Classy, suave and velvet-voiced, EME front man Olubankole Wellington aka Banky W is every inch the poster boy for Nigerian R&B music.
From the moment he burst into public consciousness in 2008 with the release of ‘Ebute Metta’, a remix of Rihanna’s then hugely popular ‘Umbrella’ which was received with a lot of criticism, Banky W has fought to prove his mettle as a singer/song-writer and today as boss of EME records, he stands as one of the most influential Nigerian artistes…and eligible bachelors(that’s right ladies, he’s currently unattached and has no baby mamas running around).
Asides being an accomplished singer, songwriter and label boss, there are also many other sides to the ‘Yes/No’ crooner and today we present to you 10 of such sides.
1. Qualified Engineer: That’s right folks, he’s Engineer Wellington!
A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, United States (on scholarship for that matter), Banky W practised as a qualified Engineer for a bit in the United States before the call of nature (not that kind) became too strong to ignore and he traded his hard hat for a microphone.
2. Loves to write: a self-confessed lover of writing, Banky W is an accomplished writer often penning the lyrics to his songs.
He also has a blog ‘The Bank Statements’ where he puts down his thoughts on varied issues. Also not forgetting the highly articulate article he wrote in response to Reuben Abati a few years ago..incase you missed that, Google is your friend.
3. American citizen: He may be the King of the Lagos party but Banky W was actually born in the United States and moved back to Nigeria with his family when he was 5 years.
He spent the rest of the time in Nigeria and only returned to the States for his university education.
4. Loves to cook:
A master chef in the making (ok maybe not quite), Banky W makes no bones about the fact that he loves to cook and constantly uploads photos of his latest cooking experiment on his social media pages.
5. Dedicated Arsenal Fan: a die hard Arsenal fan, Banky W has been known to take to whining on Twitter when his beloved club side loses.
6. Sense of humour: asides the suave looks and velvet-voice, Banky W has a light side and is known for his playful and witty nature.
Ever the life of the party, his blog posts also tend to portray his funny, witty side.
7. Established career in the United States: before his return to Nigeria, Mr Wellington had established a name for himself in the local New York music scene, winning the Albany Idol Contest in 2003 as an undergraduate.
He also went on to win several other awards with the release of his debut album ‘Back in the Building’ including the John Lennon Song writing Awards in the R&B category and the 2003 R&B Soul Artiste at the Urban Independent Music Awards in addition to signing a lucrative US publishing deal and touring North America and Europe.
8. Activist/Philanthropist:
Banky W has been actively involved in several Nigerian campaigns/empowering projects including the ‘Occupy Nigeria‘ rally in which he played a major role in mobilising youths.
He was also very vocal during the 2011 and 2015 general elections. He is also the brains behind the “I am Capable” scholarship fund which aids university undergraduates who are in need of financial assistance and who meet the grade requirement.
9. Business Acumen: as a young and starry-eyed 21-year old, Banky W teamed up with his friends to establish Empire Mate$ Entertainment (EME) which gained a lot of prominence in their mid-Hudson Valley, New York base.
Their highly successful grass root marketing campaign with the sale of his first EP ‘Undeniable’ was featured on Fox 23 News New York which led to a distribution deal with TransWorld (Coconut’s, Warehouse Music, Spec’s Music). Back home in Nigeria, he also been featured in several successful Corporate Marketing Campaigns including Etisalat’s 0809ja’s launch, Coca-Cola’s World Cup Theme Song,Microsoft’s Anti-Cyber Crime Initiative and most recently Samsung and Ciroc.
10. Family Man: Banky is unashamedly fond of his family and never hesitates to send a loving shout-out their way when the occasion calls for it.
He also makes no bones about the fact that he’s looking forward to raising a family of his own someday so ladies, take a hint!
Happy Birthday Banky!
See some major throwbacks below….
