Tunde Baiyewu
Black male standing outdoors, wearing light blue denim shirt and holding a brimmed hat, looking directly at camera
Baiyewu in 2020
Background information
Birth nameEmmanuel Babatunde Baiyewu
Born (1968-11-25) 25 November 1968
London, England
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active1993–present
LabelsPolydor (1993–2003)
RCA (2004–present)
Formerly ofLighthouse Family

Tunde Baiyewu (born Emmanuel Babatunde Baiyewu, 25 November 1968[1]) is a British singer and songwriter of Nigerian descent, best known as the vocalist of Lighthouse Family. In 2004, he embarked on a solo career, releasing the album Tunde. In 2013, he published his second album, Diamond in a Rock.[2][3]

Early life and career

Tunde Baiyewu was born in London to a middle-class family of Nigerian descent. His father worked as an engineer but died of cancer when Baiyewu was five, after which the boy moved to Nigeria with his mother and younger sister in order for the family to be closer to relatives. Baiyewu learned to speak Yoruba after moving to Nigeria and attended a boarding school near the then-capital, Lagos.[4] Ten years later, he returned to Britain, attending the University of Northumbria in Newcastle upon Tyne and obtained a degree in accounting.[5] He subsequently met Paul Tucker, who was also at university in Newcastle and working in the bar scene. Their partnership began, and they formed Lighthouse Family.

Lighthouse Family released their debut album, Ocean Drive, with the lead single, "Lifted", reaching the top five on the UK Singles Chart. Ocean Drive was certified six-times Platinum by the end of 1997, selling more than 1.8 million copies in the UK alone and spending 154 weeks on the UK Albums Chart. Lighthouse Family’s follow-up album, Postcards from Heaven, achieved similar sales status in 1997, reaching six-times Platinum status, and Whatever Gets You Through the Day also received Platinum status. The duo has sold over fifteen million albums throughout their career.

In 2004, Baiyewu released his debut solo album, Tunde.

In 2005, he appeared on the BBC Television one-off special Strictly African Dancing.[6] He came last but learned the Bata dance in the process.

On 12 November 2006, Baiyewu appeared in an ITV documentary called Faith in Music. This documentary charted his life and music, from his roots in Africa, through Lighthouse Family and into his solo incarnation. It also showed him performing an acoustic set featuring tracks from his latest album.

In 2013, Baiyewu announced plans for a second solo album, titled Diamond in a Rock, which was released, together with the single "Move", on 4 March 2013.[7]

In October 2013, Baiyewu joined M People as a support act during their "20th Anniversary Greatest Hits Tour".[8][9]

In 2019, Lighthouse Family released a new album, Blue Sky in Your Head. The group's first record in eighteen years, it was supported by two sell-out UK tours. The duo split in July 2022 and did not perform at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival, as they had agreed, despite the show selling out.[10]

Since 2020, Baiyewu has been working on a new collection of recordings, inspired by the artists and the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Reunited with Lighthouse Family producer Mike Peden, he has recorded a selection of Troubadour-influenced songs, including compositing by Elton John, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, James Taylor, Leon Russell, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, David Gates, Bill Withers, Todd Rundgren, and Barry White.[11]

Personal life

After Baiyewu's father's death, his mother went on to marry former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.[12] She died in 2000.[4]

In March 2007, Baiyewu married Tope Adeshina, a Nigerian model, in Lagos, Nigeria. They live in the UK.[13]

Discography

with Lighthouse Family

List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
[14]		 AUS
[15]		 AUT
[16]		 BEL
(FL)
[17]		 FRA
[18]		 GER
[19]		 NL
[20]		 NZ
[21]		 SWE
[22]		 SWI
[23]
Ocean Drive
  • Released: 11 November 1995
  • Label: Wildcard (#5237872)
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 3 — — — — 26 — — — —
Postcards from Heaven
  • Released: 24 October 1997
  • Label: Wildcard (#5395162)
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 2 2 18 19 44 5 16 6 32 12
Whatever Gets You Through the Day
  • Released: 26 November 2001
  • Label: Wildcard (#5894122)
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 7 — 21 — — 3 88 — — 29
Blue Sky in Your Head 3 — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Solo

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK
[27]
Tunde
  • Released: 18 October 2004
 32
Diamond in a Rock
  • Released: 4 March 2013
 —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. ↑ "About | Tunde". Tunde Website. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  2. ↑ Ogbu, Rachel (9 June 2017). "Lighthouse Family lead singer Nigerian-British Tunde Baiyewu makes a return". Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Williams, Andrew (23 April 2013). "Tunde Baiyewu: I wanted to be an accountant. Then I met Paul Tucker and we started The Lighthouse Family". Metro. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 Duerden, Nick (2 February 2013). "Tunde Baiyewu: 'I became a bit of a terror'". The Guardian.
  5. ↑ "Famous Alumni". northumbria.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "'Strictly' African dancers revealed". Digital Spy. 24 June 2005.
  7. ↑ Dean, Sarah (14 January 2013). "MUSIC BOX: Will.i.am, Britney Spears Number 1, David Bowie at 6, Plus Paloma Faith and Modestep". The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Gigs and Tours News". Gigs and Tours. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Morris, Jennifer (2 October 2013). "M People and Lighthouse Family fusion in Guildford". getsurrey. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  10. ↑ Pingitore, Silvia (4 July 2022). "Remember High and Postcard from Heaven in the 1990s? Interview with the voice of Lighthouse Family Tunde Baiyewu". the-shortlisted.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "About | Tunde". Tunde Website. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Relative Values: President Obasanjo and his stepson, Tunde Baiyewu". The Sunday Times. News Corporation. 24 October 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  13. ↑ Ikeji, Linda (20 March 2007). "Lighthouse Family's Tunde Baiyewu weds. | Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog". Lindaikeji.blogspot.com. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "UK Charts > Lighthouse Family". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  15. ↑ "Australian Charts > Lighthouse Family". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  16. ↑ "Austrian Charts > Lighthouse Family" (in German). austriancharts.at Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 22 December 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  17. ↑ "Belgian Charts > Lighthouse Family" (in Dutch). ultratop.be Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  18. ↑ "French Charts > Lighthouse Family" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  19. ↑ "Discographie Lighthouse Family". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  20. ↑ "Dutch Charts > Lighthouse Family" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  21. ↑ "New Zealand Charts > Lighthouse Family". charts.nz Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  22. ↑ "Swedish Charts > Lighthouse Family". swedishcharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  23. ↑ "Swiss Charts > Lighthouse Family" (in German). hitparade.ch Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "British certifications – Lighthouse Family". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 October 2022. Type Lighthouse Family in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  25. ↑ "ARIA Charts > Accreditations > 1998 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  26. 1 2 "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lighthouse Family)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  27. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 568. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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