It’s either you adore Willy Paul or you dislike him. It’s difficult to be on the fence about him. He has been at the centre of many controversies but one thing remains clear. He has mastered his musical craft really well. From his days singing Sitolia to now releasing secular music, here’s how Willy Paul shot to the top of the entertainment industry.
Willy Paul’s real name, age, date or birth
Willy Paul’s real name is Wilson Abubakar Radido. He was born on 1st September 1993 to Salome and Paul Opondo Radido. Willy Paul, aged 30, is an award-winning recording artist and songwriter from Nairobi.
He is the CEO and founder of Saldido International Entertainment. Though he has managed to amass such fortunes, Willy Paul’s family lived in dire poverty and his parents were constantly struggling to make ends meet. In an interview with Citizen TV, Willy states that they often had to starve for days or eat only twice a week.
In 2010, Willy’s father, Paul Opondo, passed away, leaving his mother as the sole breadwinner. Unfortunately, the family could not scrape together the finances to provide a proper funeral to Paul. Willy stated that they had to settle for a coffin with holes because they could not afford a better one.
- Also known as: Willis Paulson, Abu, Willy Paul Msafi, Willy Pozze
- Real name: Wilson Abubakar Radido
- Occupation: Recording artist and songwriter
- Birthday: 1 September 1993
- Nationality: Kenyan
- Star sign: Virgo
- Birth place: Nairobi
- Height: N/A
- Children: Sonya and King Damian
- Net Worth: $100,000 and $1 million or Ksh 12 million or Ksh 119.5 million
What language does WIlly Paul speak?
Willy Paul’s father is of Ugandan descent and his mother is an immigrant from Tanzania. Even so, his language of choice is English, but he is a native Swahili speaker. His songs and social media posts feature a combination of both languages.
Schooling
Willy Paul dropped out of high school in form three while at Brainhouse School in Mathare due to poverty. His father had just passed on and his mum could not afford to pay his school fee. Consequently, Willy Paul did a Juakali job to support his mother. A second shot at education would come for Willy Paul. He has since gone back and done his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
Career
How did Willy Paul get a break?
Willy Paul got his first big break in music in 2010 after he co-authored the hit song “Sitolia” along with his mentor Gloria Muliro. The song reflected the story of his life struggles and the hardships he faced growing up in the slums. The song talks about how God has been faithful to Willy and had given him a home in the most trying times.
What was WIlly Paul’s early work?
Later in 2013, Willy Paul launched his first album, “You Never Know”, during a ceremony at the KICC. Artists like Daddy Owen, Ben Githae, Gloria Muliro, DK Kwenye Beat, Ben Bahati, Bahati, Men Of God (MOG), Size 8, Mr Seed, Shiru Wa GP, Betty Bayo, Danny Gift, DJ Sadic and DJ Mo graced the event.
Following this, Willy Paul toured the United States of America courtesy of the Talanta Awards who organised his trip. He visited and performed in 12 states.
Willy Paul released some of the biggest gospel hits like Tam Tam with Size 8, Vigelegele, Kitanzi, Lala Salama. His recent songs include Lenga with size 8, Mashallah featuring Miss P, Ogopa Wasanii amongst others.
Family
Who are Willy Paul’s parents?
Willy Paul’s parents were Salome and Paul Opondo Radido. They had two other children. His father was a carpenter, and his mother was a hairdresser. His father died of a chronic illness in 2012.
Relationships
Is Willy Paul married?
Willy Paul has longed for a perfect wife and companion for a long time. His struggle to find “Miss Right” has been portrayed in one of his songs. Of what is known, there were some rumours that Willy dated a famous socialite, Pendo. However, he denies these rumours and claims that nothing ever happened between him and Pendo.
Willy Paul also dated a lady by the name of Abigael. Soon after that, there was also talk of Willy Paul having “tied the knot” with Jamaican reggae artist Alaine Laughton. According to Instagram posts, the two were quite close, but suddenly Willy announced that the reggae artist had blocked him and was no longer answering his calls.
In 2017, the world of social media was shaken to its core when Willy Paul claimed that he had tied the knot with Alaine. It was later confirmed not to be true. The two did not get married and Alaine was not Willy Paul’s real wife. The post was merely a publicity stunt to promote their music video “I Do.” However, the two went on to make five more songs together, one of which was leaked without their consent.
Willy Paul is not married and there has never been any mention of Willy Paul’s wife.
Does Willy Paul have any children?
As of 2021, Willy Paul is a proud father of two children from two different mothers. He has a son named King Damian and a daughter named Sonya.
Who has Willy Paul been dating?
In 2019, Willy Paul was dating an unknown Arabic woman. She became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy, named King Damian. Later in 2020, Willy Paul’s Instagram feed hinted that he was dating a beautiful Mzungu lady. Though she is not Willy Paul’s current wife, she delivered a baby girl in December 2020, whom they’ve named Sonya.
Willy Paul has also dated video vixen Michelle Dyer and Tanzanian musician Nandy.
News and Controversies
Does Willy Paul have children other than his two?
In recent news, a young woman named Ruth Kerubo claimed on social media that Willy Paul impregnated her and was ignoring her calls. It caused quite the scandal. Willy Paul refuted these claims. Later on, Ruth admitted that she had lied. She gave birth to a baby boy. Whether or not Willy Paul is the father remains unclear.
Did Willy Paul Plagiarize Bahati’s music?
At a point in his career, Willy Paul’s rival gospel musician Bahati accused him of plagiarizing one of his songs. Bahati’s fans went crazy on social media with criticisms and allegations, all of which Willy denied. During the 10th Annual Groove Awards nominations, Willy and Bahati were encouraged to end their feud and pray over it. The two went on to have quite a good friendship and have jokingly posted questionable pictures of each other all over Instagram.
Car
Willy Paul’s car is a Mercedes Benz S-class. In an interview with Alex Mwakideu, Willy said that the car cost him Ksh 6.5 million.
House
Willy Paul’s house is a luxurious mansion located in Syokimau. It cost him 13 million and he recently showed it off in a recent YouTube video.
Net Worth
Willy Paul has done well for himself. However, he started as a gospel musician and later went to secular music. As of now, Willy Paul’s net worth is estimated to be between $100,000 and $1 million.
Awards & Recognitions
- In 2017, he was the winner of the Pulse Music Awards for Male Video of the year and most viewed video. He also won the award for most downloaded single and most downloaded gospel artist that same year.
- In 2016, he won the Mwafaka Awards for the male artist of the year.
- In 2016, Willy Paul won the AFRIMMA Awards for Best gospel act, Africa.
- In 2015, Willy Paul won the Mwafaka Awards for collabo of the year for the song Tam Tam featuring Size 8.
- In 2014, he was the Talanta Award winner for the Best performer, the Mwafaka Awards for Male Artist of the year and collabo of the year.
- In 2013, he won the Groove Awards for male artists of the year.
- In 2012, Willy Paul won the Groove Awards for the best new act.
Social Media
Willy Paul Instagram: @willy.paul.msafi
Willy Paul Twitter: @WillyPaulMusic
Willy Paul Facebook: Willy Paul Msafi
Q&A
How much is Willy Paul worth?
Willy Paul’s estimated net worth is between $100,000 to 1 million. Judging by his cars and the recent YouTube video of his brand-new house, it appears that the young musician is doing very well for himself.
Is Willy Paul married?
Willy Paul is not married. However, he is the proud father of two lovely children from two different women.
What is Willy Paul’s real name?
Willy Paul’s real name is Wilson Abubakar Radido.