Willy Paul

Wilson Abubakar Opondo Radido was born to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Radido in September 1993 in Mathare slums. His father was a carpenter, while his wife, was a hairdresser until 2011, Wilson dropped out of school in 2011 due to financial constrain. He took Juakali jobs to generate income to support his mother.

His first hit was "Rabuka". His major breakthrough came in 2010. He later co-authored his first single "Sitolia" with Muliro, which was a reflection of his life history, depicting his struggles and giving himself a renewed hope that God had brought him to the limelight. His first album, You never know launched on 5 December 2013 in a ceremony at KICC, graced by Daddy Owen, Ben Githae, Gloria Muliro, DK Kwenye Beat, Ben Bahati, Bahati, Men Of God (MOG), Size 8, Mr Seed, Shiru Wa GP, Betty Bayo, Danny Gift, DJ Sadic and DJ Mo.{{cite news|url=https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-146280/willy-paul-launches-first-album/|author=Elly Gitau|title=Willy Paul Album Launch|work=The Star|date=5 December 2013}} The album included, "You never know", "Lala Salama", "Mpenzi" and "Kitanzi".

Paul toured the US in 2014, performing in churches in 12 states. The tour began on 10 March in Sacramento, California. He performed alongside artiste Polly Odotte at the House of Glory Church. He then headed to Neema Gospel Church in Dallas, Texas, and, on 15 March, performed at St Louisiana, Missouri. On 29–30 March, Willy ministered to the audience at Neema Community Church in Overland Park, Kansas. He concluded his tour on 27 April in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Paul beat Bahati with his "Tam Tam" song featuring Size 8 and managed to win to Mdundo Awards; Most Downloaded Gospel Artist and Most Downloaded Male Single.{{cite news|date=16 July 2015|accessdate=23 March 2019|url=https://mdundo.com/news/4885|title=Exclusive: The Complete Winners List, Mdundo Awards 2015}} He won four nominations for the awards with "Tam Tam", a collaboration with Size 8 released in 2014 granting him Collabo of the Year, Video of the Year, Song of the year and Male Artist of the Year.

He collaborated with hip-hop artist Khaligraph Jones on "Bora uhai" and Alaine on "I Do".

Paul has received constant accusations of secularism from various quarters.{{cite news|author=Richard Kamau|url=http://nairobiwire.com/2017/09/ringtone-jigi-jigi-worst-song-heard-willy-paul.html|title='Jigi Jigi' the worst I've heard from Willy Paul, says Ringtone|work=The Star, Kenya|date=21 September 2017|accessdate=23 March 2019}}

On April 30, 2024, Kenyan musician Willy Paul released his third studio album, titled "Beyond Gifted." The album features 14 tracks and blends various genres, including Afropop, Bongo Flava, and Dancehall.{{cite news|url=https://www.audiompya.com/willy-paul-unleashed-beyond-gifted-album|title=Willy Paul Unleashes “Beyond Gifted” Third Studio Album|work=Audio Mpya|date=2024-05-02|access-date=2024-05-02}}

"Jigi Jigi" peaked at number one in all major charts in Kenya, including Mdundo Weekly Top 100, the Top 40 Singles Chart, and the Local Top 20 Hits on Music Charts

Paul set up a foundation in Kenya to help needy people in the area. He helped children to get access to basic education and healthcare.{{cite news|author=Ndegwa Maina|url=http://nairobiwire.com/2014/06/peoples-favorite-willy-paul-gives-back-society.html|title=People's Favorite Willy Paul Gives Back to Society|work=Nairobi wire|date=20 June 2014|accessdate=23 March 2019}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons}}

• {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p349078|label=Willy Paul}}
• {{Cite web|url=https://www.tuko.co.ke/91772-popular-nigerian-songstress-reveals-relationship-gospel-singer-willy-paul.html|title=Popular Nigerian songstress reveals her 'relationship' with gospel singer Willy Paul|last=Chweya|first=Edward|date=2016-02-04|website=Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news.|language=en|access-date=2019-09-23}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Willy}}

Category:21st-century Kenyan male singers

Category:Living people

Category:1993 births