BANKY W??? DAMN IT! HE ROCKS!

Nigerian music star Banky Wellington, otherwise referred to as Banky W, has made an excellent start to his fledgling career. Given that only few of the country’s acts get to be appreciated for what they do, it is fair to assume that Wellington, is among the current crop of extraordinary Nigerian musicians. A successful musician and entrepreneur, Wellington made a grand entry into the Nigerian music scene almost a decade ago, when he released the EP Undeniable in 2003. The reception he had at the time was huge, and got his career off to a beautiful start. He achieved enormous success with Undeniable in the United States of America, where he had been learning the ropes of Engineering at Rensselar Polytechnic Institute. Like wildfire, Wellington also saw his audience and fan base appeal grow in his native Nigeria

Born in the US to Nigerian parents, Wellington moved back to Nigeria when he was five years old, and adapted quickly to an environment that would later become his permanent base. Months after he had made an entry onto the local music scene, he started performing on nationwide tours and gigs (concerts) that would later push up his ratings. He became one of Nigeria’s best male vocalists. His unmistakable smooth, silky voice won him a lot of fans, some of whom had been monitoring him from afar.

A decade down the line, Wellington continues to be that “R&B crooner”, most Nigerians have grown to like and appreciate. Today, he’s matured from being that artiste who used to sell records on the streets of New York to a big time music mogul. He is owner of Empire Mates Entertainment (EME), a fully-fledged entertainment company specializing in music and live events. EME is home to sensational Nigerian act Wizkid, as well as Skales, Niyola and DJ Exclusive. The success story of EME is evident in what Wizkid as an artiste for instance, has been able to achieve over the past two years.

Wellington, winner of the 2003 R&B/Soul Artist of the Year at the Urban Independent Music Awards, released his first album Back in the Building, in 2005. Other albums have included Mr. Capable and The W Experience. Back in the Building had the chart-topping hit “My Regret', and became a huge catalyst for his career growth. A year after its release, he won the US Songwriting Award, and also scooped the R&B/Soul Artist of the Year at the 2006 edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Award. More awards, local and international, have since flowed in.

A successful entrepreneur with a well-grounded, unique business sense, Wellington has also featured in series of projects for some of Nigeria’s Blue Chip and multinational companies including Etisalat and Coca Cola. A passionate philanthropist and social activist, Wellington this year, joined forces with other well-meaning Nigerians to protest against what was an increase in prices of petroleum, in a special worldwide march christened “Occupy Nigeria”. The inroads “Occupy Nigeria” made, earned him and his colleagues a fair deal of respect. He’s also been involved in projects like I am Capable, a scholarship scheme for young Nigerians; as well as the LightupNigeria Project, whose main morale, is to fight and push for a Nigeria free from indiscriminate power cuts. “We’re just working very hard and trying to exceed the expectations that the fans have of us,” he told Hiphopmagazine in a recent interview. “We’ve been very blessed and very fortunate to have established this success so far, and we hope to grow, to be bigger and better, and to be the best in the business at what we do. May God help us and may the fans keep supporting us, we’re eternally grateful”.

This past month December

, Wellington headlined what is being tagged as “The Concert of the Year”, a music concert that saw him share the same stage with fellow EME colleagues Wizkid, Skales, Niyola, Shaydee and other Nigerian acts. The concert “featured themed performances, big band sets, and all the electricity you’d expect to find in a truly international concert of this kind… it is ‘the kind of gift no money can buy,” EME said.

Follow Banky W on Twitter: @BankyW

Source is MSN Africa