Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk (born 31 October 1986), known by his stage name Iyanya, is a Nigerian Afropop singer.
Iyanya was born on Palm Street in Calabar, Cross River State. His mother was a head mistress and his father was a forester. Iyanya has described his mother as the household disciplinarian, while his father was the gentler of the two. His parents both died in 2008, and his older brother died around the same time. Iyanya’s grandfather was a clergyman where Iyanya sang in his church’s choir and was the choir master for the children’s choir at age five.
He rose to fame after winning the first season of Project Fame West Africa and is best known for his hit single “Kukere”. He co-founded the record label Made Men Music Group with Ubi Franklin in 2011. He released his debut studio album My Story in 2011. It was supported by the singles “No Time” and “Love Truly”. Desire, his second studio album, contained five singles: “Kukere”, “Ur Waist”, “Flavour”, “Sexy Mama”, and “Jombolo”. He won the Artist of the Year award at The Headies 2013.
In October 2016, Iyanya announced on Instagram that he signed a record deal with Mavin Records. Few months prior, he signed a management deal with Temple Management Company. He first announced his intentions to leave Made Men Music Group in July 2016.
