DenG

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DenG
Birth nameDaniel Tom George
Born (1984-09-01) September 1, 1984 (age 37)
Bong County, Liberia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Associated acts

Daniel Tom George (born September 1, 1984), known professionally as DenG, is a Liberian singer and songwriter from Bong County.[1] He started his music career as an R&B artist before making a guest appearance on Emma Smith's single "I Want to Go". DenG rose to prominence after being featured on Queen V's 2013 hit single "Jue You Bad".[1] Following the success of "Jue You Bad", he switched from R&B to Afro pop.[1]

Music career[]

A descendant of the Kpelle tribe, Daniel Tom George was born on September 1, 1984, in Bong County, Liberia.[1][2] He developed an interest in music at a young age and joined his church's choir. DenG's family relocated to Ghana during Liberia's second civil war; he attended Achimota School while living in Ghana. DenG returned to Liberia and studied business at the United Methodist University.[2] He started his music career as an R&B artist before venturing into Afro pop music, and was featured on Emma Smith's single "I Want to Go".[1] DenG gained prominence in 2013 after being featured on Queen V's hit single "Jue You Bad", which also features vocals by Tan Tan.[1][3] In 2014, he released the single "They Vex", a song that addresses the jealousy associated with fame and recognition.[1] His management team announced a tee-shirt collection, featuring the phrase "If they vex, let them buss", would arrive in Liberia.[4] DenG collaborated with F.A and Soul Fresh to record "Ebola is Real", a hipco track that informs Liberians about ways they can protect and prevent the spread of Ebola.[5] Recorded in colloquial English, "Ebola is Real" was created in partnership with Liberia's Ministry of Health & Social Welfare and the radio station Hott FM.[5]

In 2015, DenG won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "They Vex" at the 2015 Liberia Music Awards.[1] He also won Best Artist and Song of the Year for "They Vex" at the 2015 Liberian Entertainment Awards.[6] DenG signed a $50,000 endorsement deal with Novafone Liberia, a GSM carrier.[1] He released "Kemah" in 2015; it earned him a nomination for Best New Artist at the African Entertainment Awards that same year.[1] In January 2016, DenG posted a note on his Facebook page, expressing his desire to quit music.[7] However, in a telephone interview with LIB Life, he clarified his post was intended to find out whether Liberians still had interest in his career.[7]

The music video for DenG's "Put Foot" was released in January 2016.[8] DenG first announced plans for the video's release earlier that month.[7] He accused his manager Alice Yawo of downgrading the video's quality after she thanked a fan, who belittled the video, for their comments.[8] In June 2016, DenG and Yawo had a fallout from their unwillingness to communicate.[9] DenG was nominated for Listener's Choice at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards, becoming the first Liberian artist to receive a MAMA nomination.[10] In late 2016, he performed alongside Christoph the Change, Kcee and Tekno at Beach Jam, a concert sponsored by Lonestar Cell.[11] On June 9, 2017, DenG released the Sarkodie-assisted track "Janjay".[12] It was jointly produced by Liberia's Stone Luckshine and Ghana's Possigee.[12] Described as a Liberian highlife song, "Janjay" contains lyrics about a girl's dream.[12] Prior to the song's release, DenG enlisted Kcee to appear on his track "Make Dem Talk".[12] In July 2017, Emma Smith recruited DenG to lent vocals to her single "Hold Ground", an up-tempo track that has elements of Afrobeat and dancehall.[13]

In May 2018, DenG organized the first leg of his American tour; it concluded with a concert in Washington DC.[14] In August 2018, he performed at the One Africa Music Fest, becoming the first Liberian act to perform at the festival.[15] Held at the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island, the festival featured additional performances from Wizkid, Flavour N'abania, Tekno, Sarkodie, Cassper Nyovest and Diamond Platnumz.[15] DenG was one of the Liberian acts who performed at a concert headlined by Nigerian singer Davido; the concert was held at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in November 2018.[16]

Personal life[]

In January 2018, The New Dawn newspaper reported DenG's brother Smith George died in Margibi County.[17] George's body was discovered with foam around his mouth.[17]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Event Prize Recipient Result Ref
2015 Liberian Entertainment Awards Best Artist Himself Won [6]
Song of the Year "They Vex" Won
Won [18]
Artist of the Year Himself Won
Afro Pop Artist of the Year Nominated [19]
African Entertainment Awards Best New Artist Nominated [1]
2016 Nigeria Entertainment Awards African Male Artist of the Year (Non Nigerian) Nominated [20]
MTV Africa Music Awards Listener's Choice Nominated [21]
2018 Tunes Liberia Music Awards Artist of the Year Won [22]
Song of the Year "Grateful" Won
Artist of the Year Himself Nominated [23]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tete Bropleh (September 8, 2016). "DenG Turns 32". Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Who is DenG? A Brief Profile". Liberia Broadcasting System. November 9, 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. ^ "'Jue You Bad' Artist QUEEN V Raps on Celebrity, Motherhood". Daily Observer. March 30, 2014. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  4. ^ "If They Vex, Let Them Buss". Daily Observer. November 27, 2014. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b Uri Friedman (August 25, 2014). "How to Make a Hit Song About Ebola". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b "DenG Grabs Double Awards". Daily Observer. February 26, 2015. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Why DenG Said He Quit". Daily Observer. January 14, 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b "DenG and Manager Argue Over "Put Foot" Video Quality". Daily Observer. January 21, 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  9. ^ Tete Bropleh (June 2, 2016). "DenG and Manager Alice 'Split for Good'". Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  10. ^ Tete Bropleh (October 6, 2016). "DenG Makes History". Liberian Observer. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  11. ^ Tete Bropleh (December 1, 2016). "Concert Review: KCEE Out-performs Tekno at Lonestar Cell Beach Jam". Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d Edwin Mohammed (June 15, 2017). "Deng and Sarkodie collaborate on Janjay". Liberian Listener. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  13. ^ Robin Dopoe (July 20, 2017). "Emma Smith Back with DenG to 'Hold Ground'". Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  14. ^ "The Phenomenon of DenG's Musical Career". Front Page Africa. May 11, 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  15. ^ a b T Kla Wesley Jr. (August 14, 2018). "DenG Becomes First Liberian to Perform at One Africa Music Fest". Bush Chicken. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  16. ^ Robin Dopoe (8 November 2018). "Liberia: Davido Billed to Perform in Liberia November 29". Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  17. ^ a b Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr (9 January 2018). "Liberia: Deng's Brother Killed At SRC". The New Dawn. Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  18. ^ "K-ZEE, Eric Geso, DenG Win Big at LMA". Daily Observer. July 2, 2015. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Liberia Music Awards Foundation Announces the Nominees for 2015". Daily Observer. May 6, 2015. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  20. ^ Adedayo Showemimo (17 June 2016). "FULL nominee list for 2016 Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA)". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Archived from the original on 2017-01-02. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  21. ^ Alyssa Klein (October 22, 2016). "Here's the Full List of Nominees at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards in Johannesburg". OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  22. ^ "DenG wins big at Liberian awards ceremony". Music in Africa. 2 March 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Liberia Music Awards 2018: Stunna tops list of nominees". Music in Africa. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
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