London (CNN) -- Armed with a silky-smooth voice and an uncompromising spirit, Nigerian singer/songwriter Ola Onabulé has won admirers around the world. With a career spanning nearly two decades, the Nigerian singer has often been described as one of music's best-kept secrets. Onabulé says that although he can hear "the hidden compliment" in that phrase, he works hard to do even better. "It's not right that I should be a secret, I mean this isn't a profession in which to be kept a secret," he says. "You stand on a stage and put it out there because you want as many people as possible to hear your song or your idea or your message."
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Ola Onabulé is an acclaimed Nigerian singer and songwriter
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He blends Afro beats with jazz and soul while his lyrics often tackle tricky issues
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He's blazed his own trail in a career that has produced seven albums
Born in @placeholder to Nigerian parents, the velvet-voiced singer moved to Nigeria at an early age.