Darkoo
{{Short description|Nigerian-British rapper, singer and songwriter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Darkoo
| image =
| birth_name = Oluwafisayo Isa
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|2001|9|18}}
| birth_place = Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
| origin =
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Rapper
- singer
- songwriter
}}
| label = {{flatlist|
- Atlantic Records UK
- Virgin Music Nigeria}}
| years_active = 2017–present
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
- One Acen
- Hardy Caprio
- Tion Wayne
- Unknown T
- Black Sherif
- Camidoh
}}
| website =
}}
Oluwafisayo Isa (born 18 September 2001), known by her stage name Darkoo, is a British-Nigerian rapper and singer. She came to prominence following the release of her single "Gangsta", featuring One Acen, which peaked at number 22 on the Official Singles Chart,{{cite web |title=DARKOO |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/56674/darkoo/ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=7 September 2021}} and peaked at number one, on the UK Afrobeats Chart of 2020.
In 2022, Darkoo was nominated for the Best Diaspora Afrobeats Artist of the year at The Headies Awards and was announced by Pandora Music Italy as one of the most streamed musicians with other artistes and record company, Marco Mengoni, Keymaker Records, Federica Carta, and Baby K the following year.{{Cite web |last=Swanky |date=2022-05-24 |title=The 15th Headies Award - Full Nomination List |url=https://rehabmusiks.com/the-15th-headies-award-full-nomination-list/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524195616/https://rehabmusiks.com/the-15th-headies-award-full-nomination-list/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=24 May 2022 |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=RehabMusik |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date= |title=Italy's Top Streaming Artists: September's pandora favorites |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/09/italys-top-strea |access-date=6 October 2023 |website=Vanguard Nigeria}}
Early life
Darkoo was born in Lagos, Nigeria, moving to the UK at the age of 7. {{cite web |last1=Rockson |first1=Gabrielle |title=DARKOO TALKS ABOUT HER NIGERIAN ROOTS, FOOTBALL, MUSIC & MORE IN BRAND-NEW EPISODE OF 'PRO:DIRECT OFF PITCH' |url=https://grmdaily.com/darkoo-pro-direct-off-pitch/ |website=GRM Daily |date=11 October 2020 |access-date=7 September 2021}} and being raised in South London.{{cite web |last1=Mukhtar |first1=Amel |title=Rising Afroswing Star Darkoo Is Here To Change The Music Industry – And The World |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/darkoo-interview |website=Vogue |date=30 December 2020 |access-date=7 September 2021}} She attended St Catherine's Catholic School for Girls. She also attended Christ the King: Emmanuel Sixth Form.
Career
Darkoo began releasing music at the age of 15, starting out as a drill rapper before beginning to incorporate singing into her music. In late 2019 she released the single "Gangsta", featuring British rapper One Acen. The song came to prominence on TikTok{{cite web |last1=Copsey |first1=Rob |title=Darkoo talks Gangsta success and plans for a full-length project: "This is just the beginning" |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/darkoo-talks-gangsta-success-and-plans-for-a-full-length-project-this-is-just-the-beginning__30318/ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=7 September 2021}} and entered the Official Singles Chart at number 34 in November 2019, eventually reaching a peak of 22 in January 2020. She followed up this success in March 2020 with the single "Juicy" featuring Hardy Caprio, which peaked at 62 on the Official Singles Chart. At the 2020 MOBO Awards, Darkoo was nominated for Best Female Act and Best Newcomer, whilst "Gangsta" was nominated for Song of the Year.{{cite web |title=MOBO AWARDS 2020: SEE THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES! |url=http://mobo.com/news/mobo-awards-2020-see-full-list-nominees |website=MOBO Awards |access-date=7 September 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Kane |first1=Hannah |title=Two in One: Meet Darkoo |url=https://www.phoenixmag.co.uk/article/two-in-one-meet-darkoo/ |website=Phoenix |access-date=7 September 2021}}
In April 2021, Darkoo featured on a remix of "Body", originally performed by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne. The remix helped the song reach number 1 in the Official Singles Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/tion-wayne-and-russ-millions-top-official-trending-chart-with-body-following-huge-new-remix__32987/|title=Tion Wayne and Russ Millions top Official Trending Chart with Body following huge new remix|publisher=Official Charts Company|last=Ainsley|first=Helen|date=27 April 2021|access-date=5 May 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/tion-wayne-russ-millions-score-first-uk-number-1-drill-single-with-body__33093/|title = Tion Wayne & Russ Millions' Body is first Number 1 drill single|website = OfficialCharts.com}}
Darkoo released her debut EP, 2 In 1, in July 2021, featuring artists such as Tion Wayne and Unknown T.{{cite web |last1=Murray |first1=Robin |title=Darkoo Drops Exceptional '2 In 1' EP |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/darkoo-drops-exceptional-2-in-1-ep |website=Clash Magazine |date=16 July 2021 |access-date=7 September 2021}} On 1 September 2023, following the launch of Virgin Music flagship in Nigeria, Virgin Music Nigeria, Kimani Moore announced the unit with be incharge of Darkoo and Reekado Banks distributions.{{cite web |last1=Cooke |first1=Chris |title=Virgin Music expands into Nigeria |url=https://completemusicupdate.com/virgin-music-expands-into-nigeria/ |website=CMU |access-date=10 November 2023 |language=en |date=5 September 2023}}
Discography
= Singles =
== As lead artist ==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"|Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:1em;"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK |
| scope="row"| "Gas Station" (featuring Curtis J) | 2017 | — | | rowspan="9" {{n/a|Non-album singles}} |
| scope="row"| "Timeline" (with Mulla Stackz) | 2018 | — | |
| scope="row"| "Foreign" (with AdeSTP & Shadz) | rowspan="4"| 2019 | — | |
| scope="row"| "Juice" (with Br3nya) | — | |
| scope="row"| "Rover"
| — | |
| scope="row"| "Gangsta" (with One Acen) | 22 | |
| scope="row"| "Juicy" (with Hardy Caprio) | rowspan="3"| 2020 | 62 | |
| scope="row"| "Kryptonite"
| — | |
| scope="row"| "Cinderella" (featuring 4Keus) | — | |
| scope="row"| "Pick Up"
| rowspan="4" | 2021 | — | | rowspan="3"| 2 in 1 |
| scope="row"| "She Like" (featuring Blanco) | — | |
| scope="row"| "Slow Down" (featuring Tion Wayne) | — | |
| scope="row"| "Bad From Early" (featuring Buju & TSB) | — | |rowspan="6" {{n/a|Non-album singles}} |
| scope="row"| "Always" (featuring Black Sherif) | rowspan="3" | 2022 | — | |
| scope="row"| "Falling" (with Smallgod & KiDi) | — | |
| scope="row"| "There She Goes (Jack Sparrow)" (featuring Mayorkun) | — | |
| scope="row" |"Favorite Girl" (featuring Dess Dior) | rowspan="2" | 2024 | — | |
| scope="row" |"Right Now" (featuring Davido and Rvssian) | — | |
| scope="row" |"Focus On Me (All The Sexy Girls In the Club)"{{cite web|url=https://notjustok.com/lyrics/focus-on-me-lyrics-by-darkoo/|title= Focus On Me (All The Sexy Girls In The Club) Lyrics by Darkoo|website=Not Just Ok|date=3 January 2025|access-date=6 January 2025}}
| rowspan="2" |2025 | — | | |
| scope="row" |"Like Dat"
| — | |