Banky W Clocks 37: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The EME Boss

Multi award winning Nigerian singer-songwriter, actor and businessman Olubankole Wellington is definitely one of the most admired figures on the Nigerian entertainment scene.

In this editorial, we bring you 10 things you probably never knew about the prolific music maker who just turned 37.

1. Banky W had a thriving music career in the US before returning to Nigeria.

Infinitesimally few people seem to realise that Banky W had already established a name for himself on the local New York music scene before deciding to return to Nigeria.

While still an undergraduate, Banky W won the Albany Idol Contest in 2003 and went on to win several other awards such as the John Lennon Song writing Award in the R&B category and the 2003 R&B Soul Artiste at the Urban Independent Music Awards upon the release of his debut studio album “Back in the Building”.

In addition to these, the gifted singer signed a lucrative US publishing deal and even reportedly toured North America and Europe.

2. Banky W gives himself a haircut pretty often.

One of the more conspicuous (and admired) things about Banky W has to be his famed bald head and perfectly shaved signature facial hair. What many people don’t know however is that, most times, the music maker is responsible for his own haircut.

According to Banky W who describes himself as a pretty decent Barber – at least when it comes to giving himself a shave – he learnt how to give himself a shape up while in college in a bid to save himself some money.

Apparently, he got pretty good at it, good enough to shave his head, beards and sideburns all by himself more often than not.

3. Banky W learnt to cook on the internet

Many might be well aware of Banky W’s culinary prowess. However, not many know that the superstar acquired a great deal of his killer recipes on the internet.

Banky W, who recently partnered with Maggi to cook up something special for the Valentine season admittedly acquired a significant portion of his culinary skills on the internet because he couldn’t find a chef whose cooking he was satisfied with.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfMF9cynIie/?hl=en&taken-by=bankywellington

Emphasizing his love for cooking, the superstar has even gone as far expressing his desire to attend culinary school and officially open his own restaurant sometime in the future.

4. Banky W enjoys grocery shopping.

Not unlike most people who enjoy cooking, one of Banky W’s favourite things to do is go grocery shopping.

Even though the singer is admittedly not a fan of markets or spending the whole day in retail stores at the mall, he does relish the experience of visiting big grocery stores, walking through the aisles and picking up random items to experiment with in the kitchen.

5. Banky W is a pioneer Samsung ambassador

Not only is Banky W a celebrated Samsung ambassador in Nigeria, alongside Sasha P, he was the first official ambassador of the world leader in electronics – a fact not many of his fans are aware of.

Apart from being a veteran Samsung ambassador, Banky W also has endorsement deals with world renowned brands such as Ciroc Ultra-premium Vodka.

6. Banky W is a New York Film Academy alumnus

After playing major roles in The Wedding Party 1 & 2, Banky W easily established himself as an actor to reckon with. However, most people aren’t aware that the multi-talented artiste has a greater level of involvement with film-making than meets the eye.

Not only did Banky W enlist the help of the New York Film Academy in the making of the music video for his critically-acclaimed love song “Love You Baby”, the singer is also an alumnus of the highly revered academy, having completed two 8-week workshops in Filmmaking and Scriptwriting.

7. Banky W battled skin cancer for over a decade

Ardent fans of the sensational singer would recall that Banky W underwent surgery just a few weeks before his much talked about white wedding as part of the treatment of a rare strain of skin cancer he was diagnosed with.

What many might however not realise is that this surgery which was done on his shoulder and back was the third one in succession, the first two occurring over 10 years ago when the ailment first surfaced.

8. Banky W is an avid soccer enthusiast and diehard Arsenal F.C. supporter

While virtually everyone else knows that Banky W is a spectacular musician and music businessman, not many know just how big a fan of the game of football the prolific singer-songwriter is.

Not only is Banky W a soccer fan, particularly when it comes to the European Premier League, the superstar has specifically been vocal about his love for Arsenal football club.

9. Even though he’s crazy about soccer, Banky W no longer plays video games

The uncrowned King of Nigerian R&B reportedly stopped playing video games when he was about 14 years old. Why, you ask? Well, according to Banky, he got irritated that no one wanted to play real sports that much anymore (something he and his friends used to do every day unfailingly) after his parents got him a Nintendo video game.

Because of this, Banky W quit playing video games and decided instead to spend more time with the ladies who apparently didn’t want to spend the entire day in front of a TV screen.

10. Banky W isn’t one to shy away from domestic work

Despite now being married to A-list actress Adesua Etomi, the New York born Industrial Engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York still enjoys doing everyday domestic chores.

It’s safe to say that the superstar won’t mind taking care of his own laundry, dishes and general cleaning in his newly completed duplex situated in Lekki which he very recently unveiled to celebrate turning 37.

Congratulations, Mr. Capable!