Dapo Torimiro is a Nigerian songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer.[1] Born in
Lagos, he has worked in the music industry in the US for several years writing and producing music for artists' album projects, touring with numerous artists, as well as scoring various television and film projects. He is based in Los Angeles.
Music career
Dapo's big break was placing the song "Quickly" (co-written with
Frank Ocean and the award-winning production duo
Midi Mafia (
50 Cent,
Fantasia)) on nine-time
Grammy winner
John Legend's third studio album, Evolver, which was released in Fall of 2008. Featuring multi-platinum-selling artist
Brandy, "Quickly" received early industry buzz as not only an inspired, sleek duet featuring R&B/pop music's leading artists, but also as one of the album's stand-out gems. Dapo, Frank Ocean and Midi Mafia co-wrote (and Dapo/Midi Mafia produced) approximately 20+ songs, some of which were released by Frank as part of his "Lonny Breaux Collection" which includes a demo version of Justin Bieber's "Bigger" (My World) as well as "Bedtime Stories", "Done", "Lights", "Quickly" (Frank's demo version), "Read The Stars", "Standing Still", and "When I'm Done".
Later in the Fall of 2008, Dapo also enjoyed credit for other records, including "Running" (co-written with James Fauntleroy and Midi Mafia) on
David Archuleta's self-titled debut album (11 November 2008) – his first since becoming runner-up on American Idol in June 2008—and "Torn Down" (also co-written with James Fauntleroy and Midi Mafia) from Brandy's highly anticipated album, Human (9 December 2008), which she describes as her most personal album to date. In the Spring of 2009, Dapo received songwriter and producer credit for the tracks "Know Better", "Apart From Me", and "This Step Alone" on Fight for Love, the second album by American IdolSeason 5 finalist
Elliott Yamin, which was released on 5 May 2009. He also received credit for "Forever in You", which was included on the album as an
iTunes and Japan bonus track.
Dapo is a
Yamaha-endorsed artist.[2] Dapo worked with two-time Grammy-winning producer Jeffrey Weber to record a song for Senator
Barack Obama's presidential campaign called "Change".
Dapo worked with
American Idol winner and
Grammy-nominated artist
Jordin Sparks on her second album Battlefield on the track titled "No Parade". Dapo wrote and produced the track "No Parade" along with Oscar-nominated songwriting duo
Scott Cutler and
Anne Preven. "
Listen", is sung by
Beyoncé Knowles in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. Early reviews of the album have generally been positive with most critics highlighting individual tracks such as "No Parade", which is described as 'breaking your heart even before she gets to the bruising chorus.'.[3]
On 30 October 2009,
Atlantic Records announced that Dapo will be one of the producers personally chosen by Grammy Award-winning R&B singer
Toni Braxton to work on her highly anticipated label debut album (Pulse) to be released 2 February 2010.[5][6]
Dapo co-wrote and produced the track "
Bigger" (with co-writers Frank Ocean and Midi Mafia) on Canadian singer
Justin Bieber's first part of his two-part debut studio album, My World, which was released on 17 November 2009, via
Island Records. Ashante Infantry of Toronto Star called "Bigger" one of the best tracks on the album.[7] On the week ending 5 December 2009, due to digital sales after the release of My World, "Bigger" debuted on the US
Billboard Hot 100 and the
Canadian Hot 100. The song debuted at number forty-nine on the
Hot Digital Songs chart in the US, and therefore consecutively appeared at number ninety-four on the Hot 100.[8]
The second part of the album, My World 2.0, on which Dapo co-wrote and produced the track "Overboard" (a duet featuring Jessica Jarrell), was released on 23 March 2010 and debuted at number one on the US
Billboard 200.[9] In less than one month of release, the first part of the album was certified Gold in the United States by the
RIAA, and in less than two months (8 January 2010), it was certified Platinum in the United States, by the
RIAA[10] selling over one million copies.
Channeling his jazz roots, Dapo produced and recorded songs with Tony Award-winning singer/actress,
Anika Noni Rose for Disney's album, The Princess and The Frog: Tiana and Her Princess Friends.[11] The album is inspired by the 2009
Disneyanimated filmThe Princess and the Frog and was released on 24 November 2009. The album is the follow-up release in the successful Disney 'And Friends' musical series and features the song "Down in New Orleans" performed by
Anika Noni Rose as written by
Academy Award-winning composer
Randy Newman and produced by Dapo Torimiro. In another Princess and the Frog-inspired album, Bayou Boogie (Release date 3/16/10), Dapo wrote and produced two songs: "Everyday Princess" and "Sing Away Your Blues", both performed by
Anika Noni Rose (as Princess Tiana).
Dapo was a featured performer on stage with
Andrea Bocelli and
David Foster on the
PBSGreat Performances special, "Andrea Bocelli & David Foster: My Christmas." The special debuted on Thanksgiving night 2009 with additional broadcasts through the month of December.
On 14 July 2010,
Demi Lovato posted on her Twitter "With @dapotorimiro! This will be the first song I've recorded for my next record.... and we're starting off with a BIG bang!!!"[12]
Dapo can be heard rapping on the
Ester Dean-penned,
Jesse McCartney dance song, "Up". Dapo wrote and recorded the song exclusively for
Jon Chu's Step Up 3D dance movie soundtrack, Step Up 3D Soundtrack. (27 July 2010) A remixed version of the song can also be heard in a rooftop dance scene in the movie.
On 10 August 2010, the soundtrack for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam – a 2010
Disney Channel Original Movie was released. The movie was 2010's No. 1 cable movie premiere with over 7.9 million viewers on its premiere night.[13] "Fire" was the third single on the soundtrack. On 25 June, the song was released on
Radio Disney during a Take Over with
Meaghan Martin and Matthew "Mdot" Finley.
Dapo broke into Japan's music market with Japan's mega-group,
Arashi with the song, "Mada Ue o". The song appears on Arashi's ninth studio album, Boku no Miteiru Fūkei which debuted at number one, selling 731,000 copies in the first week and ended up being the best-selling album in Japan in 2010. Before the end of the year, Dapo also wrote a song for
Sony Music Japan artist,
Fukuhara Miho's Regrets of Love album (12/22/10). The song, "Regrets of Love" was written by Dapo,
Fukuhara Miho,
Damon Sharpe, and Drew Ryan Scott.
Dapo spent the end of 2011 in the studio with the singer/songwriter,
Stacy Barthe (
Rihanna,
Brandy,
Britney Spears,
Kelly Rowland), writing for Barthe's debut album as well as for other artists. On 6 December, Dapo and Stacy released a 6-song holiday EP, "Stacy Barthe Presents: The Seven Days of Christmas", all instrumentation by Dapo. The EP features two duets: one, with Stacy and
John Legend ("Baby It's Cold Outside") and the second, a duet with Stacy and Dapo ("Sleigh Ride"). Dapo posted pictures from the EP Listening Party at his studio on his website which included Ethiopia Habtemariam (executive VP/head of urban music for Universal Music Publishing Group & senior VP of Motown), nine-time Grammy-winner,
John Legend, and producer,
Hit-Boy (
Jay-Z,
Kanye West "
Niggas in Paris").
December 2011 also marked the beginning of what will become a yearly project for Dapo, "Dapo & Friends Christmas | Volume One". The music project will be an annual production by Dapo, featuring Dapo and his singer/songwriter friends revisiting popular Christmas songs, with a cd and a local live performance, raising money for charity. "Dapo & Friends Christmas | Volume One" includes a duet with Dapo and American Idol, Season 7 Runner-up,
David Archuleta ("Drummer Boy"), as well as songs performed by
Scotty Granger,
Nikki Flores, TC, Oprah's Karaoke Challenge Winner, Abraham McDonald,
Nickelodeon series
How To Rock star,
Max Schneider, Gaby Ramirez, Ginny Blackmore,
Stacy Barthe, and bassist, Robert "Bubby" Lewis.
2012 to present
In January, Dapo posted a picture on his website from the studio working with
Keke Palmer and
Scotty Granger.
On 7 February 2012,
Stacy Barthe released her third EP, IN THE IN-BETWEEN. The nine-song EP features four songs co-written & produced by Dapo. The Sade-esque, "Easier Said Than Done", jumped out as an early fan favourite. Other Dapo-produced tracks includes "Do Me" featuring Dapo on guitar and piano, "Just My Luck" showcasing Dapo's acoustic guitar playing and a new addition to Dapo's productions, the melodica; and finally, the reggae-infused, "When I'm Gone".
For the majority of February, Dapo was on tour with Barthe as her musical director, guitar player, and background vocalist, as part of the
BET Music Matters /
EstelleAll of Me Tour, along with Luke James &
Elle Varner, which included shows in Los Angeles (Key Club), San Diego, Oakland, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore, and NYC (
Irving Plaza) for Estelle's All of Me album release.
The end of 2012 releases included a song Dapo co-wrote the song, "Always Be Together", with
Ester Dean for X-FACTOR UK Winners,
Little Mix and their debut album, DNA. Dapo also co-wrote "I'm A Diamond" with Priscilla Renea for
Girls' Generation released on their Girls' Generation II: Girls & Peace album.
2009 "Everyday Princess" Bayou Boogie: Inspired By
The Princess & The Frog,
Anika Noni Rose composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
2009 "Sing Away Your Blues" Bayou Boogie: Inspired By
The Princess & The Frog,
Anika Noni Rose composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
2010 "Overboard" (featuring Jessica Jarrell) My World 2.0,
Justin Bieber composer, Instrumentation, producer, Programming
2010 "Woman" Pulse,
Toni Braxton Instrumentation, producer, Programming
2011 "All I Really Want For Christmas" Stacy Barthe Presents The Seven Days of Christmas,
Stacy Barthe composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
2011 "All I Really Want For Christmas (Is You)" Dapo & Friends Christmas | Volume One
Scotty Granger composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
2012 "Easier Said Than Done" In The Inbetween (EP)
Stacy Barthe composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
2012 "Just My Luck" In The Inbetween (EP)
Stacy Barthe composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
2012 "Do Me" In The Inbetween (EP)
Stacy Barthe composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
2012 "When I'm Gone" In The Inbetween (EP)
Stacy Barthe composer, Instrumentation, producer, Vocal Production, Programming
Christmas at Water's Edge (2004) (TV) (writer: "Christmas At Water's Edge" Theme, "But Most of All", "Where Angels Fly", "It's All About Peace", "Still Dreaming", "So Real")
Made in Hollywood Theme song (48 episodes, 2005–2007)
Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition Theme song (2006) TV series