Aside from writing the hook for Rebecca Garton’s hit “All Me,” which became BBC’s song of the week, playing all over the radio stations of the United Kingdom, ØHENRY is also going big in Korea with K-Pop group Stray Kids for their latest album Go Live, and in China, for landing a cut with superstar Lay Zhang for his hit single “Boom.” Indeed, ØHENRY is breaking new grounds as a songwriter in the international music scene. Recently, he also dropped his latest track, “Never Let Go,” which is now playing on Munich’s radio stations.
Henry Oyekanmi, more popularly known as ØHENRY, is a talented Nigerian-American singer, songwriter, and producer from Oakland, California. Growing up, he was musically inclined at an early age, playing the drums, percussion, and piano.
For the young musician back then, music was an escape from the difficult life he was living. ØHENRY and his friends would meet up after school to jam at the house of Dylan Wiggins, the son of Dwayne Wiggins from the popular band Tony! Toni! Toné! These musical sessions were full of talent, with talented musicians such as Kehlani, Gabby Wilson, also known as H.E.R., and Zendaya participated before they reached ultimate stardom.
While Henry and his friends were sitting in a restaurant spot near their middle school, Oakland School of the Arts, the group eventually decided to form a band named Poplyfe with Kehlani as the lead singer. Later on, the band would play at festivals in the Bay Area and other different venues, which led up to an audition for the hit show America’s Got Talent. By this time, ØHENRY was no longer part of the band as he took a scholarship for a summer program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Later on, Henry attended college with Music Business Management as his major. In 2015, he was accepted for an internship in Los Angeles under big-time songwriter and producers Havy Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas.
The internship bridged Henry and Mike Daley’s meeting, which began the musician’s journey in music production. After the internship, ØHENRY completed his college education and briefly underwent training with Jeff Vaughn of Capitol Records, where he had to listen and search for new talented artists. Since then, he has not stopped working on his music while writing for other artists in the industry.
He was recently part of Selena Gomez’s latest album Rare, where he sang the background vocals and played percussion on the song “Ring.” ØHENRY also played a part in Bankroll Hayden’s debut album Pain is Temporary where he wrote the song “Ballin’.”
Today, ØHENRY is quickly building his music empire, starting with the release of his latest song, “Never Let Go.” The track was a result of working alongside brilliant German producer VNCE. Since its release, it has been playing all over Munich, Germany, and has caught the attention of a German label that hopes to put out a follow-up record in December. With Henry’s impressive versatility as a musician and his experience working with international artists, coupled with his unparalleled songwriting skills, it is easy to see that this young musician is set for stardom.
For ØHENRY, music is the universal language that allows him to touch the lives of many through his songs and lyricism. Ultimately, he hopes to show the world more of his musical masterpieces, and he has started chasing after this vision by building his career in the international music industry.
Learn more about ØHENRY by checking out his official website.