US based Nigerian artist, Mannywellz has become our of our favorite artists to watch since the release of ‘Mirage,’ his impressive 2020 project that featured Tems, Wale and Vanjess and his story is as unique as they come.
In 2003, at only nine years old, he and his family moved to the United States which obviously led to a lot of change.
When he became a recipient of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012, his life changed again as he became protected from deportation by law.
In September 2017, when the Trump administration tried to put an end to DACA and called on Congress to come up with another solution by March 5, 2018. When thousands took to Capitol Hill to protest the proposed legislation, Mannywellz was front and center, performing his song “American Dream” to kick off the march. Later that year, a compilation album that Mannywellz was a part of with other DACA artists — American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom — was released and won a GRAMMY Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.
His story is one of perseverance. Constantly being dealt a new card can be unsettling but not for Mannywellz who has developed one of the strongest fanbases any Nigerian artist outside a select few can boast of.
Back home in Nigeria however, many still are unfamiliar with Mannywellz who oozes talent at level that very few can play in. This is in large part due to the inability to leave the US over the past few years. For the first time in forever, he’s back home connecting with family, friends and fans and even hosted his first event in Lagos yesterday! It’s all been beautiful to see!
For members of our community who may be new to Mannywellz and everything he’s about, this post is the sign you didn’t know you needed and these are 8 songs you should listen to to introduce yourself to his brilliance!