Tay Iwar | |
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Born | Austin Iornongu Iwar 9 June 1997 Marina, Lagos Island |
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Relatives |
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Musical career | |
Origin | Benue State, Nigeria |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, piano |
Years active | 2013–present |
Labels |
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Website | www |
Austin Iornongu Iwar Jnr[2] (born 9 June 1997), known professionally as Tay Iwar, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, composer, sound engineer and record producer known for his vibrant blend of R&B and Afro-fusion,[3][4] drawing upon classic Afrobeat, hip-hop, and future sounds. Tay Iwar’s career can often feel longer than it’s been. He was only in his teens when he released his first full-length projects, including 2016's Renascentia. He then rose to wider fame with 2019's Gemini,[5] released with LA-based music collective Soulection.
He came into the music scene with a critically acclaimed mixtape album Passport, which earned him a nomination at the 3rd and 4th editions of Nigerian Teens Choice Awards in the Choice Mixtape/EP category in 2014 and 2015. On 23 November 2021, Wizkid Made in Lagos deluxe studio album, was nominated at the Grammy and earned him, a special recognition from The Recording Academy.[6]
Early life
Austin Iornongu Iwar was born on 9 June 1997 in Marina, and raised between Lagos and Abuja. His early influence in music, came from his elder brother Suté Iwar. Austin began creating music at age fourteen, using the digital music software FL Studio.[2]
Career
On 22 April 2016, he released a seven-track ep titled Renascentia, featuring Sute Iwar.[7] In 2017, "Equestrian Love" from the extended play Renascentia was on the soundtrack list of Skinny Girl in Transit season 3.[8] Shortly after the premiere of Skinny Girl in Transit season 3 in February, "Equestrian Love" gained popularity[9] and began trending on Twitter, shortly after M.I posted the song, of the moment. On 29 April 2017, he opens for Aṣa, at Encore "Live In Lagos" Concert 2017 at Eko Convention Center in Lagos.[10]
The album features guess appearance from Cruel Santino, Preyé, Odunsi (The Engine), and Suté Iwar.[11] "Utero" from the album, earned him a nomination for Best Vocal Performance (Male) at the 14th edition of The Headies. On 13 April 2019, "Diamond", and "Keeps" from GEMINI, studio album was aired on Soulection radio.[12][13] In 2020, he featured on Wizkid Made in Lagos album, on "True Love", with Projexx.
Tay earned his first Grammy nomination for his feature on True Love.
On 29 March 2022, Wizkid released the music video for "True Love", featuring Tay Iwar, and Projexx.[14] On 17 June 022, he released "Bad4u" with its music video released on 19 June 2022.[15] In 2023, Iwar released "Healing", as the first single off his EP Summer Breeze.[16] On 3 March 2023, he released the music video for "Healing".[17] On 11 May 2023, Iwar released "Undercover Lover", as the second single off his debut EP Summer Breeze.[18]
On 8 June 2023, Iwar released "Summer Breeze" featuring Juls,[19] as the third single off his debut EP Summer Breeze. Following the release of his single, "Summer Breeze" was later supported with the release of his fifth debut extended play Summer Breeze, released on 9 June 2023, through CoolSweat.The debut EP features guest appearances from the Ghanaian music producer Juls, Nigerian singer Twelve XII, American rapper IDK, with British rappers Knucks, and Kojey Radical.[20]
Discography
Mixtapes
Title | Mixtape details |
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Passport |
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Studio albums
Title | Album details |
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GEMINI |
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EPs
Title | EP details | |
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Renascentia |
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1997 |
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GOLD (with. Le Mav) |
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Love & Isolation |
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Summer Breeze |
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Gold II (to EP section |
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Other charted songs
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | Sales | Certifications |
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US Afrobeats | |||||
"True Love" (Wizkid featuring Tay Iwar & Projexx) |
2020 | 46[21] | Made in Lagos |
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Accolades
Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result |
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2014 | Nigerian Teens Choice Awards | Choice Mixtape/EP | Passport | Nominated |
2015 | Nominated | |||
2020 | The Headies | Best Vocal Performance (Male) | Tay Iwar for "Utero" | Nominated |
2022 | Grammy Awards | Special Recognition | Tay Iwar for (Made in Lagos (Deluxe) by Wizkid) | Nominated |
The Headies | Best Vocal Performance (Male) | Tay Iwar for "Peaking"[24] | Nominated | |
South African Music Awards | Rest of Africa Artist | Tay Iwar for Love and Isolation[25] | Nominated |
Tours
- Made in Lagos Tour (2022)
References
- ^ Odutola, Tayo (30 March 2019). "Nigerian R&B artist Tay Iwar openly shares his love for "MONICA"". Earmilk. Earmilk. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
Nigerian alternative R&B act Tay Iwar returns with another enthralling record simply entitled "MONICA".
- ^ a b "tw Hidden Gems: Tay Iwar". TW Magazine. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; ClashMusic (2021-05-17). "Tay Iwar Is Nigeria's Shining Neo-Soul Beacon". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tay Iwar Transcends Genre & Style". DJBooth. 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ "With Gemini, Tay Iwar follows the trend of not following a trend". PAM - Pan African Music. 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ "See First-Time Nigerian Artists Who Got Grammy Nominations". Cool FM - Your Number One Hit Music Station !. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Ade-Unuigbe, Adesola (25 April 2016). "BN Music: Tay Iwar's New Mixtape "Renascentia" is a Must Listen for Music Lovers!". BellaNaija. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "The Song Everyone is Talking About after #SGIT3…"Equestrian Love" by Tay Iwar". BellaNaija. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Five New Interesting African Musicians". The Guardian Nigeria. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "A Win for Bantu: Tay Iwar is opening for Asa's Encore Concert". The NATIVE. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Alake, Motolani (15 April 2019). "Tay Iwar's 'GEMINI' talks bad love affairs with great songwriting". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Show #403". soulectiontracklists.com. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "Joe Kay Focuses on Nigerian Music in This Episode of Soulection Radio". OkayAfrica. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "WizKid Enlists Winnie Harlow In Video For "True Love" Featuring Tay Iwar & Projexx". GRM Daily. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Nwangwu, Adaora (17 June 2022). "Grammy-nominated Artiste Tay Iwar Unveils New Track 'Bad4u'". The Culture Custodian (Est. 2014.). Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Staff, Wonderland (24 February 2023). "Tay Iwar Returns With New Single "Healing"". Wonderland. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Murray, Robin (6 March 2023). "Tay Iwar Shares New 'Healing' Video". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Murray, Robin (11 May 2023). "Tay Iwar Links With Twelve XII On 'Undercover Lover'". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Renshaw, David. "Tay Iwar glides into the night-time on his new song "Summer Breeze"". The FADER. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Esomnofu, Emmanuel (9 June 2023). "A 1-Listen Review of Tay Iwar's 'Summer Breeze'". The NATIVE. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Cusson, Michael (29 March 2022). "Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Wizkid's 'True Love' With Projexx, Tay Iwar Sells 100k Units In US". DancehallMag. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Wizkid feat. Tay Iwar & Projexx - True Love". RISA. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "2022 Headies Full List Nominees". Vanguard News. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ Shumba, Ano (29 August 2022). "South African Music Awards 2022: All the winners". Music In Africa. Retrieved 10 June 2023.