Biography

Inetimi Timaya Odon (born 15 August 1980), addressed by his dais name Timaya, is a renowned Nigerian singer and songwriter. He is the founder of DM Records Limited.

His solo career began in 2005 with the release of “Dem Mama“, which also appeared on his debut album, True Story, released the following year. His second album, Gift and Grace, was released in 2008.

Meanwhile, he gained further visibility and international prominence through his third studio album De Rebirth—released in partnership with Black Body Entertainment—and its lead single, “Plantain Boy“. 

Both were commercially successful and made him some money, of which he collaborated with Dem Mama Soldiers on the album LLNP (Long Life N Prosperity). In 2012, Timaya released Upgrade, which spawned hits “Bum Bum“, “Sexy Ladies“, and “Malonogede“.

His work has earned him several notable awards and nominations, including four The Headies Awards wins, 2 AFRIMMA Awards wins, one Nigeria Music Award, and an NEA Award.

Timaya
Timaya: History, Bio, Photo
Wiki Facts & About Data
Full Name:	Inetimi Timaya Odon
Stage Name:	Timaya
Born:	15 August 1980 (age 43 years old)
Place of Birth:	Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
State Of Origin:	Bayelsa State
Nationality:	Nigerian
Height:	1.8 m
Parents:	N/A
Siblings:	14
Wife • Spouse:	Barbara Nwaokolo
Girlfriend • Partner:	Empress Njamah (ex.)
Children:	Emmanuella Odon, Gracey Odon, Maya Odon
Occupation:	Singer • Songwriter
Net Worth:	US$10 million

Early Life

Inetimi Timaya Odon was born on 15 August 1980 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He grew up as part of a large family, the youngest of fifteen children in Agip Estate, Port Harcourt.

He hails from Odi, Bayelsa state.

His father was a banker, and his mother was a trader. Timaya attended Assemblies of God Nursery And Primary School for his early education. His secondary school education began at Nkpolu Oroworukwo in Port Harcourt.

He would often break house rules to attend late-night music events. Before Timaya could graduate from school, his mother arranged to travel to Lagos with his older brother and older sister. After moving to the city, he gained admission into Lagos’ Ikeja Grammar School, where he eventually obtained a secondary school certificate.

Timaya later returned to Port Harcourt to study Banking and Finance at the tertiary level. However, he performed poorly in examinations and dropped out after the first semester. As a backup vocalist, he moved back to Lagos to join Eedris Abdulkareem‘s hip-hop group. 

After three years working for Eedris Abdulkareem, Timaya departed from the group to focus on his solo career. He began to record collaborations with fellow up-and-coming artists and made his first cameo appearance in an unreleased music video by UDX, a Lagos-based rap group. He subsequently met producer Obaksolo in Mafoluku, Oshodi, who produced his first major hit record, “Dem Mama,” after hearing him perform the a cappella version.

He worked with Namse Udosen (Menthol X) on the track “Pomporo” on his first album, True Story.

Describing the song in an interview posted in August 2013, Timaya said: “‘Dem Mama‘ was an account of the 1999 destruction of Odi, a riverside community in Niger Delta. Soldiers were hunting down militants they alleged killed eight policemen. The village was burnt down, and numerous people were killed. I bravely tackled the issue years later and won instant street credibility for my boldness.”

Education

Timaya went to the Assemblies of God Nursery and Primary School for his pre-primary and primary education. Afterward, he attended secondary school at Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt. 

His mother made him follow his elder brother and sister to Lagos before finishing secondary school in Port Harcourt. When he came to Lagos, he gained admission into Ikeja Grammar School, Lagos.

After secondary school, Timaya went back to Port Harcourt to study Banking and Finance at the university, but he eventually dropped out when he failed his first semester exams.

Career

After the success of “Dem Mama“, Timaya decided to continue with producer K-Solo. He recorded seven more songs for his first album True Story, eventually released in 2007. 

Later that year, Timaya began work on his second album with producers Phyno, Jeggs, Spankie, Akeem D Beat, Obaksolo, and Terry G. In 2008, the album titled Gift and Grace was released into stores nationwide.

Timaya won two awards in 2008: “Album of the Year” at Nigeria Music Awards and “Best Reggae/Dancehall album” at the The Headies Awards. He also received two awards, “Best Reggae/Dancehall album” for Gift and Grace and “Best Collaboration” for his feature on J Martins‘ “Good or Bad (O Wey)” at the 2009 edition of The Headies.

Two years later, Timaya released his third album, De Rebirth, and its success-themed lead single, “Plantain Boy“. The album’s production was handled by Akeem D Beat, Phyno, Flux, M-Yire, Jay Sleek, N.D, Jesse Jagz, and Obaksolo.

Timaya collaborated with guest artists, including 2Baba, TJ 2Solo, Allenian, Konga, Lanre, MI Abaga, TJ, and Wrecoba. In 2010, he appeared on the song “Kokoroko” by female gospel artist Kefee, which went on to win in the “Best Collaboration” category at the 2010 Headies Awards. he recently featured by Kcee in a song titled ‘Erima.

In November 2011, Timaya released LLNP (Long Life And Prosperity), a collaborative album with his crew, Dem Mama Soldiers. The album’s second track, “Dem No Like Me,” featured a legendary reggae singer, Ras Kimono. On 25 June 2012, he released a 14-track album titled Upgrade, which produced notable hits “Bum-Bum“, “Sexy Ladies“, and “Malonogede“.

The album features collaborations with Attitude, Terry G and Vector. Duncan Mighty and Timaya, dueted on “I Know I Know Dat“, leaked onto the internet a few hours after the former’s album Footprints was released into stores. Both artists were among the honorees at the 4th annual Odudu Music Awards alongside M-Trill, Sodi Cookey, Becky Enyioma, and Timi Dakolo.

In 2014, he released his fifth studio album, titled Epiphany. The album was a 20-tracker, with global hits, such as “Bum Bum Remix” (featuring Dancehall A-Lister, Sean Paul), “Sanko“, and “Ukwu“. It also featured 2Baba, Patoranking, Olamide, Sir Shina Peters, Deethi, Phyno, and Terry G. In 2017, Timaya performed in Nassau, Bahamas, where he headlined the first-ever Afro-Soca Concert.

After 5 years of releasing singles and touring, Timaya released an EP titled Chulo Vibes (2019). This project featured East African artist Alikiba, Trinidadian Soca Legend Machel Montano, and Nigeria’s Burna Boy.

Timaya set up his record label, DM Records Limited. Under which he groomed artists such as Patoranking and Runtown. In 2017, he signed young Dancehall/Afro-Fusion artiste King Perryy to the DM Records imprint.

Personal Life

Timaya attends Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel. He is blessed with three lovely children, a boy, and two girls. He lives in the luxurious mansion he built at Lekki, Lagos.

He had two kids, Emmanuella Odon and Gracey Odon girlfriend named Barbara Nwaokolo. Timaya once dated Empress Njamah. He had one of his children, Maya Odon from his previous relationship.

His fleet of exotic and expensive cars reflects how God has blessed him through his music. His cars are a Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, Range Rover Sport 2013, Range Rover Sport 2016, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Lexus SUV 2015. Asides from the cars and his house, Timaya has other assets, especially landed properties.

Discography

Albums

• True Story (2007)
• Gift And Grace (2008)
• De Rebirth (2010)
• LLNP Long Life N Prosperity (2011)
• Upgrade (2012)
• Epiphany (2014)
• Chulo Vibes EP (2019)
• Gratitude 2020

Singles

• Ekoloma Demba (Epiphany) – 2014
• Bow Down (Epiphany) – 2014
• Gbagam (Epiphany) – 2014
• Lai Lai (Epiphany) – 2014
• Sanko (Single) – 2014
• Ukwu (Single) – 2014
• I concur (Single Produced by Killertunes) – 2015
• Amayanabo (Single) – 2015
• Some more (Single) – 2015
• I like the way (Single) – 2016
• Bang Bang (Single) – 2016
• Money featuring Flavour (Single) – 2016
• 2 Stoopid (Single) – 2019
• 2021″Eff All Day” (featuring Phyno)

Net Worth

Timaya is an A-list artist in the Nigerian music industry and has spent over a decade in the entertainment business.

He has signed some mouth-watering endorsements as well. The singer is estimated to have a net worth of US$10 million.

Social Media

• Twitter: @timayatimaya
• Instagram: @timayatimaya

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