Jordan Adetunji Defies Industry Pressure, Keeps Nigerian Surname as Stage Name

|By Adejumo Adekunle

American singer Jordan Adetunji has vowed never to drop his Nigerian surname despite industry pressure to do so.

In an interview on The Dotty Show, the Kehlani hitmaker revealed that early in his career, music insiders urged him to adopt a different last name, claiming “Adetunji” did not sound like a stage name. But he refused, choosing instead to honour his heritage.

“I keep the name for a reason,” Adetunji said. “When I first came into the game, everyone told me to change my surname because it didn’t sound like an artist’s name. And I was like, why can Justin Bieber keep his? I’m a big fan of Justin Bieber.”

The singer stressed that fans who struggle to pronounce his name should take the time to learn it.
“I am proud to be Nigerian, why am I gonna hide it? You’ve got to learn how to pronounce it,” he declared.