Adedamola Adefolahan, musically known as Fireboy DML, is a Nigerian singer that is currently signed to the YBNL Nation, a record label founded by one of Nigeria’s greatest artiste and rapper, Olamide. His first studio album, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps which was released in 2019, gave him a huge starting point to an interesting career.
His first single, Jealous was released in 2019 under YBNL’s record label and the song; was filled with amazing guitar riffs , and percussion; and gave him fans both locally and internationally.
A young artiste at only 25 years of age, Fireboy DML has blown to become a name that can’t be wiped off in the music industry. Within the first three months of this year, he has already collaborated with big artistes with great international profile such as Ed Sheeran and Madonna.
DML, is a short form of his name Damola and it is of no doubt that Fireboy is an artiste that has been setting Nigeria and Africa on high and has been putting himself and the industry into the limelight. He has a sound which he described as “AfroLife”.
He implies that, while the gene is Afrobeats, his version is distinct and one-of-a-kind. He believes he brings something unique to the table, which is why, as a personality, he refers to his style as ‘Afro Life.’
His style has been described as “slow-groove pop,” and he is said to use a formulaic structure to express stories about love and the tangled emotions that accompany it. His music successfully combines African harmonies with influences from country and soul music.
His first trip to the United States last year was a significant step forward in his career. Fireboy delivered a global sensation with Peru after flying in from Miami and jamming in San Francisco during an impromptu studio session, which later invited a remix from UK superstar, ED Sheeran.
Sheeran apparently heard the song and fell in love with it. He played it on repeat for weeks until he slid into DML’s DM and asked if they could collaborate; the result was a wonderful piece of art.
Madonna, the Queen of Pop, called a few weeks later. They collaborated on her popular song Frozen’s Sickick remix.
“When I initially met her, I anticipated being star struck, but she put me at ease right away. She got in touch with me because she has been a fan ever since the publication of my debut album in 2019. We had a brief conversation. Then I entered the studio, where we had a WhatsApp conversation to explore ideas before she finally gave the verse her OK. Speaking to Billboard, Fireboy stated, “It seemed incredibly natural; nothing was forced, and the energy was absolutely great.
Afro-pop singer Fireboy DML has maintained his ascent. With Ed Sheeran’s contribution to his most recent song, Peru, the musician has amassed over 250 million streams globally.
The FIFA 21 game’s soundtrack included his song Scatter, from his debut album Laughter, Tears, and Goosebumps, while FC Bayern Munich used his song Champion for their 2021 UEFA Super Cup festivities.
Recently, he became the first afrobeat artiste to perform at the BET Awards 2022 and also became the first African artiste to perform at the wembley.