Nana Richard Abiona (born 2 December 1988),[2] better known by his stage name Fuse ODG, is a Ghanaian-English singer, songwriter and rapper.[3] He came to attention with his first Top-10 song on the UK singles chart, "Antenna" (#7 in 2013), and for his second last Top-10 on that chart, "Dangerous Love" (#3 in 2014). He also featured on Major Lazer's "Light It Up (Remix)", which reached No. 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2016.
In addition to his musical career he is a vocal proponent of people of African descent learning about Africa[4][5] and has launched a subscription-based educational app "School of new Africa" for the purpose.[6]
Early life
Born in London and raised in Ghana, Fuse returned to London for his secondary education, where he attended the Archbishop Lanfranc School, Croydon. He grew up in Mitcham, South London.[7] The stage name "Fuse" comes from his fusion of musical styles, as he is known for his unusual combination of genres such as Afro-pop, hip-hop, R&B, funk and rock. "ODG", meanwhile, stands for 'Off Da Ground'.[8]
After returning to London, Fuse faced bullying as an adolescent because of his Ghanaian accent. He started making music as a way to connect with his peers and gain social status. He had a studio setup in his bedroom, and initially made music that was primarily influenced by American hip-hop, but was also informed by African genres such as Ghanaian highlife. Fuse also took influence from Black British genres including grime and UK garage, and was specifically inspired by the UK garage and hip-hop collective So Solid Crew. Other influences included Ghanaian rappers like Obrafour, Reggie Rockstone and Lord Kenya. Fuse was part of a rap crew at his school called 2 Gully, and he began to take music more seriously after they performed at an open mic competition at Fairfield Halls.[9]
On 23 August 2012, Fuse ODG released a single titled "Antenna", the song peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, the song also peaked at number 85 on the Irish Singles Chart. On 27 Oct 2011 he released the single "Azonto", the song peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. On 19 October 2013, he was awarded 'Best African Act' at the MOBO Award's 18th Anniversary.[10] He recently won four awards at the Urban Music Awards 2013; Best Music Video, Best Single, Best Artiste and Best Collaboration.[11] On 29 December 2013 he released the single "Million Pound Girl (Badder Than Bad)", the song peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart, the song also peaked at number 65 on the Irish Singles Chart. On 18 May 2014 Fuse ODG released "Dangerous Love", featuring Sean Paul. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. His next single, "T.I.N.A." featuring British R&B artist Angel, was released on 19 October 2014. His debut album, T.I.N.A., an acronym for "This Is New Africa", was released on 3 November 2014 and includes all five singles, the album peaked to number 25 on the UK Albums Chart, the album also peaked to number 63 in Scotland. Fuse ODG turned down an offer to sing on the Band Aid 30 project because he objected to the way the lyrics of the song portrayed the victims of the ongoing Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, and Africa generally.[12]
2015–present
In April 2015 he featured on Tinchy Stryder's single "Imperfection". In July 2015 he released the single "Only".[13] He features on Angel's single "Leyla". The song was released on 17 July 2015.[14] On 4 September 2015 he released the single "Top of My Charts".[15]
In 2016, he collaborated with British Asian artist Zack Knight and Indian rapper Badshah. They came together and composed an African/Indian soundtrack, Bombae.
