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| DJ Irawo |
PRESS KIT
Her major
musical instrument is the Gángan Talking Drum which originates from the
Yorùbá ethnic group of Western Nigeria.
She
sings in English and Yorùbá languages and in the folk, jazz, soul, afrobeat and electronic
dance music (EDM) genres of music. She calls her brand of music ECLECTICA.
As a
DJ, she performs all genres of music.
She
performs her talking drum in a solo performance, along with her live DJ set
or with a live band.
She
started drumming on tabletops, wardrobe doors and conga drums when she was ten
years old and in the boarding school.
In
1994, she joined the drumline of the Boys Brigade of Nigeria and majored in the
snare drums.
In
2004, she graduated from Ọlábísí Ọ̀nábánjọ University, Àgọ́-Ìwòyè,
Ọ̀gùn State with a second upper division in accounting. In addition, she has
two diplomas and professional certifications in accounting. She worked as a
marketer and the head of internal audit for some financial institutions before
focusing on her music career.
In
2005, she began her music career professionally after her mother taught her how
to play the talking drums. She learnt more about the art from other talking
drummers.
In
2007, she was awarded a scholarship to study music at the PEFTI Film Institute, Lagos. She majored in the drum set and graduated with distinction.
In
2009, she registered with the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) as a
songwriter. She provided music therapy for the Down Syndrome Foundation of
Nigeria.
She
learnt how to play the violin at the Baptist Church Music Camp and Music
School.
In
2010, she founded Drumline Entertainment.
In
2012, she wrote the book: HOW TO PLAY THE TALKING DRUM IN SEVEN DAYS. She
organised her first talking drum workshop. She won the Christmas Magi Contest at the Christmas Magic charity concert organised by the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) and
the Art Colony International by performing classical and jazz music. She competed with a pianist, a violinist, a tenor singer and a quartet of
clarinettists. She also earned a certificate in entrepreneurship from the Edge
Business School, Lagos.
In 2014, she was made a Talking Drum Ambassador by Intro Afrika, organisers of the Yorùba Drum Festival.́
In
2015, she was selected as one of the six Nigerian DJs to tour Lagos and Abuja
to introduce the electronic dance music genre of music into Nigeria via the
Electronic Soundscape Music Production and Live DJ Set Project. These events
were sponsored by Goethe Institut, Lagos, Alliance France, Lagos and Institut
France, Abuja, Nigeria. DJ Ìràwọ̀ was the only female DJ on this project.
In
2018, she earned a certificate in intellectual property law from Harvard Law
School, USA. She also earned a certificate in Prince2 Project Management from
Agile P3 Consulting, Lagos. She was also given an award by the Mo-Rainbow Down
Syndrome Foundation for the music therapy provided for the pupils of the
institution.
On
June 28, 2022, she was bestowed with the title of Àyàn Àgalú Amazon by the
Ọọ̀ni of Ilé Ifẹ̀, Ọba Adéyẹyè Ẹnitàn Ogúnwùsì (Ọjájá II) at
the Ọọ̀ni's palace shortly before the Àyàn Àgalú Festival, 2022.
In November 2023, Drumline Entertainment became DJ Ìràwọ̀ Company. Here, she provides music, media, Yorùba language and music business services.́
DJ Ìràwọ̀
has performed at several jazz festivals, art festivals, drum festivals, music
concerts, club raves, musical theatre performances, corporate and private
events.
She has
also taught several children, teenagers, youths and adults, different subjects
such as music, fine art, writing, literature in English, mathematics, business, law, accounting, Yorùbá language, talking drums and the music business.
She
is working on her music singles which will be released as soon as
possible.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Please, follow Ìràwọ̀ Ọlúwakẹ́mi Fáḿùgbódé on the internet via the following links:
X = @djirawo
TikTok = @djirawo
YouTube = @djirawo
YouTube = @irawoyorubaniwa
LinkedIn = @djirawo
Pinterest = @djirawo
Threads = @djirawodrums
Instagram = @djirawodrums
Instagram =
Facebook = @djirawo
Facebook = @irawodrummer
Blog = djirawo.com
People ask me why I am not out there like I ought to be since I
have been performing for a long time.
Well, shit happens.
My marital mistake got me into this deep mess.
MY EX-HUSBAND WAS NOT SUPPORTIVE OF MY MUSIC, WRITING AND CONSULTING CAREERS.
He wanted me to continue with my 9-to-5 job so that he would know where I was at every point in time.
Even when I did these jobs, I changed jobs frequently because of him.
So, I resigned completely to focus on my music. Then he asked me to choose between him and my music and of course, I chose my beloved music and fought him for the custody of our three children.
Initially, he pretended to be supportive at the
beginning of our fourteen years of marriage but time revealed that he is the
greatest enemy of my destiny.
My enemies can only delay the hands of my ticking clock but they can
never delay the shinning of my star. - DJ Ìràwọ̀ (Talking Drum
Ambassador; Talking Drum Magician; Talking Drum Amazon; 5⭐DJ).
Also, I could not cope with combining the care of our three children with performing music because music entails that I keep late nights and travel often. So, I
took time to care for them.
With two of them in higher institutions an my last in a boarding school, I am back to performing music again.
So, I begin again; slowly, steadily but surely.
Below are some of my videos, blog and newspaper interviews.
Note that anywhere I mentioned that he supported me is all
lies.
The lies were just to encourage him to support me to keep a 'happy home' because I knew that the narcissist that I was married to would read my interviews to pick at the 'loopholes'.
Now, I am free to shine my light on the world without restrictions
and inhibitions.💪
VIDEO INTERVIEWS
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Marking World Mental Health Day with Tukura John Daniel on Saturday, October 10, 2020
- How I use the Talking Drum to Play Jazz (2015)
Irawo the Talking Drummer (2015)
The Magic This Time (2012)
Why I dumped my Job for Music (2009)
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