“Who sang the Airtel advert song?” was one of the most googled music-related questions of the third and fourth quarters of 2020 in the country. There are certainly several pathways to fame in the music industry, but even for the most optimistic of minds, making your breakthrough via a jingle for a telecommunications company would have been a bit of a stretch. Yet, that’s exactly the path that Omolade Oyetundun, known simply as Lade, took to bringing her talents to the consciousness of the general public.
It’s still early days in the budding career of the Afropop singer and songwriter, but on the evidence of the brief glimpse we’ve seen of her thus far, there’s a lot to be excited about. She has a powerful voice that grabs attention, a surprisingly astute ability to create awesome melodies, and a pen that writes down all the right words. Resist the temptation to write off her success with the Airtel advert as a fluke or one-off; fortune favours the brave, and Omolade Oyetundun has been brave in her pursuit of a career in music.
She discovered she had the gift of a unique singing voice at the age of nine, but it wasn’t until her days as an undergraduate at University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) that she set her heart on becoming a musician. In 2017, she emerged as the winner of UNILORIN’s adaptation of the famous Idol singing competition at her second time of asking. She came second in the 2016 edition, but only because she unfortunately lost her voice before the finals. It adds credence to the saying that destiny cannot be changed, only delayed, doesn’t it? Winning the competition opened her up to fame and endorsements, if only at a local level.
Come 2020, her big leap happened. The pandemic inspired her to flood Instagram with her rendition of popular songs, and the cover of Simi’s “Duduke” in particular became very popular with the fans and even Simi herself. That led to an agency contacting her to try her vocal cords at recording for Airtel. She knocked it out of the park, but everything that came next was not supposed to happen. Granted the delivery was silky smooth and the melodies were more contagious than COVID-19, but still, who gets famous off of a 59-second jingle? Well, the answer is Lade, because the identity of singer immediately became a topic of speculation and conversation. Many gave credit to Teni the Entertainment, but luckily Lade’s contract did not include a non-disclosure agreement and she was able to rightfully claim the glory and credit. And just like that, her talent was validated, prayers were answered, and doors were opened.
Since the events that transpired, Lade has a single and EP to her name. The single is titled “Kunle” a fun for the heartbroken to soothe their pains with. The EP is a self-titled compilation of 5 tracks that showcase the range of her gifts. “Hustle” has probably received the most love from fans, but “Situationship” and “Speechless” are solid contenders for her best song so far. We wonder what’s next from Lade, because surely there has to be more. She genuinely sounds like she has a lot to offer, and under the right tutelage, guidance, and financial backing, there’s no telling how far she’ll go. However, what we can be certain about is you will love what she’s put out so far, so check her out of your favourite digital streaming platform today.
