Olubankole Wellington (born 27 March 1981), popularly known by his stage name Banky W and credited in film as Banky Wellington, is a Nigerian-American singer, rapper, actor, entrepreneur and politician.

Early life

Olubankole Wellington was born in the United States on 27 March 1981 to Nigerian parents. His family returned to Nigeria when he was five years old. He began singing at a young age in his church choir. His ethnicity is Yoruba.

Education

Wellington schooled in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

for his primary education. He attended Home Science Association Secondary School for his secondary education and returned to further his tertiary education at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

, New York, US on a scholarship. He started the record label Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E) in 2002 while studying. He also worked at

GlobalSpec GlobalSpec is a technology services company which provides a search engine of engineering and industrial products, indexing over 180 million parts divided into 2,300,000 product families, from over 24,000 manufacturer and distributor catalogs. ...

. In 2009, he left the US for Nigeria and established his record label in Lagos by signing artists like Niyola, Shaydee,

Skales Raoul John Njeng-Njeng (born 1 April 1991), better known as Skales (an acronym for "Seek Knowledge Acquire Large Entrepreneurial Skills"), is a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2000, he started writing rap songs in Kaduna. Between 2 ...

, and

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), better known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobea ...

to the label. He released a début studio album, ''Back in the Building'', in 2005. His début single was

Ebute Metta Ebute Metta is a neighbourhood of Lagos Mainland, Lagos, in Lagos State, Nigeria. History Ebute Metta is known for the production and sale of local food and cloths. It is a very old part of Lagos State, many of its houses were built during th ...

He wrote the first theme song of Etisalat Nigeria titled "0809ja for life".

Career

Shuga

Banky W made a significant contribution to the first season of MTV Shuga by providing the show's theme song, "Shuga" featuring Wizkid,L-Tido and Boneye. .His music not only captured the energy and essence of the series but also played a key role in defining the soundtrack of African youth culture at the time. This collaboration set the tone for the impactful storytelling that Shuga became known for, combining entertainment with important messages about relationships and health. MTV Shuga Mashariki makes its return to East Africa in 2025 with a host of new stories that are sure to excite the young audience.

2012–2013: ''R&BW''

The day after Valentine's Day of 2013, Wellington launched his new album ''R&BW'' with a concert tagged the "Grand Love Concert" at the Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island,

, which featured several other artistes including Iyanya and Waje. The first two singles from the album are "Lowkey" and " Yes/No".

2017: Dissolution of E.M.E

Wellington announced in February 2018 that E.M.E was being dissolved as a record label; he said the label would move forward as a talent management company focused on creative marketing, advertising, PR, and brand events. Wellington named DJ Xclusive, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Tolu 'Toolz' Oniru, and his wife

Adesua Etomi Tolulope Adesua Etomi-Wellington (born 22 February 1988) commonly known as Adesua Etomi is a Nigerians, Nigerian actress and entrepreneur. She debuted her film career with ''Knocking on Heaven's Door (2014 film), Knocking On Heaven's Door'' ( ...

as the first set of clients of the rebranded company.

Other collaborations

In 2017, Wellington took part in initialing of a monumental collaboration art piece, '' Iyasile Naa'' also known as The Legacy.

Political career

On 11 November 2018, Wellington announced his intent to run for the Lagos' Eti-Osa Federal Constituency seat in Nigeria's

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, on the platform of Modern Democratic Party, formed in 2017. On 23 February 2019, Wellington lost the

Eti-Osa Eti-Osa is a Local Government Area of Lagos State in Nigeria. Lagos State Government administers the council area as Ikoyi-Obalende LCDA, Eti-Osa East, and Iru Victoria Island LCDA. Within Eti-Osa are several important areas of Lagos State, inc ...

Federal Constituency Elections to Babajide Obanikoro of the

All Progressive Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, th ...

(APC). Ahead of the 2023 general election, Wellington announced that he had decamped from the Modern Democratic Party to the Peoples Democratic Party, seeking the party's ticket to again vie for the Lagos' Eti-Osa Federal Constituency seat in Nigeria's

. In June 2022, Banky W won the Peoples Democratic Party ticket to contest as the party bearer for the Eti Osa constituency ahead of the 2023 election. BakyW and Adesuwa Etomi at AMVCA 2020 2

However, the Presidential and Federal House of Representative election held on 25 February 2023 was won by the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Attah Thaddeus which saw Banky W losing again, the Federal Constituency seat in Nigeria. The INEC Returning Officer announced the result but the party agents did not agree with it. The Party agents contested the result but the police and the army were called to maintain peace and order. In an interview after the result of the result of the election was announced, Banky W accepted the result of the INEC and declared: "I feel very grateful, even in defeat, because of the things we were able to accomplish."

Personal life

Wellington married

traditionally on 19 November 2017; the couple subsequently had their

white wedding A white wedding is a traditional formal wear, formal or semi-formal wear, semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain. The term originates from the white colour of the wedding dress, popularised by Victorian era elites after Queen Victoria ...

performed in South Africa on 25 November 2017. He had a successful skin cancer surgery on his shoulder in 2017. In early 2021, Wellington and Adesua had a son, Hazaiah Wellington. They kept the pregnancy a secret, catching many off guard on news of the baby's arrival. In 2024, the couple announced the arrival of their second child on Instagram.

Discography

Studio albums *''Back in the Building'' (2006) *''Mr. Capable'' (2008) *''The W Experience'' (2009) *'' R&BW'' (2013) *'' Songs About U'' (2017) *''The Bank Statements'' (2021) EPs *''Undeniable'' (2003) Compilation albums * '' Empire Mates State of Mind'' (2012)

Filmography

* '' The Wedding Party'' (2016) as Dozie Onwuka * '' The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai'' (2017) as Dozie Onwuka * '' Up North ''(2018) as Bassey Otuekong * '' Sugar Rush ''(2019) as Anikulapo

Selected awards and nominations

* John Lennon Song Writing Award 2006, R&B Category, for 'My Regret' * Best R&B Artiste, Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2006 * Best Male R&B Artiste, Urban Independent Music Awards, USA, 2006 * Best International Album, Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2007 for 'Mr. Capable' * Best R&B Video, Nigerian Music Video Awards 2008 for 'Don't Break My Heart' * Best Male Vocal Performance, Hip Hop World Awards 2009 for 'Don't Break My Heart' * R&B Single of the Year, 2010 Hip Hop World Awards for 'Strong Ting' * Best R&B Singer (Male) and Best Music Video 2010 City People Entertainment Awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banky, W. 1981 births Living people 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century Nigerian male actors 21st-century Nigerian male singers American emigrants to Nigeria American people of Yoruba descent Nigerian actor-politicians Nigerian entertainment industry businesspeople Nigerian hip-hop singers Nigerian male film actors Nigerian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Nigerian singer-songwriters Nigerian male rappers 21st-century male rappers Nigerian music industry executives Nigerian contemporary R&B singers Yoruba male actors Yoruba politicians English-language singers from Nigeria Yoruba-language singers of Nigeria Singers from Lagos Singers from New York (state) Politicians from Lagos Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni The Headies winners