ILOVEMAKONNEN Bio
ILOVEMAKONNEN is anchored by his hit, #1 urban radio single “Tuesday” (3 weeks at #1), which was performed alongside The Roots in its late-night television debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on none other than a Tuesday, December 9th. The song has graced best of critics Best of 2014 lists including SPIN (#2) and The FADER (#21) for revitalizing the overlooked day of the week. The Drake-assisted single has been nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
For Makonnen, music is do or die. In 2012, the 25-year-old was working at a hotel in his current hometown of Atlanta, supplementing the tedium of a day job by writing and producing music on the side. Eventually, he came to an impasse: he could either unhappily continue on as is, or take a year off from having a regular gig and fully devote himself to his career as an aspiring musician.
He went with the latter, and if his success is any indication, his leap of faith paid off. The Los Angeles native has become the music industry's hottest new voice, thanks to the success of his explosive club smash "Tuesday" that cracked the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track, which got a boost after Drake released a remix of the singsong anthem, is just the latest in a long line of releases from the prolific Makonnen, introducing his refreshing sound to a whole new audience.
"I'm a not so regular person in a not so regular world and I'm just making the most of it and embracing myself," explains Makonnen (born Makonnen Sheran), who signed to Drake's OVO imprint in Sept. 2014. "I embrace what I have, and I'm going to be the best of what I have. This is my best of me, so I don't want to be the best piano player. I want to be the best Makonnen."
What began as a pastime would eventually dictate his life's path. Growing up in Los Angeles, Makonnen soaked up an eclectic stew of influences spanning old soul to '90s hip-hop before moving to Atlanta when he was 13. After his mom bought him a keyboard, he began writing songs in his free time and his dreams of producing for other artists grew. He helmed three albums for his mother and, while dealing with legal issues following high school, he recorded numerous albums—"I was killing them with the content," he recalls—that created a buzz online.
It was through his connection with Mike WiLL Made It (Miley Cyrus, Rihanna) in 2013 that he inked a publishing deal and linked with red-hot producers including Metro Boomin' and Sonny Digital. As the New Atlanta scene took off, Makonnen established himself as a distinct voice outside the community, earning fans in Cyrus with his cut "I Don't Sell Molly No More" off his I Love Makonnen EP, released in July 2014. For Makonnen, his music gained traction not because of his co-signs, but rather how he funnels his life into his songs. "I make music for myself, like a song that I want to hear, things that I'm going through," he says, "and then I'll be like, oh wow, there are so many other people who can go through this as well, so let me make it broader."
With "Tuesday" already cemented as one of 2014's standout singles, Makonnen shows no signs of slowing down, plotting to release his major label debut and tour the festival circuit in 2015. His self-titled I LOVE MAKONNEN EP releases December 15th, 2014. As for his growing legion of fans? "I just want people to take away an enjoyment of self in their lives and enjoy their lives and go for their f—kin' dreams, whatever the f—k they want to do. Don't let people tell you that you can't do it," he says. "Go take action, because that's what I'm about and that's what I did. That's what I still want to do, and that's what I want to go and prove."