Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Adekunle Gold, popularly known as ‘AG Baby’, has pulled back the curtain on his astonishing rise to global fame.
In a candid, revelatory interview with NandoLeaks, the Fuji hitmaker confessed his big break was ignited by an incredibly familiar humiliation: being sacked from his day job.
Recounting the ordeal, Adekunle Gold, a talented graphic designer, said he was operating well under the radar of the music industry as a creator, yes, but for album covers and brand logos, not chart music.
However, that all changed when his employer delivered the crushing news. This was not a mutual parting; it was a brutal severance.
According to him, “2014. I left my job. I was told to go. You know what, they fired me. That’s what happened,” the singer revealed with directness.
He explained the decision was born from a company restructure, a cold business move that had nothing to do with his ambition. “I feel like the company wasn’t growing the way they wanted it to be, so I just had to go.”
For many, this moment would have been a devastating blow. For Adekunle Gold, it was the pivotal kick he desperately needed. The universe essentially cleared his schedule. It gave him an ultimatum to either sink or swim.
He seized the opportunity, seeing the closure as a vital push. “And it just felt that was the push I needed,” he stressed.
The graphic designer, who had designed the logo for a major label like YBNL, decided his fate lay with sound, not visuals. He made a snap decision, a bold pivot that would change his life forever.“So I said before I go to find another job, let me try. Let me give this music thing a shot,” AG said. His initial goal was modest: a small four-song EP.
Adekunle Gold’s incredible ascent is built on one song: Sade. Adekunle Gold confirmed the track that launched a thousand ships was actually a cover of a massive British pop hit.
“The first song I wrote was ‘Sade’. And Sade was a cover of One Direction’s ‘Story of My Life’.” He took the boy band’s chart-topping acoustic ballad and reimagined it in the Yoruba language.
He wove in Afro-juju and folk influences, blending it with the soulful storytelling of Highlife. This creative genius paid off immediately.
He self-released the track in late 2014. It quickly went viral. This organic explosion of popularity led directly to a seismic career opportunity.
Legendary rapper Olamide, who heads the YBNL Nation label, had already crossed paths with the budding artist.
“Olamide obviously heard the song. I designed the logo for his label YBNL,” he explained. Impressed by the song’s soulful originality and sheer popularity, Olamide signed him in 2015. The rest they say…is history.
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