Fireboy DML

Deftly mixing lush Afrobeats with R&B swagger, Fireboy DML is a Nigerian singer who became a breakout success with the 2019 release of his debut album, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps. Songs like "Jealous" and "Vibrations" put him on the map ahead of his 2020 follow-up, Apollo, but it was the Ed Sheeran collaboration "Peru" and its 2022 parent album, Playboy, that brought him widespread international exposure. His fourth album Adedamola (2024) was a more personal release and saw him collaborate with artists like Jon Batiste and Sean Kuti. He returned with the 2025 solo cut "Dopamine."

Born Adedamola Adefolahan in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Fireboy began taking music seriously during his university days and later signed a deal with Olamide's YBNL Nation label largely on the strength of his song "Jealous." The label featured it on their 2018 collaborative album YBNL Mafia Family, then re-released "Jealous" on its own the following year. A second single, the romantic "What If I Say" preceded the November 2019 release of Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps, which also yielded the streaming hit "Vibrations." The album topped the Nigerian charts, and Fireboy capitalized on his momentum by delivering a follow-up, Apollo, less than a year later.

By this point he'd made a dent in markets outside of Africa, including the U.S. and U.K. In July 2021, he released the solo track "Peru," which became a breakout number two hit on the U.K. Singles Chart. By December Fireboy had reworked a version of the song to feature British star Ed Sheeran, which helped usher "Peru" onto numerous global charts, becoming his biggest hit to date. He kicked off 2022 with "Beauty in the Madness," a non-album collaboration with Rexx Life Raj and Wale, then in August of that year delivered his third LP, Playboy. Featuring both versions of "Peru" as well as the highly streamed title track, the record continued Fireboy's global assault and in the U.S. reached the latter half of the Billboard 200. Following the stand-alone single "Someone" in 2023, he began building up to his next major release with songs like "Everyday" and the streaming hit "Yawa." These tracks anchored 2024's eponymous Adedamola, an emotional and personal album that featured guests like Jon Batiste, Spinall, and Sean Kuti. Fireboy devoted the front half of 2025 to collaborations with Black Sherif, J Balvin, Johnny Drille, and others, then returned with a solo track, "Dopamine," in July. ~ Timothy Monger