Tolu Obanro

Tolu Obanro
Born
Tolulope Obanro

Ilorin, Kwara State
NationalityNigerian
Other namesTyanx
Alma mater
OccupationFilm score composer
Years active2019 — present
Notes

Tolulope Obanro known professionally as Tolu Obanro is a Nigerian film composer. He made the score for Gangs of Lagos, Jagun Jagun and A Tribe Called Judah which became the first Nollywood movie to hit 1 billion naira at the box office.

Early life and education

Tolulope Obanro was born in Ilorin, Kwara State but spent most of his childhood in Lokoja, Kogi State where he schooled at Government Science Secondary School for his secondary school. He earned a bachelor's degree in Geology from Federal University of Technology, Minna before proceeding to the National Broadcast Academy in Lagos State.[2]

Career

Tolu Obanro worked at an oil and gas company but left the industry for music.[3]

Tolu Obanro had previously worked in music production for gospel artists such as Mike Abdul, Kenny Kore and Monique before proceeding to music production and film scoring.[1]

After scoring for some YouTube videos, Obanro first feature film was Your Excellency which was followed by the series King of Boys: The Return of the King in 2021.[3]

Obanro met Niyi Akinmolayan where he began collaboration in the creation of Prophetess (2021) and Jagun Jagun (2023).[2] He has also collaborated with Jade Osiberu for Brotherhood (2022) and Gangs of Lagos (2023) and also on Funke Akindele's Battle on Buka Street (2022).[4]

Obanro became acclaimed for his scoring of A Tribe Called Judah which was the first Nollywood movie to hit ₦1 billion naira at the box office.[1]

Obanro cites Hans Zimmer, Ludwig Göransson and M. M. Keeravani as his major influences.[3]

Awards and nominations

In 2022, Obanro won the Nigerians Achievers Award and has been nominated for the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) three times in the Best Soundtrack category.[5]

Filmography

Source:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Gambari, Luqman. "Tolu Obanro: Crafting Cinematic Soundscapes for Nigerian Blockbusters". Leadership. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Akinyemi, Bioluwatife (18 September 2023). "The magnificent Nigerian Film composer called Tolu Obanro". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Willie-Okafor, Paula (26 February 2024). "How Tolu Obanro, Nollywood's Top Composer, Crafts the Sounds of Its Biggest Hits". Open Country Mag. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  4. ^ Udodiong, Inemesit (10 August 2023). "How Tolu Obanro created the original sound, music for Netflix's Jagun Jagun". Pulse Nigeria. Pulse Africa. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Top five film composers in Nigeria". The Guardian. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.