If you have an Instagram account, especially if you are one of the online generals of the ‘God when’ army, chances are that you’ve seen quite a number of moving wedding or proposal videos with DOTTi the Deity’s Forever Sweet playing in the background.
Forever Sweet, which is a beautiful song about unadulterated love that lasts forever, and is almost as sweet as the beautiful woman it extols with its lyrics, was released in 2022, even though it started to gain more popularity a few months ago. The song has now garnered over one million streams across different digital streaming platforms, and is now a wedding favorite, with DOTTi the Deity receiving invites to perform at different weddings and events across southwestern Nigeria.
But how much do the fans of Forever Sweet know about DOTTi the Deity himself?
Before You Knew Him
DOTTi the Deity, born Okeowo Oladotun Alani, grew up in Ibadan where he started showing his musical inclinations as early as age six. He would later study Music Tech at the Polytechnic, Ibadan.
His indigenous sound borrows from the lost era of Nigerian folk music as well as modern jazz, soul and pop music with some of his musical influences including Fatoumata Diawara, Mali Music, Asa, Lagbaja, King Sunny Ade, and Oumou Sangare, to name a few.
DOTTi the Deity eventually launched his music career in 2019 with the single Jolly Christmas, after staggering attempts at doing music while he lived with his grandfather in Lagos. Next came his debut extended play, Songs in Isolation, inspired by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and produced the same year.
After gracing a number of live shows in 2022, he released his hit single Forever Sweet, crafted as a toast to pure and ageless love.
For You Knew Him
DOTTi the Deity’s sophomore EP, For You Knew Me, which is the latest of his projects was launched in 2023 with an intimate live show which brought a community of his fans together and was a huge success.
In June 2023, he headlined his own show in Lagos hosted by Beeriga. Following the success of the first show and to strengthen his community and fanbase, DOTTi the Deity headlined another show in July 2023 at the prestigious Nature Brewery a venue that has previously hosted A-list musicians including Yemi Alade and Ric Hassani.
He recently also performed at the Indie Night Live alongside other artistes, after receiving an invitation from Ric Hassani, as well as two editions of Make Music Lagos, and The Alte Festival.
Winner Of The Maiden MTN Y‘ello Star Competition
In 2021, DOTTi the Deity won the first edition of Y’ello Star, a musical platform created by telecommunications and data services provider, MTN Nigeria to search for, discover, nurture, expose and launch music talents in young Nigerians. After his selection as a participant and being placed in the house for mentoring and practical sessions by renowned personalities in the industry, DOTTi the Deity soon distinguished himself right until the moment he walked away as the winner and star of the show.
A New Cat Who Has Been Paying His Dues
While DOTTi the Deity’s presence on the music scene is still relatively recent, he’s not so fresh in the game. Over the years until he officially kickstarted his music career, he has built and maintained professional relationships with established music personalities like Omawumi and Cobams Asuquo, and has even shared a stage with industry veterans including Rotimi Keys, Sir Victor Uwaifo, and Onyeka Onwenu.
Not just a singer and songwriter, his other skills showcase themselves in jingles for radio and TV advertisements including British American Tobacco Foundation campaign song Wealth is Here.
He sings It Because He Has Lived It
A self proclaimed lover boy, especially in his song Abeke which is an anthem for ‘finished men’, many of DOTTi the Deity’s songs are written from his personal experiences and heartbreak chronicles. His songs on the For You Knew Me album highlight the different stages of grief while living through an intense heartbreak; from falling in love, getting heartbroken, denial, and finally, acceptance.
Watch the official visualizer for Forever Sweet here: