Oxlade: ‘Away’ crooner whose ‘other room’ exploits became public knowledge

The mention of the name Oxlade helps people to get far “Away”. Despite being over two years old now, his hit banger still resonates with Nigerians and continues to get consistent airtime on TV/radio and patronage in the clubs. However, it is that patronage and adulation from fans that have made him a general topic of discussion for quite a delicate matter outside of music.

So, who is Oxlade, whose prowess in “the other room” was spilt out and embarrassingly led to the unwanted view of him and the shocking exultation of him by university students?

Oxlade biography

Oxlade (real name: Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman) was born on April 22, 1997, in Lagos State. He was raised by his father and grandmother following the demise of his mother at a young age. The singer’s formative years were spent in Surulere, one of the vibrant communities on Lagos mainland. 

He had his primary and secondary school education in Lagos. After he graduated from secondary school in 2013, he was admitted to the Lagos State University (LASU) where his father was a lecturer. He spent two years in the program before leaving to concentrate on his burgeoning music career.

Career

Oxlade was a natural at music because he had recognized his talent as a young child. He was well-known for singing and banging on tables in his classrooms during his time in primary and high school. At school events, he was the life of the party and his presence was always felt because of his musical talent.

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With the aid of his uncle, a sound engineer, he recorded his first demo when he was eleven years old. Wande Coal, who Oxlade considers to be his musical hero, had inspired him to start writing songs. He started down the route of pursuing music professionally after the release of his debut demo, honing his sound and enhancing his vocals along the way.

Being a featured artist on Blaqbonez’s hit tune Mamiwota gave Oxlade his big break in the music industry. Bizzle Osikoya, an A&R and The Plug Entertainment’s co-founder, took notice of him. He subsequently signed a management deal and a publishing, licensing, and distribution agreement with The Plug, as well as a record deal with Troniq Music. Oxlade got his first taste of stardom when he performed at Davido‘s “City of David” concert in December 2018 and Wizkid‘s “Star Boy Fest” in 2019.

Oxlade came to the limelight in 2020 when he released his single, Away. The song became a “national anthem” as it dominated the airwaves and clubs’ stereos. He released the song’s visual interpretation (video) that same year. A video surfaced online, showing Drake listening to the song in November 2020, and within a day, over three million fresh song streams had been generated. Away appeared at number 23 on the Nigerian TurnTable Top 50 year-end chart of 2020.

The release of his another single, Questionnaire, once again demonstrated to the industry what Oxlade could do. The commercial success of Questionnaire, however, did not come close to his breakthrough hit.

He has since released several songs which have enjoyed a massive play on radio and television and gathered numerous streams online. He has also toured and performed at various shows across the world.

Style of Music

According to Efe Ukpebor of Nigeria Entertainment Today, Oxlade’s voice is smooth and seamlessly combines several musical styles. He characterises his music as bridging the gap between the mainstream and the Alte (Afro-fusion/experimental music expressions).

His songs generally touch on modern issues like love and are written in a combination of English and Pidgin English.

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Oxlade songs

His songs include:

• O2.
• Ojuju.
• Want You.
• Away.
• Pay Me.
• More.
• Wait For You.
• Frenemies.
• Hold on.
• DKT.
• Shugar.
• Weakness.
• Mine Alone.
• Table Turn.
• My Bella.
• Interest.
• Sisi Caro.
• Dutty Love.
• Ku Lo Sa.

Controversy

On February 8, 2022, a sex tape which featured Oxlade was allegedly stolen from Snapchat and got leaked. The tape went viral on Twitter. The woman in the video publicly announced her decision to sue Oxlade for N20 million on February 10, 2022. Oxlade issued an apology to his followers as well as the woman in the video on February 12, 2022, via Twitter.

Oxlade net worth

Oxlade’s net worth is estimated to be between N10-N15 million.

Family

Because he dislikes disclosing personal information to the public, Oxlade, who is well-known for his love songs, has kept his relationship status a secret.

He is allegedly dating a female celebrity from the entertainment world, though.

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