Mavin Records artist Johnny Drille has come a long way from teaching himself production techniques in his childhood bedroom. Not only has he contributed to the rise of Nigeria’s alternative and folk music scene, but he has emerged as few of the artists in the genre to reach over 10 million streams globally across streaming platforms including Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music and Boomplay.
Johnny Drille shared a #TBT photo on Instagram from his days as a contestant on the 6th season of MTN Project Fame Talent Hunt in 2013, and contrasted that photo with one from recent shoot to celebrate a new music milestone, stating in the caption “[10 Million Streams, thank you my wonderful fans]”. Fans reacted in the comments on his remarkable growth as an artist and as a force on the music scene.
His first major break came in 2015 when he covered Di’ja’s hit “Awww”, catching the attention of Mavin Records founder and producer Don Jazzy, among countless other across the continent. He was signed to the label in 2017.
Since signing to Mavin, Johnny Drille’s career has taken off even further. He has released singles and music videos like “Awa Love” and “Halleluyah” a 2018 hit release featuring Simi. His first ever live show, called Johnny’s Room Live, took place in Lagos in October and attracted an audience of over 3000 fans. Johnny rounded out the year with a follow-up edition of Johnny’s Room Live in Abuja in November, packing in over 1500 fans and making #johnnydrille to the highest trending hashtag in Nigeria.
Johnny Drille is expected to release two new singles on February 1st; Shine & Forever
