# Teni (singer)

Teniola Apata MON (born 23 December 1993), professionally known as Teni or Teni The Entertainer is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and entertainer.

## Early life

Teni was born on 23 December 1993 in Lagos State. She is the younger sister of Nigerian singer Niniola. She attended Apata Memorial High School and later the University of Georgia, but finished at American InterContinental University where she obtained degree in business administration.

## Career
### 2016–2019: Fargin, Askamaya and Other Recordings

Teni released her debut single "Amen" while signed to Shizzi's Magic Fingers Records. She left the record label and signed with Dr. Dolor Entertainment in 2017. Teni started gaining prominence after releasing the single "Fargin" in September 2017. She made her breakthrough after releasing the hit singles "Askamaya", "Case" which was later covered by Nigerian musician Snazzy the Optimist as "Upgrade", and "Uyo Meyo". "Askamaya" was ranked 15th on MTV Base's year-end list of the Top 20 Hottest Naija Tracks of 2018.
On 20 February 2019, Teni was featured on YouTube Music's Trending Artist on the Rise. On 3 May 2019, she released the video for "Sugar Mummy". On 14 June 2019, she released a new single titled "Power Rangers".

### 2019–2020: Billionaire E.P and Quarantine Playlist

Teni released her debut E.P, Billionaire on 11 October 2019. The "Billionaire EP" was compiled with six (6) tracks and no guest appearance. The E.P was produced by Jaysynths Beatz and Pheelz.
In April 2020, Teni partnered with Nigerian Disk Jockey, DJ Neptune to release an EP called the Quarantine Playlist, which sees her playing out different stages of being in quarantine and talking about the strains of being on lock down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The four-track EP is mostly mid-tempo and includes production from Tempoe, P. Prime and Dëra.

### 2021–present: Wondaland

On 2 February 2021, Teni revealed the name and expected date for her forthcoming debut album. She shared this on her Instagram account "The time is near... And the album shall be called “WONDALAND” 🦋#MARCH2021 #WONDALAND"
Her debut album 'WONDALAND' was crafted for over two years in cities like London, New York City, Orlando, Ondo, Lagos and Abuja.
The album's production was handled by Pheelz, Damayo, Tempoe, P.Prime, Millamix, Krizbeatz, and Ozedikus and was made available for purchase and online streaming on several music platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, and Google Play.

### 2024–present: Global Citizen

In 2024, Teni signed to Artist House, an independent record label & management company based in New York City. On January 17, 2025, Teni released her new single "Money", which is her biggest single debut to date. The single reached Top 10 Spotify, Apple, YouTube, TikTok Nigeria, Top 50 Global Shazam, #1 Shazam Nigeria, Top 10 Shazam Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, & Cameroon. Her new project Global Citizen is due out in 2025.

## Endorsements

In March 2019, Teni signed an endorsement deal with Tom Tom, a candy brand produced by Cadbury Nigeria. On 6 October 2020, PM News reported that Teni had signed an endorsement deal with Telecommunications Giant, Globacom Nigeria.

## Awards and nominations

Teni won Rookie of the Year at the 2018 Headies Awards, and Most Promising Act to Watch at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. She also won Best New Artist at the 2018 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. NotJustOk ranked her eighth on its list of the 10 Hottest Artists in Nigeria. She was listed on Premium Times' list of the Six Nigerian break-out stars, viral sensations of 2018.
In October 2022, Teni was conferred a Nigerian National Award – Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) – by Nigeria's former president Muhammadu Buhari. There was a controversy on social media about her approach to receiving the award.

## Discography
### Studio albums and EPs

* Billionaire (2019)
* The Quarantine Playlist (2020)
* WONDALAND (2021)
* Moslado Refix (featuring Emmyblaq)
* Christmas Is Here (2023)

### Selected singles

As lead artist :
| Year | Title | Album |
| 2016 | "Amen" | Non-album single |
| 2017 | "Fargin" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Wait" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Pareke" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Lagos" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Askamaya" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Fake Jersey" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Shake Am" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Case" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Pray" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Uyo Meyo" | Non-album single |
| 2019 | "Party Next Door" | TBA |
| 2019 | "Sugar Mummy" | TBA |
| 2019 | "Power Rangers" | TBA |
| 2020 | "Marry" | Non-album single |
| 2021 | "For You" ft Davido | Wondaland |
| 2021 | "Dorime" | Non-album single |
| 2022 | "One Day" | Non-album single |
| 2022 | "My Way (E GET WHY) [Freestyle]" | |
| 2022 | "LITTLE & LENGENDARY" | LITTLE & LENGENDARY |
| 2023 | "No Days Off" | Non-album single |
| 2023 | "Lanke" | Non-album single |
| 2023 | "Malaika" | Non-album single |
| 2025 | "Money" | Global Citizen |
| As featured artist |||
| Year | Title | Album |
| 2018 | "Rambo" (Dr. Dolor featuring Teni) | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Pray" | Non-album single |
| 2018 | "Aye Kan" (Shizzi featuring Teni and Mayorkun) | Non-album single |
| 2019 | ‘’Sound’’ (Diamond Platnumz) feat. Teni ‘’Laye Mi’’ (Codest Boi) feat. Teni | Non-album single |
| 2020 | Fuji Pop (Ojayy Wright featuring Teni) | Non-album single |
| Writing credits |||
| Year | Title | Album |
| 2017 | "Like Dat" by Davido | Non-album single |

## Awards

| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Recipient | Result |
| 2018 | The Headies | Rookie of the Year | Herself | Won |
| 2018 | Soundcity MVP Awards Festival | Best New Artist | Herself | Won |
| 2018 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Most Promising Act to Watch | Herself | Won |
| 2019 | BET Awards | Best New International Act | Herself | Nominated |
| 2019 | The Headies | Best Pop Single | "Case" | Won |
| 2019 | The Headies | Song of the Year | "Case" | Nominated |
| 2019 | The Headies | Best Recording of the Year | "Uyo Meyo" | Won |
| 2019 | The Headies | Best R&B Single | "Uyo Meyo" | Nominated |
| 2019 | The Headies | Viewer's Choice | Herself | Won |
| 2019 | The Headies | Best Vocal Performance (Female) | Teni for "Uyo Meyo" | Won |
| 2019 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best African Act | Herself | Nominated |
| 2020 | Soundcity MVP Awards | Best female MVP | Herself | Won |
| 2021 | Net Honours | Most Searched Musician (female) | Herself | Won |
| 2021 | All Africa Music Awards | All Africa Music Awards | Herself | Pending |
| 2022 | Nigeria National Awards | Member of the Order of Niger | Herself | Awarded |