Timi Dakolo (born January 20, 1981) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and music producer. He emerged winner of the inaugural season of Idols West Africa in 2007. Accompanying his victory was a recording contract with Sony BMG, in addition to other prizes. <br>In 2006, Dakolo auditioned for reality show Idols West Africa in Calabar, Cross River State of Nigeria. Timi Dakolo&#039;s songs of choice were Commissioned&#039;s More Than I and Lemar&#039;s Time to Grow. His vocals impressed the judges, and he was seen as a contender for the prize. <br>While in the competition, Timi Dakolo was never in the bottom 3. In the final three weeks of the competition it was revealed by the producers of the show that Timi had the highest number of votes each of those weeks. <br>During the competition, Timi&#039;s grandmother died, a week before the viewing of the Top 24 performances. This was a big emotional blow to him. At that time, he turned to his Christian faith for strength to pull through in the competition. Before going to Idols West Africa, Timi was a student of Communication Studies in the University of Port Harcourt.