Darey
Encyclopedia
Dare Art Alade - popularly known as Darey - is a Nigeria
n multi-platinum selling and award-winning musician
and singer-songwriter
. He is the son of the renowned Nigerian entertainer, Art Alade.
Darey, though very successful in Nigeria, has his eyes on the international market and has plans to re-release his music in conjunction with a major international record label.
collection and tag along with him to his concerts. These early experiences gave him his first taste of ‘showbiz’.
Dare honed his skills at an early age, singing with several choirs, including the National Troupe of Nigeria Choir and then the Cathedral Choir. From the age 15, he began performing extensively in clubs around Lagos
, Ibadan
and other cities in Nigeria
. It was during one of those late night sessions he met an executive at Cool FM, a major Radio station, who appreciated his voice, and his ability to interact with his audience. The determined teenager began shuttling between Cool FM and the University of Lagos
where he was studying for a degree in Music, and sang with the acapella group The Chordwebs. During his time at Cool FM, he had the opportunity to acquire the basic knowledge of radio production and marketing.
for best R&B Video in Africa.
’s producer), 2face Idibia
, Naeto C
, 9ice
, Tee-Y Mix and the up and coming R&B crooner, Pheel, to mention a few. The critically acclaimed work features the smash hit ballad “Not The Girl,” which has been nominated for several awards and won video of the year at the 2009 Nigerian Entertainment Awards held in Washington DC.
unDAREYted caught the attention of the African American Music business legend Dick Griffey, who is credited with discovering and influencing the music careers of artists such as Shalamar
, The Whispers, Babyface, L.A. Reid and Dr Dre. Dick Griffey offered to executive-produce Darey’s third album which was to break Darey further into the U.S and international markets but unfortunately he died before the project could be completed.
Tour in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which had 50 Cent and Ciara as headliners. On request of the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, he was invited to perform at the presidential villa in an exclusive dinner to commemorate the Country’s 50th independence Anniversary. At the event, which was broadcast live to over 200 million viewers across the world, he performed a medley of 50 songs with his 15-piece band, “Soul band” to a room filled with several African Presidents and past world leaders.
Darey is said to have recorded his third studio album "Double Dare", which will be released internationally with focus on the UK sometime in 2011. The lead singles from this album are The Way You Are and Don't Let Me Know, which were both released on October 20, 2010. He will also be releasing another international album self titled "Darey", which will have production and collaborations from various international producers and artists.
Apart from his accomplishments as a recording artist, music producer, TV/Radio personality and Master of ceremonies, Darey is also an accomplished businessman and philanthropist with backbone support from Soul Muzik Productions, his event and TV production company, Soul band and a state of the art production facility, Soul Muzik Studios, where he does all his production and recording.
Nominated
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n multi-platinum selling and award-winning musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. He is the son of the renowned Nigerian entertainer, Art Alade.
Darey, though very successful in Nigeria, has his eyes on the international market and has plans to re-release his music in conjunction with a major international record label.
Early life
Dare Art Alade was born to legendary Nigerian Jazz pioneer Art Alade and Olapeju Alade. Dare, as a child, used to rummage through his father’s extensive JazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
collection and tag along with him to his concerts. These early experiences gave him his first taste of ‘showbiz’.
Dare honed his skills at an early age, singing with several choirs, including the National Troupe of Nigeria Choir and then the Cathedral Choir. From the age 15, he began performing extensively in clubs around Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
and other cities in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. It was during one of those late night sessions he met an executive at Cool FM, a major Radio station, who appreciated his voice, and his ability to interact with his audience. The determined teenager began shuttling between Cool FM and the University of Lagos
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos - popularly known as Unilag - is a federal government university with a main campus located at Akoka, Yaba and a college of medicine located at Idi-Araba, all in Lagos, Lagos State, southern Nigeria...
where he was studying for a degree in Music, and sang with the acapella group The Chordwebs. During his time at Cool FM, he had the opportunity to acquire the basic knowledge of radio production and marketing.
Career
Darey has over almost the past decade been a disc jockey, TV presenter, entertainment consultant, voice over artist and performing/recording artist. He has also hosted a lot of notable events and awards.2004–2006: Project Fame
Darey's big break finally came during the 2004 edition of Project Fame Academy, a well renowned Reality TV show and continent-wide talent hunt, where he had the opportunity to perform in front of over 100 million people, and emerged third in the contest.2006-2007: From Me 2 U
After an unfruitful record deal with Sony BMG Africa, his debut album ‘From Me 2 U’ hit the Nigerian market two years later on Storm Records. The album was laced with several hit singles, including ‘Fuji’ and ‘Escalade’ which enjoyed massive airplay in the Nigerian and international media. The top selling album also included the song, ‘Original Naija’ which was used as the theme song for the first ever edition of Big Brother Nigeria. Darey’s album, ‘From Me 2 U’ won several awards including the Awards for Musical excellence in Nigeria (A.M.E.N) and the 2006 Channel O Music Video AwardsChannel O Music Video Awards
Channel O Music Video Awards, also known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video Awards. Since 2005 the awards have been held annually...
for best R&B Video in Africa.
2008: MTN Project Fame West Africa
In 2008, Darey spent several months as the host of a music based reality show ‘MTN Project Fame West Africa’ from where he first hit continental fame in the South Africa edition in 2004.2009: unDAREYted
Two years after the release of his successful debut album, Darey released his highly anticipated follow up entitled ‘unDAREYted’, on the new start up label, Soul Muzik. The album sold over 150,000 copies across Nigeria in just two months. The album features appearances by Darey’s contemporaries and friends: Cobhams Asuquo (AsaAsa
-People:* Aṣa , Paris-born Nigerian singer-songwriter* Asa of Judah , son of Abijam, King of Judah* Asa Dotzler , Mozilla contributor and blogger*Asa Kasher , Israeli philosopher and linguist-Places:...
’s producer), 2face Idibia
2face Idibia
Innocent Ugah Idibia , best known by his stage name 2Face Idibia, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter, actor and record producer. He was a member of the defunct R&B/hip hop group Plantashun Boyz. 2Face is currently one of the most popular artistes on the African music scene.- Early life :2Face Idibia...
, Naeto C
Naeto C
Naetochukwu Chikwe , stage name Naeto C, is a Nigerian rapper, Afrobeat artist and record producer. He was born in Houston, Texas and is of Nigerian origin.-Early life:...
, 9ice
9ice
9ice was born on Thursday, January 17, 1980. He is a very popular Nigerian Musician with a classic style of music. 9ice is a south-westerner from Ogbomoso in Oyo State but he grew up in the district of Bariga in Lagos....
, Tee-Y Mix and the up and coming R&B crooner, Pheel, to mention a few. The critically acclaimed work features the smash hit ballad “Not The Girl,” which has been nominated for several awards and won video of the year at the 2009 Nigerian Entertainment Awards held in Washington DC.
unDAREYted caught the attention of the African American Music business legend Dick Griffey, who is credited with discovering and influencing the music careers of artists such as Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
, The Whispers, Babyface, L.A. Reid and Dr Dre. Dick Griffey offered to executive-produce Darey’s third album which was to break Darey further into the U.S and international markets but unfortunately he died before the project could be completed.
2010-present: Double Dare & Darey
In 2010, Darey performed at high profile shows in many cities across the World including Nairobi, Johannesburg, Abuja, Lagos and other major African cities, including a special concert with R&B legend R Kelly in South Africa and the This Day Peace ConcertTour in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which had 50 Cent and Ciara as headliners. On request of the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, he was invited to perform at the presidential villa in an exclusive dinner to commemorate the Country’s 50th independence Anniversary. At the event, which was broadcast live to over 200 million viewers across the world, he performed a medley of 50 songs with his 15-piece band, “Soul band” to a room filled with several African Presidents and past world leaders.
Darey is said to have recorded his third studio album "Double Dare", which will be released internationally with focus on the UK sometime in 2011. The lead singles from this album are The Way You Are and Don't Let Me Know, which were both released on October 20, 2010. He will also be releasing another international album self titled "Darey", which will have production and collaborations from various international producers and artists.
Charity and business
As a philanthropist and humanitarian, Darey supports several causes close to his heart including Cancer charities, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and several foundations in Africa. He also set up the Art Foundation, whose main goal is to keep music education alive for kids in primary and secondary schools in Africa.Apart from his accomplishments as a recording artist, music producer, TV/Radio personality and Master of ceremonies, Darey is also an accomplished businessman and philanthropist with backbone support from Soul Muzik Productions, his event and TV production company, Soul band and a state of the art production facility, Soul Muzik Studios, where he does all his production and recording.
Singles
- Escalade (2006)
- Fuji (2006)
- With This Woman (2008)
- Carry Dey Go (featuring 2Face Idibia) (2008)
- Not The Girl (2008)
- More (2009)
- No Stars (2009)
- Let You Know (2009)
- Style Na Style Remix ft. 9ice9ice9ice was born on Thursday, January 17, 1980. He is a very popular Nigerian Musician with a classic style of music. 9ice is a south-westerner from Ogbomoso in Oyo State but he grew up in the district of Bariga in Lagos....
, Password & Jesse Jagz (2009) - Stroke Me (2009)
- The Way You Are (2010)
- Don't Let Me Know (2010)
Awards
Won- Best Male Video "Not The Girl" (2009 Channel O Music Video AwardsChannel O Music Video AwardsChannel O Music Video Awards, also known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video Awards. Since 2005 the awards have been held annually...
) - Best R&B Video "Not The Girl" (2009 Channel O Music Video AwardsChannel O Music Video AwardsChannel O Music Video Awards, also known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video Awards. Since 2005 the awards have been held annually...
) - Best R&B "Not The Girl" (2009 Nigerian Music Video Awards)
- Best Use Of Costume "More" (2009 Nigerian Music Video Awards)
- Video Of The Year "More" (2009 Nigerian Music Video Awards)
- Best Music Video Of The Year "Not The Girl" (2009 Nigeria Entertainment Awards)
- Best R&B Video "Escalade" (2006 Channel O Music Video AwardsChannel O Music Video AwardsChannel O Music Video Awards, also known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video Awards. Since 2005 the awards have been held annually...
) - Best Picture / Musical Video "Escalade" (Awards for Musical excellence in Nigeria (A.M.E.N))
Nominated
- Best R&B (2009 MTV Music Video Awards)
- Best R&B Song "Escalade" (2007 Awards for Musical excellence in Nigeria (A.M.E.N))
- Best R&B Album "From Me 2 U" (Awards for Musical excellence in Nigeria (A.M.E.N))
- Best Single Recording "Not The Girl" (2009 Hip Hop World Awards)
- Best Vocal Performance - Male "Not The Girl" (2009 Hip Hop World Awards)