Akon was born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam on April 16, 1973 in Senegal, Africa and is a Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and actor from New Jersey. Akon begun his music career when music mogul Devyne Stephens, president of Upfront Megatainment and who’d discovered TLC and Usher, spotted him. Akon has built up a string of hit songs on both sides of the Atlantic since 2004 and has enjoyed three UK Official Singles Chart Number 1s with Lonely, Smack That (with Eminem) and Sexy Chick (with David Guetta), as well as hits with Michael Jackson, Flo Rida and Gwen Stefani.
