Darey
| Darey a.k.a. Dare Art Alade | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dare Art Alade |
| Origin | Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Genres | R&B, jazz, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Livespot Entertainment |
| Associated acts | 2face Idibia, 9ice, Naeto C, GT da Guitarman |
| Website | www.darey.com |
Dare Art Alade – popularly known as Darey – is a Nigerian multi-platinum selling and award-winning musician, singer-songwriter, and Idol series judge. He is the son of the renowned Nigerian entertainer, Art Alade.
Dare (pronounced Da-Ray) Art Alade was born in Lagos to legendary Nigerian Jazz pioneer Art Alade and Olapeju Alade. Dare, as a child, used to rummage through his father's extensive jazz collection and tag along with him to his concerts. These early experiences gave him his first taste of 'showbiz'.
Dare honed his skills at an early age, singing with several choirs, including the National Troupe of Nigeria Choir and then the Cathedral Choir. From the age 15, he began performing extensively in clubs around Lagos, Ibadan and other cities in Nigeria. It was during one of those late night sessions he met an executive at Cool FM, a major Radio station, who appreciated his voice, and his ability to interact with his audience. The determined teenager began shuttling between Cool FM and the University of Lagos where he was studying for a degree in Music, and sang with the a cappella group The Chordwebs. During his time at Cool FM, he had the opportunity to acquire the basic knowledge of radio production and marketing.
Darey has over almost the past decade been a disc jockey, TV presenter, entertainment consultant, voice over artist and performing/recording artist. He has also hosted a lot of notable events and awards.
Darey's big break finally came during the 2004 edition of Project Fame Academy, a well renowned Reality TV show and continent-wide talent hunt and emerged third in the contest.
After an unfruitful record deal with Sony BMG Africa, his debut album 'From Me 2 U' hit the Nigerian market two years later on Storm Records. The album was laced with several hit singles, including 'Fuji' and 'Escalade' which enjoyed massive airplay in the Nigerian and international media. The top selling album also included the song, 'Original Naija' which was used as the theme song for the first ever edition of Big Brother Nigeria. Darey's album, 'From Me 2 U' won several awards including the Awards for Musical excellence in Nigeria (A.M.E.N) and the 2006 Channel O Music Video Awards for best R&B Video in Africa.
In 2008, Darey spent several months as the host of a music based reality show 'Project Fame West Africa' from where he first hit continental fame in the South Africa edition in 2004.
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Wikipedia