Daniel David John Adams-Ray (born 18 August 1983 in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

) is a Kenyan-Swedish singer and fashion designer.

Background

Daniel Adams-Ray was born in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

to an Indonesian mother and a father of Swedish/

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

heritage. His mother was a school administrator and his father a medical surgeon. In 1996 the family left Africa for Europe and lived for a year in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where he played football (soccer) with a very young

Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. He was known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long-range shots. Robben is regarded as one of the best players of his gen ...

. Later the family left to Sweden, where they lived in

Lidingö Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It ...

, an affluent suburb of Stockholm. His parents owned and operated a plastic-surgery clinic in the area. Daniel Adams-Ray says he felt very much like an outsider and says he was

bullied Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imbal ...

and called racist slurs. After switching high schools, he started at Viktor Rydberg Gymnasium Odenplan and met

Oskar Linnros Hans Oskar "Kihlen" Linnros (born August 15, 1983 in Sundbyberg, Sweden) is a Swedish musician. He was part of the alternative hip hop band Snook alongside Daniel Adams-Ray, before going solo and releasing his solo studio debut album '' Vilja ...

, his future partner in the band

Snook Snook, Snooks, or Snoek may refer to: Fishes * Family Centropomidae (snooks) ** Common snook * Family Esocidae (pikes) ** '' Haplochromis insidiae'' ** Northern pike * Family Gempylidae (snake mackerels) ** Blacksail snake mackerel or black sn ...

. He is fluent in English, French,

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, German and Swedish. He also speaks quite a bit of Italian and

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...

. He is related to Swedish journalist Kersti Adams-Ray.

Snook

The schoolmates and Oskar Linnros started an alternative hip hop duo group calling it

. The duo released two albums: ''Vi vet inte vart vi ska men vi ska komma dit'' in 2004 and ''Är'' in 2006 receiving both praise and heavy criticism. The band's unorthodox hip hop was met by comments that the band wasn't "keeping it real" and the fact that Adams-Ray spent his teenage years in Lidingö caused critics to label them "upper class rappers". Despite some critics, the band had many hits, received awards from radio station P3, The 2003 ''Swedish Hip-hop Awards'' 2003, and best Swedish band at the

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...

2006. Daniel Adams-Ray won the Swedish freestyle-rap championship in 2004 and was awarded the prize for best Swedish rapper in 2005.

Post-Snook

Adams-Ray and

drifted apart. Adams-Ray attended the design school Berghs School of Communication and started the fashion label Lagom. During a fashion show in 2009 he produced some music and this led to new songs (with him singing, not rapping). He says his music might be called

Kenyan ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

pop- disco-

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

. Influenced range from

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

- disco,

afro beat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...

, hip-hop and early 60's surf pop. Recently he has also collaborated with fellow swede Avicii in a new song ''Somewhere in Stockholm'', which belong to his album Stories. 3 years later, he collaborated with Avicii again on a song titled "Ghost". For this single, Adams-Ray is credited under the name HUMAN.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Featured singles

Other charted songs

Notes

References

External links

*http://www.lagom-sthlm.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams-Ray, Daniel Living people 1983 births 21st-century Swedish singers Swedish hip hop musicians Swedish pop singers Swedish songwriters Swedish-language singers English-language singers from Sweden Swedish people of Kenyan descent Swedish people of Scottish descent Swedish people of Indonesian descent Musicians from Stockholm Singers from Stockholm 21st-century Swedish male singers