Dennis Nana Dwamena (born 18 August 1993), known by his stage name KiDi (which translates to "rhythm"), is a

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

singer-songwriter. He is known for his contributions to the genres of

afrobeats Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a st ...

and high-life.

Music career

Early beginnings and breakthrough

While studying

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and Information Studies at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

, KiDi's love for music led him to perform on Moonlight Café – a music production that supports upcoming artists and gives them a platform to display their talents on University Campuses in Ghana. He also recorded covers of popular songs. In 2015, KiDi took a leap of faith by joining the MTN Hitmaker competition. He went on to win the competition and was later signed to

Lynx Entertainment Lynx Entertainment is a Ghanaian people, Ghanaian record label founded in 2006 by the producer and singer-songwriter Richie Mensah. The label successfully launched the solo careers of the Ghanaian musicians Richie Mensah, Richie, ASEM, Irene Log ...

. KiDi shot to prominence in 2017 when he released "Say You Love Me" a song he not only composed but also arranged and produced. KiDi established himself as one of the fastest-rising stars in Ghana when he released yet another chart-topper titled "Odo" in July 2017, the remix with

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

artist

Davido David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), known professionally as Davido, is a Nigerian American, Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer. Davido was born in Atlanta, U.S, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He made his mus ...

and

Mayorkun Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel (born 23 March 1994), known professionally as Mayorkun, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, pianist and dancer. He released a cover of Davido's "The Money" single and was discovered by the singer on Twitter. Mayorkun was si ...

in December 2017, and Adiepena in April 2018.

Artistry

KiDi has mounted several stages including 2017 Rapperholic Concert, Ghana Music Honors 2017 Edition,

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...

to Remember 2017, S Concert 2017, the 61st Ghana Independence Celebration Show in March 2018 at the Indigo 02 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He has performed on the same stage as many award-winning

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n artists including Sarkodie,

Samini Emmanuel Andrews Sammini (born 22 December 1982, in Accra, Ghana), known by his stage name Samini (formerly as Batman Samini), is a Ghanaian reggae and dancehall recording artist from Wa, Ghana. His genre of music is a melodious mixture of hig ...

Shatta Wale Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., (born 17 October 1984) known by his stage name Shatta Wale, formerly Bandana. is a Ghanaian reggae-dancehall artist. Shatta Wale started with stage name "Bandana'' after senior high school and released the hit trac ...

MzVee Vera Hamenoo-Kpeda (born 23rd June 1992), better known by her stage name MzVee, is a Ghanaian singer, afropop, dancehall and Rhythm and blues, R&B artiste. Her debut solo album features several hit singles including 'Borkor Borkor (meaning – S ...

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 ...

Tiwa Savage Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage (), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, p ...

Efya Jane Fara Fauzzier Afia Boafowaa Yahaya Awindor (born April 10, 1987), better known as Efya, is a Ghanaian people, Ghanaian singer, songwriter, and actress from Kumasi. She is the daughter of Nana Adwoa Awindor, a filmmaker and celebrity host of ...

, and

Patoranking Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (born 27 May 1990), better known by his stage name Patoranking, is a Nigerian Afrobeats and reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Ebute Metta community of Lagos, he grew up sharing one room with his ...

.KiDi has also produced several tracks for other artists and co-produced with award-winning Ghanaian producer, Richie Mensah. He has also written for

acts including the award-winning

and

Adina Adina may refer to: Places India * Adina Deer Park, a deer sanctuary in Malda district, West Bengal * Adina Kottige, a village in Karnataka * Adina Mosque, a ruined mosque in West Bengal Other countries * Adina, Ghana, a town in the ...

and has collaborated with artists such as

Tic tac Tic Tac (stylized in lowercase) is a brand of small, hard mint manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero. They were first produced in 1969 and are now available in a variety of flavors in over 100 countries. Tic Tacs are typically sold in s ...

, Ko-Jo Cue, Magnom and

Kwesi Arthur Emmanuel Kwesi Danso Arthur (born 18 December 1994), known professionally as Kwesi Arthur, is a Ghanaian rapper, singer and songwriter from Tema. He rose to fame in 2017 with the hit single "Grind Day", which received widespread acclaim, a co-s ...

. KiDi received 6 nominations at the 2018

Vodafone Ghana Music Awards The Ghana Music Awards, also known since 2024 by the naming rights, sponsored name Telecel Ghana, Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs), formerly Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), is an annual music awards event in Ghana established in 1999 by a ...

including ‘Best New Artiste’, ‘Afro-pop Song of the Year’ and ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ and went on to win the award for ‘High-life Song of the Year’ at the awards in

April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the ...

2018. He was crowned as the Artiste of the 5th Edition of the 3Music award and TGMA 2022. KiDi currently has 2 studio albums and 2 EP. His debut album, Sugar was released on May 31, 2019. He also released a movie the same year with the album name (

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

) in Accra, Kumasi, and the UK. Kidi released the Blue EP in 2020 as a build-up to the release of his second studio album, The Golden Boy. The Blue EP featured tracks such as "End in Tears", "Say Cheese" and One Man which featured

. In 2021, Kidi released his second studio album, The Golden Boy which won the "Album of the Year Award" at the 2021 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. It included hits like "Mon Bebe", "Cyclone" and Touch It, which broke the record for the most streamed Ghanaian song on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Personal life

Education

He attended St. Anthony's School in Accra for his primary education, where he excelled academically. He then continued his secondary education at Accra Academy. After completing high school, Dennis was accepted into the University of Ghana, Legon, to pursue a degree in Economics and Information Studies. In 2016, the talented singer graduated. KiDi has a son called Zane.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Lynx Entertainment
{{DEFAULTSORT:KiDi 1993 births Living people Alumni of the Accra Academy University of Ghana alumni Male singer-songwriters 21st-century Ghanaian male singers Ghanaian singer-songwriters Musicians from Accra