Larry Ndianefo (born August 25, 2021) is one of the music industry’s exceptional acts.
Known in the entertainment world by the nickname, Larry Gaaga, Ndianefo has built an enviable brand for himself as a songwriter, singer, music producer and music executive.
Currently signed under the global brand, Universal Music Group as a songwriter and producer, he came to limelight after the release of his song, Gaaga Shuffle.
The song which charted many local music billboards for weeks featured music icon, 2Baba. He is also responsible for other hit singles like Doe, Love Song and Iworiwo.
Early Life
Larry Gaaga is a proud Igbo man, with both of his parents hailing from the Southeastern region of the country.
He comes from Abia State, nicknamed God’s Own State. He was born in the southeast to Mr and Mrs Ndianefo and spent his formative years in Umuahia, the capital city.
This is where the Ndianefo’s country home is located at. When Larry Gaaga became older, he moved down to the city of Lagos to pursue his academic dreams.
His love for music could be traced back to his days as an active member of his church’s choir, where he served from his adolescent to teenage years. While he was in the choir, he learnt how to play the drums, keyboard and guitar and became an expert at it. So it wasn’t much a surprise to his close pals when he picked interest in music production.
He began learning the craft under the guidance of an older friend and within a short while, he mastered the craft and began producing beats for upcoming artistes in the Southern part of Nigeria.
Though he had to learn music production, Larry Gaaga didn’t need the same help with songwriting. He is a talented songwriter. He had started exhibiting his talent from his high school days by composing songs for his friends who were aspiring musicians and his church’s choir. As the years went by, he groomed this talent so well that he was able to collaborate with some of the biggest artistes in the world.
Also, while he was an undergraduate, Larry Gaaga had taken interest in the business part of music and worked as a manager for a few upcoming artists. Regrettably, none of these artistes were unable to have a big break in the industry.
Education
Larry Gaaga is a university graduate, having bagged his degree from the well-known University Of Lagos.
Prior to entering the university, he had obtained his First School Leaving Certificate and West African School Certificate from good primary and secondary schools respectively.
Career
After leaving the university, Larry Gaaga decided to put a pause on his music pursuits and go into the corporate world. He started off as an entrepreneur and began running a chain of small scale businesses in the city. Despite his success in his new ventures, there was a void in his heart because he wasn’t fulfilled.
He wanted to do music. Handing over his business to trusted hands, he decided to give music a shot again. He made his comeback into the industry by taking the job of the General Manager of YSG Entertainment. This was in 2012. The label was responsible for managing rapper, Vector.
While Larry Gaaga held this job, he built a name for himself as a great music executive and became acquainted with all the movers and shakers in the industry. After serving the company diligently for five years, he decided to leave and set up his own music label. Gaaga Muzik was established in 2017. While he was still with YSG Entertainment, he collaborated with Vector on the single, Get Down.
Soon after setting up his label, Larry took the industry by storm by dropping the hit single, Gaga Shuffle, featuring 2Baba. The song was widely received by lovers of Afrobeats and raved for several months after its release. The single became an anthem as fans imitated Larry‘s signature dance move. The dance move had been shown on the song’s music video directed by ace cinematographer, Unlimited LA.
Encouraged by the success of his official debut single, Larry worker harder in 2018 and dropped more jams for his fans. He released songs like Doe featuring Davido; Wonderful featuring Wande Coal and Sarkodie; and Baba Nla featuring Burna Boy, 2Baba and D’banj.
In 2019, he and 2Baba collaborated once more to drop the party jam, Iworiwo, which charted tables for months. Alongside Peruzzi and 2Baba, he was featured on Slimcase‘s single, Azaman. His biggest break for the year was when he secured a songwriting and production deal with the international music company, Universal Music Group. Due to his deal with the company, he has had the opportunity on working on the soundtracks of movies like Living In Bondage: Breaking Free, Nneka The Pretty Serpent, and Rattle Snake.
The music video of his song Low, featuring Wizkid, has amassed over eleven million views on YouTube. The song is one of his successes of 2019.
He is one of the judges in the forthcoming reality show, The Next Eagle. His co-judges are DJ Lambo and Magnito Freshout.
Awards and Nominations
While he was still with YSG Entertainment, Larry Gaaga was nominated for the Entertainment Man Of The Year at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards.
Social Media
The music star, Larry Gaaga has over 617k followers on Instagram and over 11.5k followers on Twitter.
Instagram handle – @larrygaaga
Twitter handle – @LarryGaagazeen
Personal Life
Larry Gaaga is currently 39 years old and will be clocking the golden age of forty years old on the 25th of August 2021. He keeps an afro hairdo and a thick beard which has white patches. He is light skinned, has a tall height and muscular build. He resides in Victoria Island, Lagos State and has choice properties across Nigeria.
An experienced and successful entrepreneur, Larry Gaaga has investments in the Oil & Gas, Agriculture and Real Estate Sectors. Presently, he is one of the board members of KL Oil and Gas Company. Due to his fame as a music artist, he has secured a couple of endorsement deals under the bag. Notable ones includes, D’usse and Afa Sports.
Larry Gaaga is a married man, his wife name has been withheld from the public, according to media source, the union is blessed with three children.
Net Worth
Larry Gaaga is one of the richest musicians on the continent, which is due to his diversified stream of income. He is estimated to be worth $2-5 million.
