Superstar Afrobeats sensation Adekunle Gold, popularly known as ‘AG Baby’, has pulled back the curtain on his astonishing rise to global fame.
In a candid, revelatory interview with NandoLeaks, the hitmaker confessed his big break was ignited by an incredibly familiar humiliation: being sacked from his day job.
The Brutal Catalyst: Being ‘Told to Go’
The year was 2014. Adekunle Kosoko, a talented graphic designer, was operating well under the radar of the music industry. He was a creator, yes, but for album covers and brand logos, not chart music. However, that all changed when his employer delivered the crushing news. This was not a mutual parting; it was a brutal severance.
“2014. I left my job. I was told to go. You know what, they fired me. That’s what happened,” the singer revealed with a directness.
He explained the decision was born from a company restructure, a cold business move that had nothing to do with his ambition. “I feel like the company wasn’t growing the way they wanted it to be, so I just had to go.”
For many, this moment would have been a devastating blow. For Adekunle Gold, it was the pivotal kick he desperately needed. The universe essentially cleared his schedule. It gave him an ultimatum to either sink or sing. He seized the opportunity, seeing the closure as a vital push. “And it just felt that was the push I needed,” he stressed.
The graphic designer, who had designed the logo for a major label like YBNL, decided his fate lay with sound, not visuals. He made a snap decision, a bold pivot that would change his life forever.
“So I said before I go to find another job, let me try. Let me give this music thing a shot,” AG said. His initial goal was modest: a small four-song EP.
The One Direction Cover That Changed Everything
Adekunle Gold’s incredible ascent is built on one song: Sade. Adekunle Gold confirmed the track that launched a thousand ships was actually a cover of a massive British pop hit.
“The first song I wrote was ‘Sade’. And Sade was a cover of One Direction’s ‘Story of my life’.” He took the boyband’s chart-topping acoustic ballad and reimagined it in Yoruba language. He wove in Afro-juju and folk influences, blending it with the soulful storytelling of Highlife. This creative genius paid off immediately.
He self-released the track in late 2014. It quickly went viral. This organic explosion of popularity led directly to a seismic career opportunity. Legendary rapper Olamide, who heads the YBNL Nation label, had already crossed paths with the budding artist.
“Olamide obviously heard the song. I designed the logo for his label YBNL,” he explained. Impressed by the song’s soulful originality and sheer popularity, Olamide signed him in 2015. The rest they say…is history.
“The song blew up and yeah….that’s how I got here,” AG said. “I was ready all my life. I feel like I was just waiting for the moment for someone to discover me. I’ve been preparing since I was in the choir, learning to write songs,” he added.
Adekunle Gold’s influences were diverse, yet strategic. “The first album I ever bought with my money was ‘Overexposed (2012)’ by Maroon 5. I listened to that pop album so much….and then discovering Bruno Mars music. So I was ready. I was preparing myself. I was just learning to be good at this thing I love so much,” he submitted.
The Sade phenomenon was merely the start of his storied musical journey. Adekunle Gold had a treasury of songs ready to go. He did not waste a second. “After I released Sade, I had other songs already that I didn’t want to release. I had ‘Orente’. I just released it after Sade blew up. Then I released ‘Pick Up.’” These singles solidified his position as a folk-pop storyteller, and a unique voice in the Afrobeats space.
AG packaged this incredible material into his first studio album, which was simply titled Gold (2016). The work was an immediate smash success, proving he was a long-term player, not a one-hit wonder. The album made an undeniable international impact.
“Gold literally started my journey. The album was no.7 on the Billboard World Music Charts,” Adekunle Gold revealed with pride adding: “That gave me so much joy, knowing the story, knowing how I fought for that. God blessed the album and it took me out.”
Before his music broke, AG’s world was small. Suddenly, he was an international act.
“I had not travelled anywhere before all my life. The first time I travelled to London, I had ‘Sade’ and ‘Orente’ and those two songs took me everywhere and then the album dropped,” he said.
The Mastery of AG Baby: From Gold to ‘Fuji’
The subsequent years have seen AG Baby embark on a relentless path of sonic evolution and global conquest. His discography is now a catalogue of consistent brilliance, charting a clear trajectory of an artist constantly perfecting his craft.
He detailed this stunning work ethic to NandoLeaks: “I released another one About 30 (2018), another masterpiece, Afropop Vol.1 (2020). I released Catch Me If You Can (2022), Tequila Ever After (2023) and now…Fuji (2025).”
Each project represents a step further from his initial folk-pop sound toward the polished, global Afropop star he is today, currently signed to Def Jam Recordings.
His latest offering, the album Fuji, is not just a title; it is a profound declaration. When questioned about the narrative behind the title, Adekunle Gold offered an unexpected, deeply personal explanation. T
he album is, he states, a culmination of all his efforts. “Mastery! It’s the story of a man that’s found himself, that’s realized who he is all along, who he is meant to be. Fuji is the totality of every project I’ve done.”
But the word Fuji itself, a nod to the traditional Yoruba musical genre, is actually a stunning backronym, a secret code to his personal mission. He revealed the true, inspirational meaning behind the capital letters: “Finding Uncharted Journeys Inside.” This perfectly encapsulates his decade-long transformation.
