| Lady Donli | |
| Birth Name: | Zainab Donli |
| Birth Place: | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Known For: | Alternative rock, alternative R&B[1] and Afrobeat |
| Education: | University Of Surrey |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
Zainab Elizabeth Donli, known as Lady Donli, is a Nigerian musician. She is an alternative R&B, hip hop, alternative jazz and Afrobeat singer and songwriter.
Lady Donli was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is the youngest of six children. She spent her early years in Abuja and Kaduna, where her dad is from. After her secondary school education, she moved to the United Kingdom where she obtained a degree in law, from the University of Surrey.[2]
Donli's earliest musical influence was the Evangelical Church of West Africa, where a particular style of synchronous praise-chanting had become established. She was also influenced by the music of Brenda Fassie, Angelique Kidjo, Aṣa and Erykah Badu, as well as Nigeria's pop pioneers.[3]
Donli is part of Nigeria's Alté music scene, which is known for blending sounds from multiple genres of music, including Afrobeat, R&B, and Soul.[4] She released her first project, the 12-song mixtape Love or War, in 2014.[5]
Donli has worked with new afrobeat music acts like Adekunle Gold, Nonso Amadi, Tomi Thomas, M.I Abaga, Mr Eazi, SDC, Davido, Ayüü, Odunsi (The Engine), and Tay Iwar amongst others.[6]
In 2018, Donli lent her vocals to a number of projects. She teamed up with Nigerian rapper, Boogey on 'Motion' and veteran MC Terry Tha Rapman on 'Open Letter'. She also worked with Mr Eazi on his sophomore album, 'Life is Eazi Vol.2', including a featured track off M.I Abaga's album.[7]
In 2019, Donli released her debut album, Enjoy Your Life.
| Year | Title | rowspan="11" | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mr Creeper | ||
| 2016 | Kashe Ni | ||
| 2016 | Ice Cream Ft. Tomi Thomas | ||
| 2017 | Poison | ||
| 2018 | Games | ||
| 2018 | Classic | ||
| 2018 | Comforter | ||
| 2018 | Work Ft. Tomi Thomas & The Forbidden | ||
| 2019 | Cash (Remix) Ft. Davido | ||
| 2020 | Wonda Wonda Ft DarkoVibes | ||
| 2022 | Thunderstorm in surulere(feat The Lagos Panic) |
| Year | Title | Albums |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Moonchild Ft. Odunsi | rowspan="2" |
| 2016 | Alice Ft. D.Boi | |
| 2017 | Roses for K | rowspan="2" |
| 2017 | Spell | |
| 2019 | Corner | rowspan="3" |
| 2019 | Cash | |
| 2019 | Suffer Suffer |
| Artist | Track | Album | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Tha Rapman | Open Letter[11] | The Life of Joe Spazm | 2018 | |
| Boogey | Motions[12] | Nouveau Niveau | 2018 | |
| M.I Abaga | (+-)[13] | 2018 | ||
| Show Dem Camp | For A Minute[14] | Palmwine Music 2 | 2018 | |
| Mr Eazi | Lagos Gyration[15] | Life is Eazi Vol 2: Lagos to London | 2018 | |
| DRB Lasgidi | Ma Pariwo[16] | Pioneers | 2020 |
| Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Headies | Best Alternative Song | Corner | [17] | ||
| 2020 | The Future Awards Africa | N/A | Music (Endowed by Infinix) | Herself | [18] | |
| 2019 | The Headies | Best Alternative Song | Cash | [19] | ||
| 2018 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | N/A | Best New Act of the Year | Herself | [20] | |
| Nigerian Teens Choice Awards | N/A | Choice Female Artist | Herself | [21] | ||
| 2015 | N/A | Choice Mixtape/EP | Love or War | [22] | ||
| N/A | Choice Female Artist | Herself |