BIGSONG:
Thanks to some extensive support from his producer brother, Reekado Banks became a commercially successful pop singer and songwriter in his native Nigeria in 2014, the year he made his commercial debut and won a Heady award as a part of the Mavins, the all-star group offshoot of Don Jazzy’s Mavin label. Banks’ debut solo album, Spotlight, followed two years later and also won a Heady, affirming the artist’s high rank in the Afropop realm.
Born Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon, Reekado Banks was raised in a religious and musical household. The Lagos native started recording in his early teens with support from his brother, who offered knowledge regarding singing, writing, and producing and also worked with him on early recordings. Banks’ brother submitted some material to an online talent competition that resulted in a deal with Mavin. Banks debuted in 2014, releasing a handful of singles and appearing on tracks such as the Mavins’ “Dorobucci,” a group effort that also featured Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, and other label affiliates. That year, “Dorobucci” was nominated for a handful of awards at the Headies — an annual ceremony that celebrates the Nigerian music industry — and won in the category of Best Pop Single. Additional singles highlighted by “Katapot” arrived through 2015, the year Banks won Headies for Next Rated and Video of the Year, and led to the 2016 album Spotlight, which won that year’s Heady for Best Album. Subsequent singles, including the Duncan Mighty collaboration “Bio Bio,” arrived across 2017 and 2018.
