Teni is a singer, songwriter and entertainer, who was born as Teniola Apata, in Lagos State on 12th December 1992 to Mr and Mrs Apata. Teni has placed herself at the summit of the Nigerian music industry since her arrival on the music scene. She is nicknamed Oba Orin, meaning King of songs. Some also call her Nigerian Missy Elliot or Naija Missy Elliot.
Among other things, the talented singer is well-loved by both her fans and neutral music enthusiasts.
In this article, we explore the biography of Teni the entertainer but first some key facts that many do not know about her.
10 facts about Teni that everyone should know
- Teni’s full name is Teniola Apata and she was born on 12th December 1992.
- Her father was assassinated when she was just two years old. Teniola Apata father was Simeon Apata, a retired Brigadier General that was assassinated on 8th January 1995.
- Teni is a biological sister of popular Nigerian musician, Niniola Apata, who goes by the stage name Niniola.
- Teni is credited with writing Davido’s hit song Like Dat in 2017.
- Teni’s music is influenced by the fuji sound and her music seamlessly blends sound from fuji and Afrobeats making it appealing across generations of music lovers.
- Teni released only one song each both in 2016 and 2017. Her first song Amen was released under Shizzi Magic Fingers record label before she mover to Dr Dolor Entertainment
- She was accused of being a homosexual by Pericoma Mesuo Okoye who goes by stage name Speed Darlington in 2019.
- Teni is the first African to be featured on YouTube Trending Artist on the Rise, a feat she achieved in February 2019
- She was nominated for the BET Awards Best New International Act and the MTV Europe Music Awards Best African Act in 2019
- Among the several awards that Teni has won, she had won The Headies Best Pop Single Award in 2019 and also the Best Recording of the Year Award in the same year.
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Teni Biography: Early life
Teniola Apata, popularly known by her stage name Teni or Teni the Entertainer, was born on 12th December 1992. The fun-loving celebrity is allegedly the ninth child in a family of 10 children. Teni’s parents were Mr and Mrs Apata and she was born in Lagos State.
However, Teni is from Ekiti State, her late father’s hometown. Teni’s father was Simeon Apata, a retired Brigadier General that was assassinated on 8th January 1995. Teni was only two years old when her father died. Simeon Apata had married three wives and thus naturally had a large family.
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Teni Apata attended Apata Memorial High School, a military-styled private boarding school in Lagos that her father had founded in 1980. Apata Memorial High School is renowned to this day as a strict disciplinary school.
Once she completed her secondary school education, Teni went on to the United States of America. While there, she obtained a degree in Business Administration at the American Intercontinental University.
Music influences
Teni had always loved music right from school. During her days at her alma mater, Apata Memorial High School, she had been part of the school band and had played the band’s drum.
Also, while growing up, Teni and her siblings were not allowed outdoors. To create their own fun, they would stay on the corridors and sing at the top of their voices. The singer also revealed that she listened to Wasiu Ayinde‘s songs while she was a child.
The legendary artiste known as K1 De Ultimate is a Nigerian Fuji musician. He popularised a brand of the fuji genre based on the work of the fuji creator Ayinde Barrister known as Talazo Fuji that appeals to all age groups, irrespective of tribe and background.
Related: Download and stream Teni Makanki Billionaire EP
Talazo Fuji’s sound is quite evident in most of Teni’s works. She was able to effortlessly blend the Fuji sound with Afrobets, creating a unique sound in the process. It was this uniqueness that brought her early attention even when she was just starting out.
Ninola and Teni
Niniola and TeniIs Niniola Teni’s elder sister?
That’s a question that has been on the lips of many and the answer is, “Yes”. Popular Nigerian singer Ninola Apata and Teniola Apata her sisters. Niniola is the elder sister of Teni and she started singing first before Teni burst into the limelight as well. It is likely that Niniola had influenced Teni’s choice of career.
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In 2018, Niniola had called people who said negative things about Teni’s look ‘stupid’ and ‘unhappy’. She had said this in a YouTube interview with Hot FM Radio. Both sisters have been rumoured to be working on a song together but they haven’t yet released any song together.
Teni Biography: Early music career
Teni Makanaki started her music career in Nigeria with a single titled Amen, which was released in 2016. When Teni released Amen in 2016, she had been under Shizzi Magic Fingers record label. While Shizzi Magic Fingers needs no introduction, it is important to note that by then the label had produced hit songs for the likes of Wizkid, Davido and Olamide.
Thus, Teni’s first single immediately caught attention. Music enthusiasts were ecstatic over the track and it was getting airplay on so many radio stations.
This early success was likely because the track was able to tap into the modern popular Afrobeats while still retaining the Fuji sounds from the prior generation. The result was simple: a track that both the young and old could vibe to. However, it was only the tip of the iceberg as Teni was just starting although she didn’t release any new song for the rest of the year.
Teni Biography: Later music career
In 2017, Teni left Shizzi Magic Fingers record label and signed with Dr Dolor Entertainment. She returned with the hit song Fargin. It was seemingly concocted with the same formula that Amen had been created. Fargin became an earworm that many people could literally not get enough of. Just two songs into the Nigerian music industry and Teni was already getting honourable mentions.
Still, at that time, Teni was still seen as an alté singer and had still not gained that followership peculiar to mainstream musicians. Then in 2018, Teni dropped Wait. The release of Wait made it three songs and three hits for the then-upcoming singer. She was already being called Oba Orin and some christened her Teni Makanaki.
2018 also saw Teni releasing a string of singles. The song Askamaya drove party-goers to finally acknowledge that Teni was indeed a musical force to reckon with. On the back of the wave that Askamaya had created, Teni released Case and later dropped Uyo Meyo. Case was featured in YouTube Trending Artist on The Rise in February 2019, making Teni the first African artist to be so featured.
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Case and Uyo Meyo brought the well-loved singer many recognitions and awards. We will go into details about this in the Awards and recognition section of this article.
Late in 2019, by the beginning of October to be precise, Teni released the song Billionaire, which turned out to be one of her most popular songs. While this track is yet to win her an award, it has undisputedly become the top Teni song. It also led to what became her first official Extended Play (EP).
Teni Billionaire EP
On 16th October 2019, Teniola Apata compiled her first official EP and named it after its lead song Billionaire. The Billionaire EP has six songs including Nowo, Billionaire, Complain, Super Woman, Shayo and Online.
Teni released the EP under Dr Dolor Entertainment Records. She works with record producers like Jaysynths Beatz and Pheelz on the project.
Teni as a songwriter
Let us now look at another aspect of her career that many overlook when they talk about Teni, namely as a songwriter.
