Adekunle Gold talks about his music, insecurities, ‘dirty habits’

Highlife singer and songwriter, Omoba Adekunle Kosoko popularly known with the stage name, Adekunle Gold, has shed lights on his struggle at the start of his career and rise to fame, and how negative comments from the public that affect creatives.

The singer, who gained widespread attention after releasing his 2015 hit single Sade, a highlife cover of One Direction’s Story of My Life, emphasized the need to exit the overthinking process by identifying what is within our control as humans and what is not.

According to him, he took some of the negative comments, identified the truth in them, and began working towards getting better. “If something is out of your control, there’s nothing you can do about it. But if it is within your control, then you have the power to change it,” he said in an Instagram Live session with the founder of Joy, Inc., Chude Jideonwo on Wednesday, April 15, on his new show #WithChude.

“At some point, I wasn’t comfortable with the way I was looking, and though I was feeling bad, I asked myself, ‘Can I do something about it?’ The answer was ‘Yes’. So, I began working out, and right now, I’m almost addicted to it. Also, it took me a long time to stop biting my nails, but I’ve eventually stopped.”

Adekunle’s interest in music developed while growing up, as he listened to songs by King Sunny Ade (KSA) and Ebenezer Obey. He became a member of his church’s junior choir during his teenage years and went on to write his first song at the age of 15.

In 2014, he went solo after disbanding from a music group he formed with a friend while in school. On December 19 the same year, he released Sade. The song rose to critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Alternative Song at The Headies 2015.

He released his first official single titled Orente through the Olamide led YBNL Nation after signing a music contract with the record label on March 5, 2015. The song earned him a nomination in the Most Promising Act of the Year category at the 2015 City People Entertainment Awards.

On July 18, 2016, the ‘King of Photoshop’ a moniker he received after posting an edited photoshop image of him hugging Tiwa Savage on social media platforms, revealed the cover and tracklist of his debut studio album titled Gold, a 16-track project that has musical production imprints from Pheelz, Masterkraft, B Banks, Sleekamo, Oscar and Seyikeyz.

It was released on July 25 2016, three days before the originally scheduled date of release. Upon its release, it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard World Album Chart for the week of August 13, the same year. Moreover, contemporary music critics critically reviewed it.

Following his departure from YBNL Nation due to the expiration of his contract, the Pick-Up singer unveiled his band ‘The 79th Element’ in reference to the atomic number of gold. On January 15, 2018, Unity Bank unveiled the Ire crooner as its brand ambassador.

The conversation saw both parties sharing major learning from their personal struggles and journey to well-being. #WithChude is a series of conversations and investigations that leverage the voice, networks, and passions of its host, Chude Jideonwo to underline social issues, raise social consciousness, and spark social movements at a crucial time as this while focusing on narratives that enable and strengthen the ‘mind, heart, and spirit.’