Adewale Ayuba
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "redirect hatnote". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Adewale Ayuba Template:ErrorTemplate:Category handler(born 25 March 1965), professionally known as Mr. Johnson, is a Nigerian Fuji singer.[1]
Early life and education
Ayuba was born on 25 March 1965 in Ikenne, Ogun State, Nigeria. At eight years old, he began singing at local music competitions and fiestas.[2]
After completing his education at Remo Secondary School in Sagamu, Ayuba started pursuing music professionally. He enrolled at Queensborough Community College, New York, and went on to attain a diploma in Financial Accounting before earning a Doctor of Arts in Music from Bradley University.[3]
Career
In 1983, Ayuba released his first album, Ibere (Beginning) in the genre of Fuji music.[4] In 1990, he signed with Sony Music Nigeria. The next year, he released the album Bubble.[5] Bubble was one of the first Fuji songs to gain widespread popularity, topping music charts for six consecutive months and winning multiple Nigerian Music Awards (NMA).[6] These included: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Fuji Album of the Year.[7]
In 1993, he signed with Premier Music (Nigeria) and began his first West African tour.[3] He also undertook a U.S. tour in several states, which included an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. He was also awarded the "Key to the City" of Providence, Rhode Island.[8] His Los Angeles debut received praise from Los Angeles Weekly, which described his music as having a “compelling, enchanting, and powerful sound”.[9]
On returning to Nigeria in 1993, Ayuba released Bubble D through Premier Music, which also earned success at the Fame Music Awards and charted for several months. In 1995, he recorded in the U.S. He notably performed at the 1996 SummerStage Concerts in New York, at the Africa Mondo Concerts (1996–1997), at the New Orleans Jazz Festival (1997), at the International Festival in Houston (1997) and during BET's 1997 Jazz USA Concert.[3] Ayuba later signed with the U.S.-based Q-disc Record Company, after which he released Fuji Time in 1996, followed by Fuji Dub on London's Agogo Music label in 1997.[3]
In 1998, he released Acceleration (Corporate Music), followed by Turn Me On in 2000, earning Best Fuji Album of the Year at the Awards for Musical Excellence in Nigeria and Best Song of the Year at the Nigerian Song Festival 2000. The same year he toured England, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium.[3]
Ayuba was named the "Distinguished Son of Ikenne-Remo" in 2001. He headlined a concert titled “The Return of Ayuba” in Lagos which was attended by state governors and dignitaries. He toured Austria (Graz and Vienna) the same year. In 2002, he toured Europe again (England, France, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands) and released Formula, which won Best Fuji Album of the Year. He was also named Best Artist of the Millennium by the Music Advertisers Association of Nigeria.[3]
In 2003, Ayuba embarked on a tour of Europe and recorded the collaborative album Fuji Satisfaction with German Afro-centric group BANTU, winning Best Group in West Africa and Best Group in Africa at the Kora Music Awards in Durban, South Africa.[3] He also received the Millennium Voice of Nigerian Music award in Düsseldorf, Germany from the Pan-Yoruba group Omo Oduduwa Association in recognition of his valuable contributions to the growth of the music industry.
In 2004, he released Ijo Fuji, earning Entertainer of the Year, awarded by the Nigerian American Community Association, and Best Fuji Album of the Year at the Awards for Musical Excellence in July 2005. He also received the Ogo-Irawo award from the Ikenne Development Association in Chicago.[3] His album Mellow (2007) won Best Fuji Vocal Performance at the AMEN Awards and topped Nigeria's contemporary African charts.
Ayuba is a member of the Nigerian Red Cross and was dubbed "Prince Of Peace" in 2012.[3]
Personal life
Ayuba is married to Azukaego Kwentoh and has seven children. He and Kwentoh met at Queens Borough Community College, where Ayuba studied, and got married in 1989.[3]
Artistry
Ayuba is the primary songwriter for and collaborates closely with his fifteen-member ensemble, Ayuba and the Bonsue Fuji Band, in which he serves as the lead vocalist. His style blends traditional Yoruba talking drums with elements of American percussion.[3] Ayuba aims to take Fuji music to audiences worldwide.[3] On 25 March 2025, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, joined other well-wishers around the world to celebrate Adewale Ayuba on his 60th birthday.[10]
Other ventures
In 2013, Ayuba enlisted his long-time stylist and fashion designer, to launch Bonsue Wears. Ayuba has long demonstrated a preference for traditional Yoruba attire, especially the shokoto and bubba ensemble. These outfits have come to define his on-stage look. The Bonsue Wears collection features a two-piece design, consisting of a shirt-like top with wide, open sleeves and matching pants that gather at the knees. The line merges traditional Yoruba fashion with contemporary urban influences.[11]
Filmography
Ayuba acted as a journalist in the movie Mystery of Unity, produced by Ebun Oloyede.[3]
Discography
Since signing his first recording deal in the 1980s, he has released approximately 15 albums in Nigeria and four internationally.[12]
| Ibere (Beginning) | 1986 |
| Igida (Tribute to Obafemi Awolowo) | 1987 |
| Bonsue Knockout Ife Love | 1988 |
| Olorun ni gbe niga | 1989 |
| Bonsue Gold | 1990 |
| Bubble | 1991 |
| Mr Johnson Play For Me | 1992 |
| Buggle D (Dance) | 1994 |
| Move Up | 1995 |
| Fuji Music | 1995 |
| Fuji Time | 1996 |
| Fuji Dub | 1997 |
| Back Head Bound (BHB) | 1998 |
| Acceleration | 1999 |
| Turn Me On | 2001 |
| Formula | 2003 |
| Gun Shot | 2003 |
| Ijo Fuji | 2004 |
| Fuji Satisfaction | 2005 |
| Mellow | 2009 |
| Ariya | 2011 |
| Bubble | 2012 |
| Play For Me | 2012 |
| Sugar | 2013 |
| Ijo Fuji A | 2013 |
| Happy People Remix | 2015 |
| Bonsue Fuji from Africa | 2016 |
| Koloba Koloba | 2023 |
| Fujify Your Soul | 2023 |
| Jekarira | 2023 |
| Uncommon | 2023 |
| Jafo Authority | 2024 |
| Awede Orisa | 2024 |
Honors and awards
Ayuba won two Kora Awards in 2005.[12]
| From | Award/Honor | Date |
|---|---|---|
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| Kora Awards | ||
| Afro America Music Awards Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Providence, Rhode Island Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | Key to the City | |
| Fuji Music Lifetime Awards Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Nigerian Music Awards[13] | Artist of the Year | 1993 (?) |
| Nigerian Community Association, USA Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| AMEN Awards Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| CEPAN Awards Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| The Headies[14] | Performer | 2016 |
| New Koko Dome Honor Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| CBS Platinum sales Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Floating World Honor Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Golden Sony AwardsScript error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
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| Learning and Culture Awards Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
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| WorldWide Superstar AwardsScript error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Gathering Of Africa's Best Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Osab Awards For ExcellenceScript error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| City People Entertainment Awards Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Yoruba Music Films Awards Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| The Ambassadors Club Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | ||
| Podium International Script error: No such module "Unsubst". |
References
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External links
- Pages with script errors
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- Nigerian singer-songwriters
- Living people
- 1966 births
- University of Lagos alumni
- Musicians from Ogun State
- 20th-century Nigerian male singers
- Yoruba musicians
- Yoruba-language singers
- Moshood Abiola Polytechnic alumni
- Nigerian expatriates in the United States
- 21st-century Nigerian male singers