Tay Iwar

Austin Iornongu Iwar (born 9 June 1997), better known by his stage name Tay Iwar (formally Tay), is a Nigerian neo soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and sound engineer. He's signed to BANTU, with a licensing deal with Soulection. He was formerly signed to Universal Music Group Nigeria, and his a pioneer of the Alté musical genre. He came into the music scene with a critically acclaimed mixtape album Passport, which earned him a nomination at the 3rd and 4th edition of Nigerian Teens Choice Awards in the Choice Mixtape/EP category in 2014 and 2015. In 2021, Wizkid album Made in Lagos, deluxe version earned him a Grammy Awards.
==Early life==
Austin Iornongu Iwar was born on 9 June 1997 in Victoria Island, Lagos, and raised between Lagos and Abuja. Iwar began creating music at age fourteen, using the music digital software FL Studio. In 2015, he spoke about his journey at TED (conference) in Rivers State.
==Career==
In 2014, Tay Iwar (formally 'Tay') came into the music scene with his brother Suté Iwar. Same year, they created Bantu Collective, an entertainment company in Abuja, for recording, and music distribution, with a photo studio. Shortly after, Tay Iwar released his mixtape Passport, on 20 April 2014, through BANTU. In 2015, he launched his music career on SoundCloud, with a version of Jai Paul "Zion Wolf", as Tay. Which earned him a nomination at 4th 2015 Nigerian Teens Choice Awards for Choice Song of the Year in 2015.
On 22 April 2016, he released a seven-track ep titled Renascentia, featuring Sute Iwar. In 2017, "Equestrian Love" from the extended play Renascentia was on the soundtrack list of Skinny Girl in Transit season 3. Shortly after the premiere of Skinny Girl in Transit season 3 in February, "Equestrian Love" gained popularity and became a trending topic on Twitter, shortly after M.I Abaga|M.I posted the song, of the moment. On 29 April 2017, he opens for Aṣa, at Encore "Live In Lagos" Concert 2017 at Eko Convention Center in Lagos.
In 2018, Tay Iwar signed a publshing deal with Universal Music Group Nigeria, alongside Mr Eazi, Tekno (musician), Wurld (musician), Odunsi (the Engine), Cina Soul, Stonebwoy, and Vanessa Mdee. On 30 January 2018, he released "Video Star", a self-produced track, and his first single under Universal Music Group Nigeria. On 3 February 2018, he released the visual to "Video Star", directed by Director K, for Universal Music Group Nigeria. "Video Star" was shortlisted among the 10 Best Nigerian Songs of the Month, by OkayAfrica.
On 26 August 2018, Tay Iwar unveiled his publishing and distribution deal with Soulection, with the release of 1997, a collective of singles including "Space", "Sugardaddy", and "Miracle Girl", under Soulection, as the lead singles off his debut album GEMINI, released on 29 March 2019. The album features guess appearance from Cruel Santino, Preyé, Odunsi (The Engine), and Suté Iwar. "Utero" from the album, earned him a nomination for The Headies Award for Best Vocal Performance (Male)|Best Vocal Performance (Male) at the 14th edition of The Headies 2020|The Headies.
On 13 April 2019, "Diamond", and "Keeps" from GEMINI, studio album was aired for the first time on Soulection#Apple Music and Beats-1 Radio|Soulection radio.
In 2020, he was featured on Wizkid Made in Lagos album, on "True Love", alongside Projexx. In 2021, following the release of the deluxe version on 27 August 2021. He co-wrote "Steady"	from the deluxe version, which earned him a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, for Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album|Best Global Music Album. Same year, he was featured on Tiwa Savage Water & Garri EP on "Special Kinda".
On 1 December 2021, Tay, performed "True Love" with Wizkid, for the first time at Made in Lagos Tour in London at The O2 Arena.
Category:1997 births
Category:English-language singers from Nigeria
Category:Nigerian rhythm and blues singers
Category:Singers from Lagos
Category:People from Lagos