BELLA SHMURDA IS A CONSCIOUS AFROBEATS SINGER & SONGWRITER HAILING FROM LAGOS, NIGERIA. AS THE NEW VOICE OF THE STREET, THIS INDEPENDENT ARTIST IS THE LEADER OF DANGBANA REPUBLIK: A COLLECTIVE OF STRONG-WILLED, STRAIGHT FORWARD CREATIVES STUBBORN TO THE HUSTLE. HIS MUSIC IS DEDICATED TO SPEAKING THE TRUTH AGAINST ALL ODDS.
BORN AHMED ABIOLA AKINBIYI ON 27 JANUARY 1996, BELLA SHMURDA COMES FROM A POLYGAMOUS FAMILY IN IKORODU, LAGOS. AS THE LAST BORN OF 10 CHILDREN, HIS JOURNEY INTO THE PERFORMING ARTS STARTED IN PRIMARY SCHOOL. WHILST HERE, HE PARTICIPATED IN CULTURAL DANCE AND SANG IN THE SCHOOL BAND BEFORE BEING PROMOTED TO MUSIC PREFECT. HIS LOVE FOR MUSIC CONTINUED TO GROW AND IN 2011, HE PENNED HIS FIRST TRACK WHICH WAS A GOSPEL SONG! BELLA SHMURDA ATTENDED BOARDING SCHOOL IN BADAGRY BEFORE MOVING TO OKOKOMAIKO. THIS TRANSITION EXPOSED HIM TO LIFE ON THE STREET. THOUGH HE GREW UP ON FUJI, THE STRUGGLE INSPIRED HIS EARLY MUSIC. WHILST HIS MUM WORKED 12 HOUR SHIFTS, HE WOULD SECRETLY ATTEND STUDIO SESSIONS. AS A UNIVERSITY LECTURER HERSELF, SHE HEAVILY ENCOURAGED BELLA SHMURDA TO FOCUS ON HIS STUDIES.
BELLA SHMURDA’S CAREER TOOK FLIGHT ONCE HE GOT TO LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY; THIS YEAR HE GRADUATED WITH A SECOND CLASS DEGREE IN HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. THE FREEDOM OF THIS NEW ENVIRONMENT ALLOWED HIM TO FULLY EXPLORE HIS MUSICAL CREATIVIITY. LEANING ON HIS LOVE OF PHILSOPHY AND RELIGION, HE FORMED HIS CONSCIOUS AND RELATABLE SOUND. INSPIRED BY HIS ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE, BELLA SHMURDA PRIDES HIMSELF ON TAPPING INTO THE PAIN OF THE STREET AND EDUCATING THE WORLD ON THEIR HARDSHIPS.
BELLA SHMURDA SHOT TO FAME IN 2018 WITH HIS BREAKOUT SINGLE, “VISION 2020”. THIS SONG WENT VIRAL WHEN HIS CELEBRITY FRIEND, POCO LEE, CREATED A VIRAL VIDEO TO THIS TRACK. IT CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF AFROBEATS ICON, OLAMIDE., WHO INVITED HIM TO THE STUDIO TO CREATE A REMIX. THE SUPPORT FROM THE LEGEND, ENCOURAGED HIM TO RELEASE HIS FIRST EP, ‘HIGH TENSION’. THIS PASSION PROJECT ESTABLISHED BELLA SHMURDA AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST TWO YEARS, BELLA SHMURDA HAS GONE ON TO CREATE AND COLLABORATE ON OVER 70 SONGS, ACHIEVING OVER 450 MILLION STREAMS WORLDWIDE. WITH A MISSION TO IMPACT THE WORLD WITH CONSCIOUS CLUB MUSIC, THIS IS JUST THE START!
