STYL was formed in 1997 in Abuja, Nigeria and was made up of four members, Shifi Emoefe, Tunde Akinsanmi, Yemi Akinwonmi, and Lanre Faneyi, the name STYL being an abbreviation of the founders first names. In 1998 Lanre Faneyi died, and Zeal Onyecheme joined the group. This led to the group being renamed Styl-Plus, the “Plus” denoting the new addition to the group. In 2002 Yemi Akinwonmi left the group and the musical band became a trio without adding a new member. Starting 2003, the group had its own record label STYL-PLUS.
The members of the group are all graduates of Federal University of Technology, Akure. Zealwho didn’t pursue his music career until 2005 due to the sudden success of the group is also a graduate of FUTA. All were bachelors in their mid-twenties at the time.
Based in Abuja, Nigeria, Styl-Plus had been dubbed Africa’s “Boys II Men” due to their ability to deliver heartfelt emotional ballads. The successful group of talented artists with their vocal harmonies, catchy tunes, melodies, R&B style, combined with meaningful and storytelling lyrics are a union between English and their native tongue Yoruba, spoken in Nigeria.
Styl-plus’s first two albums include tracks like ‘Olufunmi’, ‘Imagine That’, ‘Run Away’, ‘Call My Name’, ‘Stay Alive’ and ‘Four Years’.
Listen & Download Olufunmi by Styl Plus Below
Audio PlayerListen & Download Imagine That by Styl Plus Below
Audio PlayerListen & Download Call My Name by Styl Plus Below
Audio Player Audio Player Audio Player Audio PlayerThe group that has since been dormant for a while now has been said to have splitted for so many reasons some of which are; knowing their brand was no longer formidable. A source disclosed, “It was only their first album that made an impact. The second album was barely felt and the other singles they dropped just didn’t make any impact. These guys knew the show was over long ago but they were scared of letting go. But now the sad truth has hit them that the brand is dead, they have all decided to go their separate ways,” the source said.
Another source hints that the real reason the group fell apart was because of pride:
“They were so popular when Olufunmi hit the airwaves and they were everywhere. Repeated attempts to get them to relocate to Lagos where the action is, failed. Though, some members wanted to relocate but one of them who was doing oil and gas and government contracts refused and that is the real reason Styl Plus broke up.
“Right now, Zeal is feeling very bad about it and is making attempts to revive his career. There is even talk he is discussing with Don Jazzy to give him a shot at Mavin Records” the source squealed