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 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.
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.
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.
“After putting the acronym together I said you know what, let me just call this album FUJI. It’s the sound I’m making anyway, it’s the soundtrack of my childhood, the soundtrack of my life, soundtrack of Lagos where I’m from,” he explained.
It’s a full circle moment for the international superstar who is reconnecting with the streets that raised him, all thanks to one firing back in 2014.