Praise Ugbede Adejo (born 8 March 1985), better known by his stage name Praiz, is a Nigerian multi award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. Praiz's music career hit the limelight after he finished second runner-up at the maiden season of Project Fame West Africa.
Early life and education
Praiz, a native of
Igala people in
Kogi State, was born in
Lagos but later relocated to Kaduna in 1992 after his father was transferred there on missionary work. He is the second child out of five children.
He has a National Diploma in
Computer Science after graduating from Kaduna Polytechnic.
Career
Project Fame West Africa
Praiz had been doing well in music before he shot into the limelight after emerging second runner-up in the first edition of
Project Fame West Africa, a music reality T.V show which
Iyanya went on to win.
His performance in the competition increased his fan base, making him one of the next-rated stars in the Nigerian music industry.
2010–present: Rich & Famous
Praiz has worked with several artists, including
Awilo Longomba,
Cobhams Asuquo, Wizkid,
Seyi Shay, Bez and MI.
One of his many works is a song he collaborated with fellow Nigerian artiste Bez on the hit single "That Stupid Song", which went on to be the first African video to make a world premiere on
BET’s
106 & Park.
On 22 July 2012, he released the hit single titled "Rich and Famous", which got positive reviews and massive airplay, thus getting him nominated in several award events.
On 14 December 2014, Praiz released his
Double album titled
Rich & Famous Rich (sized A) and
Rich & Famous Famous (sized B).
Style of music
Known to be a
Soul music and R&B artiste, Praiz also has a diverse style in making other genres of music, switching up from R&B to Afropop with commercially appealing songs like "Oshe" and "Mercy". He cites
Barry White,
Michael Jackson, Carl Thompson and Boyz II Men as people who influence his type of music.
Personal life
Praiz was a brand ambassador for the network service
MTN Group. He is also involved with some charitable organizations, including Safe Motherhood Foundation and Little Big Souls, an organization geared towards helping to reduce premature maternal mortality and assisting women who cannot afford maternal care.
Discography
Albums
-
Rich & Famous (2014)
-
2 Minutes EP (2018)
Singles
-
"Bubbling Under" (2010)
-
"The Lockdown" (2011)
-
"I Love You" (2011)
-
"Jekalo" (2011)
-
"A Woman's Need" (2012)
-
"Rich and Famous" (2012)
-
"For You" (featuring Seyi Shay) (2013)
-
"I Love You" (2013)
-
"Oshe" (featuring Awilo Longomba) (2013)
-
"Sweet Potato" (featuring Chidinma) (2014)
-
"Mercy" (2014)
-
"Sisi" (featuring Wizkid) (2014)
-
"Heartbeat" (2015)
-
"Amazing Grace" (2015)
-
"Body Hot" (2016)
-
"2 minutes" (2018)
-
"Here and now (2018)
-
"Champagne and Flowers (2018)
-
"Hustle ft. Stonebwoy (2019)
-
"Under The Sky" (2020)
Awards and nominations
See also
-
List of Nigerian musicians
External links
