DIL (musician)
DiL | |
|---|---|
 DiL during a photoshoot | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dil Anthony Chike Ajufo |
| Born | Westminster, London, UK. |
| Genres | R&B, Pop, Afropop, Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician Songwriter Sound Engineer Producer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Trakk Records Red Rhythm |
| Website | www |
Dil Anthony Ajufo is a British-Nigerian singer and producer.[1] He is best known for his 2015 song "Pretty Girls" [2] featuring Iyanya. He is also known for his collaboration with Yemi Alade on the popular song "Temperature".[3] On his debut single "Acapella" he collaborated with Lynxxx and Praiz. He was signed with Red Rhythm[4] during his early years where he worked with Boyz II Men, Electric Giant Beatz among others. He is currently signed with Trakk Records.
Music
Red Rhythm
DiL was part of Red Rhythm's producer, songwriter and remix team along with Simon Britton and Cliff Randal.[5] whose credits include:
Ashanti, Aaliyah, Boyz II Men, Sean Paul, Tara McDonald, Run DMC, Liberty X, Kool & The Gang, Aggro Santos, Kimberly Wyatt, Electric Giant Beatz,[6] Chaka Demus & Pliers, Michelle Williams[6] Missy Elliott, Sting, Talib Kweli, Timbaland, Leona Lewis.[7]
DiL has shared the stage with many artists. He performed at the Corporate Elite Show 2014[8] at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Nigeria alongside Iyanya, Mavin Records, Dru Hill, Freddie Jackson, Cameo (band) and many more.
Early life and career beginnings
DiL was born in London. He spent a few of his early years in Nigeria and moved back to London in the mid 90's. He studied at Southwark College and later obtained a degree from West London University.[9]
He first started producing on a PlayStation 2 where he caught the attention of Simon Britton. He later teamed up with Red Rhythm and Simon Britton in 2004 as a producer and worked on various projects which included Ashanti, Aaliyah, Boyz II Men, Sean Paul, Tara McDonald, Run DMC, Liberty X, Kool & The Gang, Aggro Santos, Kimberly Wyatt, Electric Giant Beatz,[6] Chaka Demus & Pliers, Michelle Williams[6] Missy Elliott, Sting, Talib Kweli, Timbaland, Leona Lewis.[7]
He received a silver sales award for his work on LaVelle Smith Jnr's Bodylicious Workout DVD
He later started working on remixes and cover songs with Red Rhythm under his company at the time Blaq Money.[10] DiL started his career as a solo artist in 2010 and in 2013, he released his first official single titled Acapella[11] which featured Praiz and Lynxxx. He released his second official single Pretty Girls[2] in 2014 and this time featured afro pop star Iyanya. In early 2015 he collaborated with Yemi Alade on a song for her King of Queens (album). The video for the song Temperature"[3] which he featured on was released in March 2015
Other notable appearances
Reality TV
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
In 2004, DiL appeared alongside Simon Britton in the NBC America/Bravo TV show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy [12] it was a popular reality television show in America at the time. It was also the first time the show had gone outside of the United States and they came to the UK for a one-off special. Simon Britton, DiL and Cliff Randal ended the show with a one-off gig at the Scala in London for a CD release launch party, featuring the single "Someone Call The Doctor".
References
- ^ "UK returnee, DIL on why he relocated to Nigeria". Encomium. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ^ a b "New Video: DIL feat Iyanya - Pretty Girls". Linda Ikeji. 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ^ a b "New Video: Yemi Alade featuring Dil – Temperature". BellaNaija. 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ^ "Red Rhythm: Simon Britton, Cliff Randall and Dil Ajufo". Bucks Music Group. 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2015-07-30.[dead link]
- ^ "Red Rhythm: Simon Britton and Cliff Randall - Bucks Music Group". Cubesoundtracks.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ a b c d Michelle Williams featuring DiL. "Electric Giant Beatz Feat Michelle Williams - On The Run". Dj Garthy. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ^ a b Leona Lewis Featuring DiL. "Dip Down (Red Rhythm Remix) feat Dil". Amazon. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ^ Corporate Elite Show. "Corporate Elite Show 2014". Laurelspot1. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ^ West London University. "University Project". University Of West London. Retrieved 2015-07-30.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Blaq Money. "Red Rhythm And Blaqmoney". Google. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ^ Acapella Featuring Praiz and Lynxxx. "VIDEO: DiL – Acapella f. Praiz & Lynxxx". too xclusive. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ^ DiL In Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. "DiL in Queer Eye For The Straight Guy". Youtube. Retrieved 2015-07-30.