A United States of American based Nigerian musician Emmanuel Shedu, popularly referred to as Yo’Dele, has started year 2023 with a bang, following the release of a new hot single, ‘Keke Ti Koko.’
Yo’Dele, a young singer with a fast-rising fanbase in Nigeria and the US where he is popular among millions of young population in love with his Afrobeat, incorporating elements of African music and jazz, soul, and funk, released the 3 minutes and one second track to give his fans an idea of what to expect from his wealth of talent in 2023.
Born in Lagos on 26 January, 1995, Yo’Dele studied Computer Engineering briefly at the Federal University of Technology (FUTA) Akure, Ondo State, but later opted for music, which he minored in after two semesters.
After relocating to the United States, he bagged a bachelors degree at Morgan State University, and Masters degree at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University.
Yo’Dele, whose latest fresh single is already raking in the numbers on all music streaming platforms, including Spotify, Itunes, Tidal, Deezer, AudioMack, is not new to many music lovers across the world, particularly in Nigeria and America. The 26-year-old launched his music career in 2019 with back-to-back hit singles: ‘Amazing’ and ‘Tonado.’
In 2020, the year COVID-19 hit the world, Yo’Dele made less the psychological impact of the debilitating disease among the global music audience who were forced to halt their lives because of the devastation the pandemic left in its wake. The Nigerian music act released hit tracks one after the other, like ‘Jumbolo’ and ‘Konji’. In 2021, he hit the studio again and produced ‘Like To Party.’
In a recent interview, he spoke about his trajectory as a singer, the influence his parents had on his choice of career, how popular he is in America and among the Nigerian community in the US.
“Growing up has been about working for the things you want, getting them and managing them. Sometimes, people have dreams and hopes for you and they must coincide with the hopes and dreams for yourself. When they don’t coincide, you can be on your own for most of the journey. Fortunately I have had loved ones/best friend when I need one in dark times,” he stated.
“Michael Jackson, James Brown, old school hits my parents played were very early influences of why I ever went into music.
“I have performed at a lot of venues; I can’t think of it all. Some of them are: Opening shows for Burna Boy, Caribbean Festivals in the US, I have performed at weddings and galas, at charity events. Most favorite was the gala for Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas because I had a lot of control on the input and output of the entertainment. My least favorite are usually performing at pay to play events. As an upcoming artist, you’ll see a lot of ‘gigs” like this; I dislike the lack of organization in such events”, added Emmanuel Shedu, aka Yo’Dele.
Yo’Dele’s new single, Keke Ti Koko’, is available on all listed streaming platforms.
