Adekunle Gold, ‘Ire’ Singer lists his most fulfilling career moments

With his sophomore album ‘About 30’ due to be released anytime soon, the urban highlife artist shares the most fulfilling moments of his career thus far.

Adekunle Gold, who recently rounded up the second leg of his European/ American tour to perform at the Gidifest 2018 in Lagos has been working on his new album and performing across several top stages round the world.

In an interview at his ‘About 30’’ Okay Africa hosted listening party in New York, USA, the singer announced dates for the next leg of his tours and was also quick to list the most fulfilling moments of his promising career thus far which has seen him rise to the upper stack of artists on the Nigerian music scene.

Here is a list of his most fulfilling moments thus far;

1. Selling out the 02 Academy, England

The 02 Academy situated in Brixton, South London, England is one of the leading music theatres and concert venues worldwide.

The venue which boasts of a maximum capacity of 4,921 (3,760 standing downstairs, 1,083 seated and 78 standing in the circle) is iconic not necessarily down to the capacity but because of the number of live albums that have been recorded at the venue.

Notable mentions include, ‘A New Decade’ by Soul II Soul, “Damien Marley, Live at the Brixton Academy in 2006’’ by Damien Marley, and ‘25 & Alive Boneshaker’’ by Motorheadamong others.

The venue has also hosted performances by the likes of Madonna, Leftfield and Bob Dylanand has been voted as the venue of the year twelve times since 1994 by the NME awards.

2. Selling out Botton Factory, Dublin

Formerly known as the Temple Bar Music Centre, the Botton Factory which is specifically designed for live music is one of the most renowned venues in Dublin.

Uniquely located, the venue which was recently extended to cater for around 1,000 people with a 950mm high stage is renowned for its state of the art sound and lighting. It has hosted acts like Alela Diane, David Kitt, Estelle and Wu-Tang Clan.

3. Selling out Federal Palace Hotel, Balmoral Convention Center, Lagos

 Previously, Olamide had added shutting down Eko Hotel to his claim as Nigeria’s number one rapper, hence it only makes meaning that this erstwhile label act derives joy in equaling such a feat even if it is at a much smaller venue.

The 2,500 capacity centre on the grounds of an hotel which is historically noted as the venue for the signing of Nigeria’s Declaration of independence hosted the homecoming leg of his ‘One Night Stand’ in December last year and witnessed him perform before a sold-out crowd.

4. ‘Gold’ album debuted at No 7 on The Billboard World Chart

His eponymously named debut album ‘Gold’ announced the arrival of a new star on the scene and in this age, where numbers are key, having your songs or album as an artiste popping on International charts goes a long way in promoting your brand and expanding your reach. So for Adekunle Gold, his debut album featuring on The Billboard World Chart was such a big deal.

The chart which features top-selling albums across the world ranked by data sales across various platforms and compiled by reputable firm Nielsen Music covers every genre of music worldwide.

The album which entered the chart in August 2016, barely two weeks after its release, was the highest debut ranking album on the chart for that week. Other Nigerian albums that have featured on the charts include Simi’s ‘Simisola’ album, ‘Ascension’ album by 2baba, Reminisce’s ‘Baba Hafusa’ and Kiss Daniel’s ‘New Era’ among others.

With his latest single ‘Ire’ enjoying massive airplay across the land, he has gained the right momentum for the release of his ‘About 30’ album which he promises will contain his experiences over the past 30 years of his life and songs about the ladies he has encountered, the good and the bad ones. The album will also feature his band, the 79th element and a number of other collaborations.