Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk (born 31 October 1986), known by his mononym Iyanya, is a Nigerian recording artist, singer, songwriter, and performer best known for winning the 2008 MTN Project Fame West Africa as well as for his song "Kukere".He is the co-owner of Made Men Music Group, a record label home to artists such as Emma Nyra, Tekno, Selebobo and Baci. Iyanya sings in English and Efik.[4] He released his debut studio album, My Story, in 2011. It was supported by the singles "No Time" and "Love Truly". Desire, his second studio album, contained the singles "Kukere", "Ur Waist", "Flavour", "Sexy Mama", and "Jombolo". He won the Artist of the Year award at the 2013 The Headies.
Biography
Iyanya was born on Palm Street in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. His mother was a head mistress and his father was a forester. Iyanya has described his mother as the household disciplinarian, while his father was the gentler of the two. His parents died in 2008, his mother, 42 years-old, and his father, 50 years-old. Iyanya's elder brother died around the same time of his parents' death Iyanya's grandfather was a clergyman. Iyanya used to sing in his church's choir and was the choir master for the children's choir at age 5.Iyanya completed his primary, secondary, and university education in Calabar. He is a Business Management graduate from the University of Calabar.
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Music career
After graduating from the University of Calabar, he worked in a hotel and sang karaoke at a local bar he managed. Iyanya began developing his vocal abilities at local bars which include: Fiesta Fries Bar, Mirage Nite Club, and West-Life. Iyanya cited British singer Craig David and American hip hop artist R Kelly as his key musical influences. Iyanya was motivated to pursue music professionally after watching the celebrity lifestyle of 2 Face Idibia and Olu Maintain. Iyanya started as a rapper, going by the name "Lofty".
MTN Project Fame
In 2008, KCee from KCee Presh group convinced Iyanya to partake in MTN's first ever Project Fame singing competition. Iyanya emerged the winner of the competition after battling numerous people who had the same aspirations as him. The 2008 MTN Project Fame Competition was the beginning of Iyanya's musical career. Unlike many people who dwindle after a major competition, Iyanya's success had just begun.
2009: My Story
Main article: My Story (Iyanya album)
After winning MTN's Project Fame, Iyanya began recording his debut album My Story. The album showed Iyanya's versatility as an R&B artist, particularly on the self-titled track "Iyanya" and "Love Truly". Iyanya's debut album was a commercial failure due to problems with distribution and promotion.
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2012/2013: Desire
Main article: Desire (Iyanya album)
After visiting his hometown of Calabar and seeing people's affection for the Etighi dance, Iyanya decided to do a song that would popularise the dance that originated in Calabar. He teamed up with producer DTunes and recorded "Kukere", a single that achieved global success, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, and the United Kingdom. The song was followed with his second single entitled "Ur Waist".
Endorsement
On 16 October 2013, 360nobs reported that Iyanya became the new ambassador for Solo Phones Nigeria, a mobile phone company situated at Computer Village, Ikeja. The one year deal is allegedly worth $220,000 (35 million niara). In addition, Iyanya got a 2014 Toyota Prado from the deal.
In 2013, Daily Independent reported that Iyanya also signed a one year deal with Zinox Computers (Nigeria's first certified branded computers), worth $300,000. The deal will feature Iyanya on Zinox billboards and in TV commcercials.
Musical style
Iyanya started performing ballads, particularly on his debut album My Story. In an interview with Toolz on Ndani TV, he said that he wants to be a versatile artist and wants to be known for his R&B and Afrobeat abilities. In the same interview, he also said that he switched from R&B to Afrobeat because he wanted to make money, and wanted fans to see his versatility.
International appearances
On 25 November 2012, Iyanya performed at comedian AY Makun show held at the INDIGO2 arena.To promote his second album in the UK, Iyanya headlined the Iyanya vs. Desire concert. The concert started in London and ended in Manchester. The London concert was held at the INDIGO2 arena on 9 June 2013. The concert featured performances by Tonto Dikeh and Iyanya's label mate Emma Nyra. On 14 June 2013, the Manchester concert commenced and featured performances by Emma Nyra and an up-and-coming act called DRB Lasgidi. Iyanya and his label mate Emma Nyra went on a mini tour across the U.S and Canada in early 2013. Iyanya performed at the Shrine in Chicago on 11 April 2013. He also performed at the African Muzik Magazine launch on 12 April 2013 held in Dallas, Texa. Iyanya serenaded Grammy Award nomineeMelanie Fiona at the LTB Jean store in Soho, New York and performed at the world renowned New York Fashion Week.
Films and television
| Television | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
| 2013 | Shuga Series 3 | Himself | Cameo appearance | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | City People Entertainment Awards | Musician of the Year (Male) | Himself | Nominated | |
| African Muzik Magazine Awards | Best Male West Africa | Nominated | |||
| Best Dance in a Video | "Le Kwa Ukwu" | Won | |||
| World Music Awards | World's Best Song | "Away" | Nominated | ||
| "Le Kwa Ukwu" | Nominated | ||||
| World's Best Video | Nominated | ||||
| World's Best Male Artist | Himself | Nominated | |||
| World's Best Live Act | Nominated | ||||
| World's Best Entertainer of The Year | Nominated | ||||
| 2013 | The Headies | Artist of the Year | Won | ||
| Best R&B/Pop Album | Desire | Nominated | |||
| Album of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Pop Single | "Ur Waist" | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) | Best High Life Video | "Jombolo" (Iyanya featuring Flavour N'abania) | Nominated | ||
| Best Use of Choreography | N/A | ||||
| Best Use of Visual Effects | "Sexy Mama" (Iyanya featuring Wizkid) | Nominated | |||
| Soul Train Music Awards | Best International Performance | "Ur Waist" (Iyanya featuring Emma Nyra) | Nominated | ||
| Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Male Video | "Flavour" | Nominated | ||
| Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Pop/R&B Artiste of the Year | Himself | Nominated | ||
| Hottest Single of the Year | "Kukere" | Won | |||
| Ghana Music Awards | African Artiste of the Year | Himself | Nominated | ||
| City People Entertainment Awards | Musician of the Year (Male) | Nominated | |||
| Most Popular Song of the Year | "Kukere" | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) | Best Contemporary Afro (Live Beats choice) | Nominated | ||
| The Headies | Best Pop Single | Won | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated |
Discography
 | |
| Releases | |
|---|---|
| ↙Studio albums | 2 |
| ↙Singles | 22 |
| ↙Music videos | 14 |
| ↙Promotional singles | 5 |
The discography of Iyanya consists of two studio albums, twenty two singles (including ten as featured artist), five promotional singles, and fourteen music videos.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGR | RSA | GHA | UK | |||||||||||
| My Story |
| – | – | – | — | |||||||||
| Desire |
| – | – | – | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGR | RSA | GHA | UK | ||||
| The Evolution |
| – | – | – | — | ||
Singles
- As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGR | RSA | GHA | UK | ||||
| "Love Truly" | 2009 | – | – | – | – | My Story | |
| "No Time" (featuring Faze) | – | – | – | – | |||
| "Iyanya (My Story)" | 2010 | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Kukere" | 2011 | – | – | – | – | Desire | |
| "Ur Waist" (featuring Emma Nyra) | 2012 | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Kukere Remix" (featuring D'banj) | – | – | – | – | |||
| "Flavour" | – | – | – | – | |||
| "Sexy Mama" (featuring Wizkid) | 2013 | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Jombolo" (featuring Flavour N'abania) | – | – | – | – | |||
| "Head Swell"[ | – | – | – | – | TBA | ||
| "She Can Get It | – | – | – | – | |||
| "Le Kwa Ukwu" | – | – | – | – | |||
- As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGR | RSA | GHA | UK | ||||
| "Get Wild" (N6 featuring Iyanya) | 2012 | – | – | – | – | BiznessB4Pleasure | |
| "Omoge" (Slim Joe featuring Iyanya) | – | – | – | — | TBA | ||
| "Everything I Do" (featuring Iyanya) | – | – | – | — | |||
| "Your Desire"[49] (Sammy Lee featuring Iyanya) | 2013 | – | – | – | — | ||
| "Koma Roll Remix" (Tillaman featuring Ice Prince, Iyanya, Burna Boy, Phyno and Trigga) | – | – | – | — | |||
| "Coupe Decale Remix" (Minjin featuring Iyanya) | – | – | – | — | |||
| "Emujo" (DJ Jimmy Jatt featuring Iyanya and 4×4) | – | – | – | — | |||
| "Fi Mi Le" (Lola Rae featuring Iyanya) | – | – | – | — | |||
| "Felele" (Ajemina featuring Iyanya) | – | – | – | — | |||
| "Feel Alright" (Wizzboy featuring Iyanya) | – | – | – | — | Testimoney | ||
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGR | RSA | GHA | UK | |||
| "I'm the One" | 2010 | – | – | – | — | Non-album single |
| "In Love Again" | – | – | – | — | ||
| "South Girl" (featuring Duncan Mighty) | 2011 | – | – | – | — | |
| "High" (featuring Dammy Krane) | 2013 | – | – | – | — | |
| "Take It Inside" (Olamide featuring Iyanya) | – | – | – | — | ||
Music videos
- As lead artist
| Title | Video release date | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Le Kwa Ukwu" | 12 November 2013 | Sesan | |
| "Head Swell" | 1 August 2013 | Mr. Moe Musa | |
| "Jombolo" (featuring Flavour N'abania) | 12 June 2013 | Sesan | |
| "Sexy Mama" (featuring Wizkid) | 26 April 2013 | ||
| "Flavour" | 24 December 2012 | Mr Moe Musa | |
| "Ur Waist" (featuring Emma Nyra) | 14 September 2012 | Clarence Peters | |
| "Kukere" | 24 March 2012 | Patrick Ellis | |
| "Iyanya (My Story)" | 7 March 2010 | ||
| "Love Truly" | 10 July 2009 |
- As featured artist
| Title | Video release date | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Felele" (featuring Iyanya) | 17 June 2013 | Don P Films | |
| "Coupe Decale Remix" (Minjin featuring Iyanya) | 12 June 2013 | Unlimited LA | |
| "Koma Roll Remix" (Tillaman featuring Ice Prince, Iyanya, Burna Boy, Phyno and Trigga) | 2 May 2013 | Patrick Elis | |
| "Everything I Do" (Emma Nyra featuring Iyanya) | 25 March 2013 | Mr Moe Musa | |
| "Get Wild" (N6 featuring Iyanya) | 3 March 2013 | Lanre Tyson |
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