Timi Dakolo; R&B singer. Born on 20 January 1981 to a Nigerian father and a Ghanaian mother, Dakolo was raised by his grandmother, who died while he was in Lagos for Idols West Africa. He started singing in church at the age of 12. In 2003, he joined the singing group, Purple Love as a founding member. The group dominated the Port Harcourt music scene, singing in clubs and at concerts. Purple Love was disbanded in 2005 because its members had enrolled for degree programmes at the University of Port Harcourt.
In 2007, Dakolo auditioned for Idols West Africa in Calabar. He made it to the final. Week after week, he thrilled the audience with his rasping vocals. His rendition of Lionel Richie’s Stuck On You and Michael Bolton’s How Am I Supposed To Live Without You wowed the audience. Eighteen months after winning Idols West Africa, Timi Dakolo released his first single, Let It Shine 1. This he did alone, after the expiration of his problematic contract with Sony BMG, a leading South Africa-based record label, the contract being one of the prices of the singing competition which he won, and which gave him a platform. In 2013, Majek Fashek, reggae singer said Timi Dakolo capitalised on his state of health and remade his evergreen hit song, Send Down the Rain, without taking permission from him 2. Timi Dakolo got married in 2012 to wife, Busola, whose allegation against Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo triggered a popular protest in 2019. In the following year the court dismissed the case by him and his wife against the pastor 3.
1. The News February 2, 2009
2. Punch July 2, 2016
3. Daily Trust November 14, 2019
