Hear Rising Afropop Star Adekunle Gold’s New Single ‘AG Baby’
The upbeat track, featuring Trinidadian singer Nailah Blackman, previews Gold’s forthcoming album, ‘Afro Pop Vol. 1.’
Chart-topping Nigerian artist Adekunle Gold has just shared his latest single, “AG Baby,” featuring guest vocals from Trinidad’s Nailah Blackman. The irresistible track, which blends highlife grooves, Caribbean rhythms, and pop influences, comes ahead of Gold’s forthcoming third album, Afro Pop: Volume 1, available August 7 via EMI.
“AG Baby” marks the second single off Afro Pop: Volume 1, following the sensual “Something Different.”
Gold first rose to prominence in late 2014 with his hit single “Sade,” which sampled One Direction’s “Story Of My Life.” Two years later, he released his debut album, Gold. While the artist was already a household name across Africa, and a popular headliner in his native Lagos, Gold garnered him global recognition, debuting at No.7 on the Billboard World Album chart, and featuring such singles as “Orente” and “Pick Up.”
Gold received nominations for Album of the Year at New York’s Nigerian Entertainment Awards, as well as at The Headies, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. The album also gave the artist an opportunity to play to packed audiences in London, New York, Dublin, and beyond.
Gold followed with his sophomore LP, 2018’s About 30. The album garnered praise from a variety of outlets, including OkayAfrica, who wrote that it “sees the artist flexing immense versatility and range as he delivers emotional ballads, folk-inspired cuts sung in Yoruba, and a few highlife-tinged summer jams.”
At the end of last year, Gold collaborated with British producer TroiBoy on the seductive “Tranquilizer.” Billboard praised the song as “perfect for slow grinding on the dance floor. It’s subtle, with booming drum hits in all the right places, and [Gold] lets his words hang loose like he’s caught under a spell.”
In April, meanwhile, Gold joined the likes of Alessia Cara, The Vamps and Twin Atlantic for “Lockdown Live,” Virgin EMI’s star-studded, three-day live-streamed music festival, featuring remote performances from 32 artists.
Afro Pop: Volume 1 is available August 7 and can be preordered here.
