Willy Paul

Wilson Shikwekwe Radido was born to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Radido in September 1993 in Mathare slums. His father, who was of Ugandan descent, was a carpenter, while his wife, an immigrant from Tanzania, was a hairdresser until 2011, when a chronic illness confined her to her bed. Wilson dropped out of school in 2011 due to financial constraints following his father's death. He took Juakali jobs to generate income to support his mother and his three siblings.[1]

His first hit was "Rabuka". His major breakthrough came in 2010. He later co-authored his first single "Sitolia" with Muliro, which was a reflection of his life history, depicting his struggles and giving himself a renewed hope that God had brought him to the limelight. His first album, You never know launched on 5 December 2013 in a ceremony at KICC, graced by Daddy Owen, Ben Githae, Gloria Muliro, DK Kwenye Beat, Ben Bahati, Bahati, Men Of God (MOG), Size 8, Mr Seed, Shiru Wa GP, Betty Bayo, Danny Gift, DJ Sadic and DJ Mo.[6] The album included, "You never know", "Lala Salama", "Mpenzi" and "Kitanzi".

Paul announced that he would tour the US to perform in churches in 12 states. The tour was organised by Talanta Awards and was to begin on 8 March to April 2014. The tour however began on 10 March in Sacramento, California. He performed alongside artiste Polly Odotte at the House of Glory Church. He then headed to Neema Gospel Church in Dallas, Texas, and, on 15 March, performed at St Louisiana, Missouri. On 29–30 March, Willy ministered to the audience at Neema Community Church in Overland Park, Kansas. He concluded his tour on 27 April in Las Vegas, Nevada.[3] Paul encountered controversy after his rival musician in the gospel industry, Bahati, accused him of stealing a song. Bahati's fans served Paul with harsh criticism over social media. This ended during the 10th annual Groove Awards Nominations on Wednesday 22 April 2015 at the Nairobi Arboretum grounds. They were asked to reconcile and were prayed for shortly in the event.

Paul beat Bahati with his "Tam Tam" song featuring Size 8 and managed to scoop 2 Mdundo Awards; Most Downloaded Gospel Artist and Most Downloaded Male Single.[7] He scooped four nominations for the awards with "Tam Tam", a collaboration with Size 8 released in 2014 granting him Collabo of the Year, Video of the Year, Song of the year and Male Artist of the Year.

The 10th annual Groove Awards on Saturday 6 June 2015 saw Willy Paul go home with no award, losing to Bahati, who won four awards.

He collaborated with one of the best hip-hop artists in Africa, Khaligraph Jones on "Bora uhai". Following “I Do” with Alaine, they married.

Despite constant criticism, with accusations of secularism emerging from various quarters,[8] Willy Paul's songs have continued to chart, mainly because of his strong appeal to a loyal youthful fan base. "Jigi Jigi" peaked at number one in all major charts in Kenya, including Mdundo Weekly Top 100, the Top 40 Singles Chart, and the Local Top 20 Hits on Music Charts Ke.

Willy Paul set up a foundation in Kenya to help needy people in the area. He helped children to get access to basic education and healthcare.[9]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Willy Paul.

• Willy Paul at AllMusic
• Chweya, Edward (4 February 2016). "Popular Nigerian songstress reveals her 'relationship' with gospel singer Willy Paul". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news. Retrieved 23 September 2019.