Talk about perseverance and someone who does not ever believe in failure, then talk about Yinka Ayefele. The Nigerian music celebrity started his music career a year after getting involved in a terrible automobile accident that damaged his spinal cord and left him in a wheelchair to this day. However, his condition never stopped him from pursuing a career as a gospel artist.
- Full name: Olayinka Joel Ayefele
- Date of Birth: 1st February 1968
- Age: 53 Years Old
- Place of Birth: Ekiti State
- Ethnicity: Yoruba
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Education: Ondo State College of Arts and Science in Ikare Akoko, Ondo State
- Occupation: Musician
- Marital Status: Married to Temitope Titilope (2000)
- Children: Triplets; 2 girls and a girl (Ayodeji Stanley, Oluwadamisi Oluwafifehansimi, and Joel Omo Ayefele)
- Years Active: 1998- present
- Net Worth: $400,000
What Yinka Ayefele’s Early Days Looked Like
He was born Olayinka Joel Ayefele on the 1st day of February 1968 in the city of Ekiti in Ekiti State, Nigeria. It was also there that he grew up and had his primary and secondary education. Yinka was born to Chief Joshua Taiwo Ayefele and is the first child in his family. He attended Our Saviours Anglic an Primary and Secondary school. In further pursuance of his education, he went to Ondo State College of Arts and Science in Ikare Akoko, Ondo State, where he obtained a diploma.
Even before he started his professional career, music seems to be one of the things he loves as he had been the leader in his church choir. He is also conversant with playing almost all musical instruments and would sometimes get the chance to play them in his church. Meanwhile, Ayefele graduated from college and started searching for a job in many places, especially banking jobs, but could not find any.
During the time, he attended an event at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Ibadan, and luckily, he was noticed to have a studio voice. Immediately, he was given a couple of programs to handle. Hence, he started working as a freelance journalist and presenter and also produced some musical works. He was producing jingles and, at a time, was the leading jingle producer in the country, which exposed him to so many presenters. Yinka Ayefele worked with the FRCN radio station until on the fateful 12th December 1997.
His Music Career Started After He Survived a Terrible Automobile Accident in 1997
According to Ayefele, he said that his father wanted him to be a banker when he was growing up, which he worked towards but did not materialize. His brothers even tried all they could to secure a job for him, but all were to no avail. Despite that he loves music right from a young age, Ayefele never knew it would eventually become his profession.
On his way to a program at OGBC Ibadan, he got involved in a motor accident along Abeokuta road in which he sustained a spinal cord injury and broke several ribs. He had a quite slow recovery even after receiving medical treatments for many months.
He came into the Limelight Following the Release of His Debut Album, Bitter Experience
During his time in the hospital, one of his friends, Kola Oloot, visited him and, knowing he had been a talented singer back in the church, advised him to compose a song. So, he did, and that became his first album, Bitter Experience, released in 1998. The song, which mirrored his nine-month ordeal in the hospital, recorded a huge success, which motivated him to record more songs. The following year, he released another song, Sweet Experience, which reflected the sweetness after a bitter experience.
Since then, the music star has released about 15 albums, and some of his famous works include Something Else, Divine Intervention, Life After Death. His songs are dynamic in nature, with a blend of Gospel, Juju, Fuji, and sometimes Makosa. Despite being in a wheelchair since 1997, Yinka Ayefele has touched many lives through the administration of his songs. He is an incredible singer as he sings in various languages, including Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, and English.
Below are the albums he has released:
- Bitter Experience, 1998
- Sweet Experience, 1999
- Something Else, 2000
- Divine Intervention, 2001
- Fun Fair, 2002
- Life After Death, 2003
- Aspiration, 2003
- Fulfillment, 2004
- New Dawn, 2005
- Next Level, 2006
- Gratitude, 2007
- Absolute Praise, 2008
- Transformation, 2009
- Everlasting Grace, 2010
- Prayer Point, 2011
- Goodness of God, 2012
- Comforter, 2013
- Overcomer, 2014
- Upliftment, 2015
- Fresh Glory, 2016
- Living Testimony, 2017
- Favor, 2018
- Beyond the Limits, 2019
He Has Accumulated an Estimated Net Worth of $400,000
Touching lives with his song and story, Yinka Ayefele has grown to be a boss in the gospel music industry, thanks to his dedication and perseverance. He has accumulated a net worth estimated at $400,000. The Nigerian music boss charges as much as N5 million for an event, depending on the location. He is booked all around the year and has multiple events lined up for him to attend.
Yinka Ayefele makes his income majorly from his music career and radio station since he does not have any other known businesses or endorsements. However, his net worth still has the prospects of skyrocketing in any near future, considering his long-standing status in the entertainment industry.
The Singer Also Owns a Radio Station, Fresh FM
Yinka is the CEO of one of Ibadan’s biggest radio stations- Fresh Fm 105.9. The station was founded and fully licensed in April 2015. According to him, he started the radio station courtesy of his friend who introduced him to internet radio. He first started by uploading music on his Facebook page and got lots of encouragement and support from his Facebook fans.
Thereafter, he applied for a radio license in the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). It took him a lot of persistence and perseverance for NBC to approve his request for a radio license, but he eventually got registered in 2015. Apart from Ibadan, Fresh Fm 105.9MHz also operates in Abeokuta and Ado Ekiti with the plans of spreading its wings to other cities. It is one of the radio stations with much emphasis on lifestyle and entertainment. Though the exact amount he makes on his radio station is not known, he is perceived to be cashing out hugely from it.
Yinka Ayefele Has Won Many Awards
Awards are part of the ways to appreciate successful people in a given field. So, being a success in the Nigerian music industry, Yinka Ayefele has gotten a handful of awards on his shelve to show for his brilliant works.
Yinka Ayefele’s Most Notable Awards
- 2011 – Member of the Order of the Niger, awarded by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
- 2015 – Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Award for Presenter Extraordinaire.
- 2019 – Special Recognition Awards, Inspiration Awards of Excellence.
- 2019 – Fresh FM won the Best Radio Station of The Year in the Nigeria Media Nite-Out Awards.
- 2019 – Heritage Awards.
- Ekiti Cultural Ambassador Award
The Music Star is Married with Three Kids
Ayefele got married to the love of his life, Temitope Titilope. The singer and his wife reportedly met a year before he had the accident in 1997. However, she was with him all through his trying times in the hospital. The couple tied the knot in 2000 and welcome a set of triplets, 2 boys and a girl on 18th January 2019. His wife, Temitope, is a native of Ibadan and was born into an average family.
