Deno (singer)

Deno Michael Mebrahitu (born 23 September 2002), known mononymously as Deno, is a British singer, songwriter, rapper and actor from London, England. His parents are originally from Eritrea,[1] and he was raised in South London. He came to the forefront of London's afro-wave music scene beginning in 2018 with a number of viral music videos and hit songs.

Deno Michael Mebrahitu
Birth nameDeno Michael Mebrahitu
Also known asDeno
Born (2002-09-23) 23 September 2002
Brixton, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • actor
Years active2016–present
LabelsColumbia
Associated acts
Websitedenodriz.com

Music career

Beginnings (2016–2017)

In 2016, a friend of Deno asked him to freestyle and sing on his Snapchat after school. This was posted to Instagram with the "#imjustbait" hashtag. He gained thousands of followers. Further videos caught the attention of Stormzy, who retweeted one of them, got in touch, and took Deno into the studio with him to guest on his album Gang Signs & Prayer.[2] He attended Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton, London.

In 2016, Deno met rapper AJ at a Stratford Westfield get-together. The two began a creative partnership, beginning with Deno singing the chorus on AJ's track "Know Me". The video netted over 2.5 million views on YouTube. The same year, the pair, often styled AJ x Deno, recorded multiple songs. They began performing more consistently, including opening for Migos at IndigO2.

Deno & AJ were signed by Sony Columbia UK in 2017. They released singles from 2017, but did not find commercial success until 2018 with the hit "London" featuring EO.[3] The video for "London" was streamed over 35 million times and peaked at No. 45 on the UK Singles Chart.

Rise to fame (2018–2019)

Deno met rapper Cadet on the set of the short film Shiro's Story Part 3 (2018). His ensuing collaboration with Cadet, the track "Advice", went viral, with over 30 million YouTube views. It reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart[4] with over 500,000 sales,[5] earning a Brit certified Gold Award.[6] More singles followed as he featured on the hit "Pumpy" by Da Beatfreakz, also featuring past collaborators AJ, Swarmz and Cadet.[7] In 2019, Deno released "First Days", a tribute to Cadet, who had died in a road collision in February of that year.[8]

In September 2019, Deno released the single "Change" featuring DigDat, with a video directed by Darnell Depradine.

He teamed with men's global fashion wear brand BoohooMAN for a 30-piece fashion collection, launched in September 2019.[9]

Deno appeared as an actor in the 2018 season of Idris Elba's TV series In the Long Run.

In late 2019, Deno released the EP Eye 2 Eye.[10]

Discography

Singles and EPs
  • "London" (AJ & Deno featuring EO) (2018) - UK No. 45
  • "Advice" (with Cadet) (2018) - UK No. 14
  • "Pumpy" (with Da Beatfreakz, AJ & Cadet) (2018) - UK No. 70
  • "First Days" (2019) - UK No. 71
  • "Lifestyle" (2019) - UK No. 82
  • "Motorola" (with Da Beatfreakz & Swarmz) (2019) - UK No. 32
  • "Change" (featuring DigDat) (2019) - UK No. 53
  • "Link Up" (with Geko, Stefflon Don & Dappy) (2019) - UK No. 84[11]
  • Eye 2 Eye (2019)
  • "Purple" (with Charlie Sloth and Polo G) (2020)
  • "Circles" (with OFB Bandokay and Double Lz) (2020)

References
  1. Dawkins, Farida (14 August 2018). "Deno Driz, the 16-year-old Eritrean singer in the UK is surely the next big thing". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  2. Welsh, April Clare (30 January 2017). "Stormzy teases February release with mysterious London billboards". Fact. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  3. Martin, Liam. "AJ and Deno". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  4. "OFFICIAL SINGLES CHART RESULTS MATCHING: ADVICE". Official Charts. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  5. Homewood, Ben (23 September 2019), Big numbers aren't enough for this new kid on the block..., Music Week
  6. "11 young musicians to listen to now - including a favourite of the royals". The Telegraph. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  7. Hargreaves, Eilidh (23 September 2019). "AJ and Deno". This Must Be Pop. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  8. Jodi. "Singer, Deno Driz, Releases Latest Track, 'First Days'". CelebMix. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  9. Wightman-Stone, Danielle (22 August 2019). "BoohooMan to launch collection with UK artist Deno". Fashion United. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  10. "Deno Announces Debut EP 'Eye 2 Eye'". GRM Daily - Grime, Rap music and Culture.
  11. "DENO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
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