Fuse ODG

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. 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".

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.

Music career

2011–14: ''T.I.N.A.''

Main article: T.I.N.A. (album)

On 27 October 2011, he released the single "Azonto", which peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. On 23 August 2012, Fuse ODG released a single titled "Antenna". The song peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 85 on the Irish Singles Chart. Fuse ODG released his debut EP The Buzz on 16 September 2012. On 19 October 2013, he was awarded Best African Act at the MOBO Awards' 18th Anniversary. He recently won four awards at the Urban Music Awards 2013: Best Music Video, Best Single, Best Artiste and Best Collaboration. 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 and 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 at number 25 on the UK Albums Chart and at 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.

2015–present

In April 2015 he featured on Tinchy Stryder's single "Imperfection". In July 2015 he released the single "Only". He features on Angel's single "Leyla". The song was released on 17 July 2015. On 4 September 2015 he released the single "Top of My Charts".

In 2016, he collaborated with British Asian artist Zack Knight and Indian rapper Badshah. They came together and composed an African/Indian soundtrack, Bombae.

Discography

Albums

Singles

As lead artist

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (11 February 2014). "Million pound sound: Fuse ODG, and the remarkable rise of Afrobeats".
2. Scott Kerr. "Fuse ODG | Biography & History". [[AllMusic]].
3. (19 December 2011). "Chipmunk, Fuse Odg To Thrill Fans On Dec. 27".
4. "Newsbeat - Fuse ODG - BBC Sounds".
5. (2024-11-18). "Ed Sheeran shares statement accusing Band Aid of 'dehumanising Africans'".
6. Campbell, Joel. (2024-08-23). "Fuse ODG launches 'School of New Africa', digital education platform".
7. "AltSounds - The Best New Music Videos In The World". AltSounds.
8. "How Did Fuse ODG Choose His Name?".
9. Hancox, Dan. (2014-02-11). "Million pound sound: Fuse ODG, and the remarkable rise of Afrobeats".
10. (16 September 2012). "iTunes - Music - The Buzz by Fuse ODG". [[iTunes]].
11. (19 October 2013). "Fuse ODG Wins MOBO at the 18th Anniversary Awards". What's Good? Online.
12. "Fuse ODG Claims Top Gongs at the Urban Music Awards 2013 - INFOLODGE.NET - INFOLODGE.NET".
13. "Why I had to turn down Band Aid | Fuse ODG | Opinion". [[The Guardian]].
14. (10 July 2015). "Only - Single by Fuse ODG on iTunes".
15. (17 July 2015). "Leyla (feat. Fuse ODG) - Single by Angel on iTunes".
16. (4 September 2015). "Top of My Charts - Single by Fuse ODG on iTunes".
17. "Fuse ODG". [[Official Charts Company]].
18. {{cite certification
19. (26 April 2019). "Fuse ODG - New Africa Nation CD Album (Signed)".
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22. Hung, Steffen. "Discography Fuse ODG". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
23. Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Fuse ODG". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
24. (13 October 2017). "In Focus: UK now has 'young black parents proud to be who they are' says Fuse ODG". Metro.
25. (28 November 2019). "Lazy Day (feat. Danny Ocean) - Single by Fuse ODG on Apple Music".
26. (23 September 2014). "Mobo Awards 2014 nominations: Sam Smith and Krept and Konan lead pack". The Independent.
27. "AFRIMMA Nominees". African Muzik Magazine.
28. "Mafikizolo, Uhuru, Davido lead nominations for MTV Africa Music Awards". Sowetan LIVE.
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31. (20 February 2014). "D'banj, Tuface, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Davido, Kcee Nominated at World Music Awards". Channels Tv.
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35. (7 October 2019). "Ghana Music Awards UK 2019: All the winners".