Michelle Oluwatomi Akanbi (born September 17, 1997), better known as Töme, is a Nigerian-French Canadian singer, songwriter and actor born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[1] In 2020, Tome won the 2021 edition of the Juno awards[2][3] for her single ‘I Pray’ ft Sean Kingston and have shared stage with African superstars like Burna boy, Wizkid, Mr Eazi[4][5] and also collaborated with pop stars like King Promise, Runtown, Zlatan, Wavy the Creator and Sean Kingston.[6]

Töme
Born
Michelle Oluwatomi Akanbi

(1997-09-17) 17 September 1997 (age 26)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2019 - present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals, Guitar
LabelsKiza Music

Early life edit

Töme was born on September 17, 1997, in Montreal, Canada[7] to a Nigerian father from Osun state and Canadian mother.[8][9] She began singing at the age of 8 and picked up the guitar at age 10 in Brampton, Ontario where she grew up.[10] She grew up listening to artists like Erykah Badu, Lauren Hill, Wizkid, and Alicia Keys who become her music influence.[11]

Career edit

Before starting music, Töme worked with a software company named ’Tran Score’ as a customer service representative and had to quit the job to pursue her passion for music.[12] In 2015, she released her debut EP ’One with Self’ on SoundCloud.[13] This was followed by her sophomore EP titled Tömesroom: Chapter 1 and in 2020, she released her debut album titled BT4W (Bigger Than Four Walls)[14][15] featuring artists like Wavy The Creator, King promise, Runtown and Zlatan.[16] She also released a new single ‘I Pray’ in 2020 tome featuring Sean Kingston.[17] Her third EP Dreams was released on June 25, 2021; with her sophomore album Löv being released on February 28, 2022.

She is also an actress and has featured in movies like Fear Thy Roommate, Clash and Love in Transition.[18]

Discography edit

Albums edit

  • Bigger Than Four Walls (2020)
  • Löv (2022)

Extended plays edit

  • One with Self (2015)
  • Tömesroom: Chapter 1 (2019)
  • Dreams (2020)

Singles[19] edit

  • “Up and away” (2015)
  • "Existing" (2015)
  • "Numbers" (2015)
  • "L'amour" (2019)
  • "The Money" (2020)
  • "Better Than That" (2020)
  • "Livin" (2020)
  • "i Pray" (2020)
  • "Nana" (2021)

Awards and nominations edit

Year Award Category Nominee/Work Result Ref
2020 Juno Awards of 2021 Reggae Recording of the Year "I Pray" Won [20]

References edit

  1. ^ Admin. "Meet TÖME, an Afro-fusion artist writing hits in quarantine". CBC.
  2. ^ Kuponiyi, Feranmi (2021-03-19). "Nigerian-Canadian artists, Tome & TOBi nominated for Canada's prestigious 2021 Juno Awards". Amplify Africa. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  3. ^ "2021 Nominees". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  4. ^ Odutola, Tayo (2020-03-03). "TOME taps into the Nigerian go-getter mentality on "The Money"". EARMILK. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  5. ^ "Nigerian French-canadian Artist, Töme Displays Dexterity In New Live Band Video, Releases Docu-series Off Bt4w Ep". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  6. ^ 49thstreet (2020-09-21). "SPOTLIGHT MONDAY: TÖME". The49thStreet. Retrieved 2021-05-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Admin. "Töme is enough". www.redbull.com. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  8. ^ Bioreports (2020-08-29). "Best of both worlds! Meet French-Canadian/Nigerian singer Töme". Bioreports. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  9. ^ "TÖME: Silverbird Entertainment Meets Talented Female Nigerian Artist". SilverbirdTV. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  10. ^ Mattina, Rebecca. "Indie Spotlight - TOME | Canadian Beats Media". Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  11. ^ "Meet Tome, The Stylish Singer with An Unbelievably Bright Future". BN Style. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  12. ^ "Quitting My Job For Music, Best Decision I Ever Made – Tome". Independent Newspaper Nigeria. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  13. ^ "HOW I WENT FROM MY 9-to-5 TO PERFORMING ON A WORLD TOUR WITH MR.EAZI - SINGER-SONGWRITER, TOME". She Leads Africa | #1 destination for young African ambitious women. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  14. ^ "Tome releases 10-track new album, 'Bigger Than Four Walls'". Pulse Nigeria. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  15. ^ "Tome performs songs of 'Bigger Than Four Walls' with live band". Pulse Nigeria. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  16. ^ "Töme Offers 3-Pack Single "I Pray" With A Sean Kingston Feature". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  17. ^ "Töme calls in Sean Kingston for late summer banger "I Pray"". GRM Daily. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  18. ^ Jaboro, Isioro Tokunbo (2021-10-30), Love in Transition (Short, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance), Michelle Akanbi, Gabriel Olaifa, Victoria Kayode Jaboro, Rolayo Abatan, True Sail Production & Motion Pictures, retrieved 2021-05-28
  19. ^ "TOME". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  20. ^ Holly Gordon and Andrea Warner, "Here are the 2021 Juno Award winners". CBC Music, June 4, 2021.