Artist Name

Kele Okereke

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Artist Image

Functions

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15%

Album Releases

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2019 - 2042

2017 - Fatherland

2014 - Trick

2010 - The Boxer

Members
1 Male

Popularity

26

Followers
13,647

Origin
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Liverpool, England

Genre
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Electronic

Style
Rock/Pop

Mood
Reflective

Born

1981

Active
2010 to Present...

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Alternate Name
Kele

Most Loved Tracks
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Music Video Links

Doubt	Closer	Guava Rubicon
Streets Been Talkin'	Yemaya	What Did I Do
Walk Tall	On the Lam	Tenderoni

Artist Biography
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Kele, born Rowland Kelechukwu Okereke on 13 October 1981 in Liverpool, England, is an English singer, songwriter and musician best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party. Since 2010 he has also pursued a solo career under the mononym Kele, and later under his full name, releasing six studio albums that range across electronic, dance, and singer-songwriter styles.

The son of Nigerian immigrant parents of Igbo descent, Okereke was raised Catholic in Edinburgh and London, attending Trinity Catholic High School in Woodford Green before studying English literature at King's College London from 2001 to 2003. He met guitarist Russell Lissack through friends and the two formed what became Bloc Party in 1999, later joined by bassist Gordon Moakes and, in 2003, drummer Matt Tong. The band's debut, Silent Alarm (2005), reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and drew comparisons to post-punk acts such as Gang of Four. It was followed by A Weekend in the City (2007) and Intimacy (2008), both addressing more personal and political themes. After a period of hiatus, Bloc Party continued to release albums including Four (2012), Hymns (2016), and Alpha Games (2022).

Okereke launched his solo career in 2010 with The Boxer, released under the name Kele through Wichita/Polydor and Glassnote Records, produced by XXXChange and led by the single "Tenderoni." A follow-up EP, The Hunter, appeared in 2011, and he later contributed guest vocals to tracks by artists including the Chemical Brothers, Tiësto, Martin Solveig, and Sub Focus. His second album, Trick (2014), was released on his own label, Lilac Records. He adopted his full name, Kele Okereke, for his more acoustic third album, Fatherland (2017), which featured Corinne Bailey Rae and Olly Alexander. In 2019 he wrote the musical Leave to Remain with Matt Jones and released his fourth solo album, 2042, which addressed racism and British politics; he returned to the Kele mononym for that release. He went on to release The Waves Pt. 1 (2021) and The Flames Pt. 2 (2023).

Okereke came out as gay in a 2010 BUTT magazine article and later appeared on the cover of Attitude. In 2017 he and his partner of seven years became fathers to a daughter via surrogacy, around which time he moved from Shoreditch to south London. He has been outspoken on political and racial issues, including endorsing Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 and criticising the UK music industry's response to racism. His first cousin is the hip-hop artist Tobe Nwigwe.