Willy Paul
| Willy Paul | |
|---|---|
 Paul (right) with Bob Collymore at the 2013 Groove Awards | |
| Born |
Wilson Abubakar Radido 4 February 1993 Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya |
| Residence | Kasarani, Nairobi |
| Other names |
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| Occupation | Gospel Singer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Parent(s) |
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| Awards |
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| Website |
www |
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Musical career | |
| Genres |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Associated acts | Gloria Muliro |
Wilson Abubakar Radido is a Kenyan Award winning Contemporary Christian Music artist and song writer from Kasarani in Nairobi.[1] Willy Paul was named male artist of the year at the 2013 Groove Awards alongside his mentor Gloria Muliro who took the female artist of the year award.[2] Some of his well known singles are Sitolia, Kitanzi and You never Know which have earned him international fame, including a famous tour of the US where he performed in different churches in several States.[3] He first gained recognition after recording the song Sitolia with Gloria Muliro which, although, was an object of controversy after several claims by Willy that he was not earning much from the song because Gloria Muliro allegedly owned exclusive Copyrights to the song.[4] They nevertheless were able to iron out their differences and even went on to record another hit song, Kitanzi[5] In 2012, he was nominated for the Kisima Music Awards' Gospel Artist of the year, an award that was later won by Daddy Owen.[6] Willy Paul is a praise and worship member at Kasarani Church.
Early life
Wilson Abubakar Radido was born to Mr and Mrs. Paul Radido on February 1993 in Mathare slums.Mr Radido who is from Ugandan descent was a Carpenter while his wife, an Immigrant from Tanzania, was a salonist up until 2011 when a chronic illness confined her to her bed.Paul dropped out of school in 2011 due to financial constraints emanating from having lost his father. He was forced to engage in Juakali jobs to generate income to support his bed-ridden mother alongside his three siblings.[1] His brother is Bachelor's Degree Holder in Electronic Engineering from the University of Nairobi
Career
His major breakthrough in music came in 2010, when he co-authored his first single Sitolia with Gloria Muliro, which a reflection of his life history, depicting the struggles he had gone through but giving himself a renewed hope that God had been faithful enough to bring him to the limelight. His first album, You never know was launched on Thursday 5 December 2013 in a colourful ceremony at the KICC graced by musicians Daddy Owen, Ben Githae, Gloria Muliro, DK Kwenye Beat, Ben Bahati, Bahati, Men Of God (MOG), Size 8, Mr Seed, Shiru Wa GP, Betty Bayo, Danny Gift, DJ Sadic and DJ Mo [7]
The album had songs like, You never know,Lala Salama,Mpenzi and Kitanzi.Willy Paul announced that he would be touring the USA where he would perform in different Churches in 12 states. The tour organised by Talanta Awards was to begin on 8 March to April 2014. The tour however begun on 10 March in Sacramento, California.He performed alongside artiste Polly Odotte at the House of Glory Church.He then headed to Neema Gospel Church in Dallas, TX and on 15 March,performed at St Louisiana, Missouri.On 29–30 March, Willy ministered to the audience at Neema Community Church in Overland Park, Kansas.He concluded his tour on 27 April in Las Vegas, Nevada[3] The much talented Willy Paul Msafi recently found himself in controversy after his rival musician in the Gospel industry, Bahati, accused him of stealing his song. This saw Bahati's fans pounce on Willy Paul with harsh criticism over the social media, accusations he denied to have committed. However, this ended during the 10th annual Groove Awards Nominations which happened on Wednesday 22 April 2015 held at the Nairobi Arboretum grounds. They were asked to reconcile and were prayed for shortly in the event. Willy Paul ended up scooping four nominations for the awards with his huge song ["Tam Tam"] , a collaboration song with the energetic songstress Size 8 released in 2014 granting him; Collabo of the Year, Video of the Year, Song of the year and then Male Artist of the Year. Then came the 10th annual Groove Awards on Saturday 6 June 2015 that saw Willy Paul go home with no award contrary to Bahati who won four awards. Apart from this, Willy Paul has made great progress in terms of making music, i.e., Tam Tam, Mamangu, Vigelegele, Mapenzi and then his latest song Hukuniacha.
Philanthropy
Having grown up in Mathare slums, Willy Paul has set up his own foundation in Mathare to help the needy people in the area.Willy Paul has also been able to assist young children get access to basic education and healthcare[8]
References
- 1 2 "Willy Paul Biography". Daily Nation. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ↑ "Willy Paul Wins Groove Award". The Standard. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- 1 2 "Willy Paul To tour the USA". The Grooves. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ↑ "beef over sitolia". The standard. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ↑ "Gloria and Willy Release New Song". Mdundo. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ↑ "Kisima Awards winners". Kisima Music Awards. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ↑ "Willy Paul Album Launch". The Star.
- ↑ "People's Favorite Willy Paul Gives Back to Society". Nairobi wire. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
Discography
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Sitolia | 2012 |
| Mpenzi | 2012 |
| You Never Know | 2013 |
| Lala Salama | 2013 |
| Missi | 2013 |
| Kitanzi | 2014 |
| Tam Tam | 2014 |
| Mamangu | 2014 |
| Vigelegele | 2015 |
| Mapenzi | 2015 |
| Hukuniacha | 2015 |
| "Take it Slow" | 2016 |
"Fanya" 2016
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Willy Paul. |