nigerian contemporary R&B singers 2003 births