Duncan Wene Mighty Okechukwu (born 28 October 1983),[2] simply known as Duncan Mighty, is a Nigerian musician, singer, and music producer from Obio-Akpor Local government area, Rivers State.[3] Though his musical style demonstrates a high-level of genre versatility, it is also heavily influenced by the sounds and culture of his people and ethnicity as most of his songs are sung in his native Ikwerre language.[4]
Duncan Mighty | |
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Born | Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria | 28 October 1983
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Musical career | |
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Years active | 2006–present |
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Wene Mighty released his debut full-length album Fully Loaded (Koliwater) in 2009, which was a commercial success. The 22-track album yielded popular songs such as "Ijeoma", "Scatter My Dada", "Ako Na Uche" and drew the attention of many music lovers across the country. His second studio album, Legacy (Ahamefuna) was released in 2010 with a lesser number of 15 tracks than its predecessor. The album was also very well received by fans and music aficionados.[4] Tracks like "Obianuju" and "Port Harcourt son" brought him international fame and huge fan following.[5] He received three nominations at the 6th Annual NEA Awards in 2011 and won the "Indigenous Artist of the Year".[6]
In September 2012, Wene Mighty released Footprints, an 18-track album with guest appearances from Timaya, Shaggy, Otuu Sax, Sandaz Black and Wande Coal.[7] He has been honoured by the UN as a peace ambassador.[8]
Biography
editMusic career
edit"Wene is my local name, the native name they know me by at home, Wene means brotherhood. If you are a Port-Harcourt man, you will easily grasp the meaning. It means my brother from another mother. I always use that slogan in every of my songs because 'wene mighty' means togetherness."
—Duncan Mighty speaking on the meaning behind "Wene"[3]
From his youth, Duncan Wene Mighty began as an instrumentalist; he played drums in church and was the choir director. His interest in music grew with time and eventually led him to the school, where he studied Audio engineering. During his Youth Service, he served as a sound instructor for Benson and Hedges. He also worked at Dolphin Studios while on IT at Muson Centre in Lagos. At this time, Wene Mighty was certain about his singing potential, although his main focus was strongly on music production. He would later begin recording and eventually combining both skills.[3]
In 2006, he returned to Port Harcourt where he first rendered his services to record companies D Large Records and 360 Records, before partnering with celebrity jeweller Chris Aire to form AireMighty Records. His father Mr. Okechukwu passed on to the Afterlife in 2007. The following year, Wene Mighty released his first studio album, Koliwater, which helped establish him as a homegrown hitmaker in the music industry.[3] The album contains twenty two songs including "Ijeoma", "Scatter My Dada", "Dance For Me" and "Ako Na Uche". After substantial success with the album, Wene Mighty began work on his next album Ahamefuna (Legacy) and by second quarter 2010, it was released into the local record stores in Nigeria. This album was produced entirely by Wene Mighty himself with no guest appearances or featured artists. It was preceded by the lead single "I Don't Give A Shot".[4] Wene Mighty also snared a leading three nominations for the 2011 NEA Awards and won in the category of the "Indigenous Artist of the Year".[6] Footprints was released in September 2012. The album features collaborations with Timaya, Shaggy, Otuu Sax, Sandaz Black and Wande Coal.[7] Wene Mighty was honoured alongside fellow South South artists M-Trill, Timaya, Becky Enyioma and Sodi Cookey at the 4th annual Odudu Music Awards.[9]
In 2014, Wene Mighty released his fourth studio album Grace & Talent through his own imprint Young Wealth Records. The album included contributions from Phyno, KING STUNNA, Tick Lips, J Flex and more.[10]
Personal life
editOn 25 July 2015, Duncan Mighty married his fiancée Vivien, the event was by invitation only where famous gospel artist Sammie Okposo performed as a guest artist.[11] Nigerian celebrities such as Yemi Alade, Phyno and Patoranking attended the ceremony. Duncan Mighty had proposed to his then-fiancée in November 2014.[12]
Discography
editIn 2018, Duncan Mighty enjoyed a resurgence in the national scene, as he collaborated with several popular artists such as Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa Savage, and others. He released several hit songs, such as Fake Love, Lova Lova, Aza, and Flenjo.[13][14]
Studio albums
edit- Koliwater (2009)
- Ahamefuna (Legacy) (2010)
- Footprints (2012)
- Grace & Talent (2014)
- The Certificate (2016)
Awards and nominations
editList of awards and nominations received by Duncan Mighty
Year | Event | Prize | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
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2011 | The Headies 2011 | Artiste of the Year | Nominated | ||
Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Album of the Year | Ahamefuna (Legacy) | Nominated | ||
Hottest Single of the Year | I Don't Give A Shot | Nominated | |||
Indigenous Artist of the Year | Won | [6] | |||
2012 | Ghana Music Awards | African Artist of the Year | Nominated | [15] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Indigenous rapper out with "A Trip To The South" album". Pulse.ng. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ Emmanuel, Nancy. "Duncan Mighty Celebrates His Birthday Handing Out Bags of Rice To Widows (Photos)". Goodlife.com.ng. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Growing up on the street has humbled me—Duncan Mighty". Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "The 'Legacy' Of Duncan Mighty". TheNet.ng. 12 July 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Duncan Mighty Ready To Rock Accra at The "Yes Boss" Concert". Peacefmonline.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ a b c "Nigeria Entertainment Awards 2011 Winners". Information Nigeria. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Duncan Mighty's Footprints". DSTV. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Duncan Mighty, Nigerian Musician". Nigeria Music Box. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ "Timaya, Duncan Mighty, Others to Be Honoured at Odudu Music Awards". AllAfrica.com. AllAfrica Global Media. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Apple - iTunes - Everything you need to be entertained". iTunes. Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Duncan Mighty, Singer weds heartthrob in Port Harcourt". Pulse. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Celebrities grace Duncan Mighty's wedding – The Nation Nigeria". thenationonlineng.net. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- ^ "The Return Of Duncan Mighty—Nigeria's Most Unlikely Superstar - Okayplayer". www.okayafrica.com. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ Ohunyon, Ehis (20 August 2018). "Here are the 7 best Duncan Mighty collaborations of 2018". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "Ghana Music Awards 2012". Channel O. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.