John Ighodaro, professionally known and referred to as Johnny Drille, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He was born July 5, 1990. His career came into the spotlight when he released a cover of Awww by Di’Ja. He is currently signed to Mavin Music.
Johnny Drille was born and raised in Edo State, Nigeria. His father is a School Principal and a Clergyman. He has four siblings. Drille’s interest in music started in his father’s church at an early age where he learned to sing from his siblings. He attended the University of Benin, Benin City, where he studied English and Literature.
Johnny Drille, began his musical career in church. He was one of the contestants in the sixth edition of MTN Project Fame West Africa in 2013. In 2015, he released a cover of the song Awww by Mavin artist Di’Ja which caught the attention of Mavin CEO, Don Jazzy. He released his first single, “Wait for me”, in 2015 which earned him a Headies nomination for Best Alternative Song in 2016. In 2016 also, he teamed up with Niniola, his fellow contestant at the 2013 MTN Project Fame West Africa for a single titled “Start All Over”. In February 2017, he officially joined Mavin Records. Johnny Drille has produced songs for other artist like Wati, a gospel artist and Cobhams Asuquo in his song ” starlight”.
Johnny said that he always wanted to be a songwriter and make music, and this desire was also influenced by the fact that he grew up in the Church. He grew up in a family of priests and was surrounded by musical instruments. However, Johnny only began considering the thoughts of starting a career in music in 2013, after he auditioned for Project Fame. Johnny Drille’s music genre is called folk (you can also feel a mixture of R’n’B in his music). The reason for this choice was the desire to stand out and express himself in an original way.
The talented musician is known mostly for his popular singles “Wait For Me” and “Talking About It.” Johnny Drille claims it is hard to keep a spot in the show business without constant funding and on this basis, his actions have a limit. The musician had to promote his music on his own and sometimes it is very hard. But he was grateful for what he managed to do during this time.
He has been nominated for Best Vocal Performance (Male) Romeo & Juliet Nominated, Next Rated Himself Nominate], Best R&B Single Romeo & Juliet Nominated and Best Alternative Song Romeo & Juliet Nominated at the 2018 Headies.