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Quick Facts
- Real name: Tolulope Obanro
- Also known as: Tyanx
- Born in: Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
- Occupation: Film composer, music producer, sound designer
- Education: BSc from Federal University of Technology, Minna; National Broadcast Academy
- Years active: 2019 to present
- Known for: A Tribe Called Judah, Gangs of Lagos, Jagun Jagun, Seven Doors, “Ore Mi” for The Four
- Notable wins: AMVCA Best Soundtrack (2025), Headies Soundtrack of the Year (2025)
- Career background: Started in oil and gas before moving into gospel music production and then film scoring
Tolu Obanro has quietly become one of the most important names working behind the scenes in Nollywood. As a film composer, music producer, and sound designer, his work now underscores some of Nigeria’s biggest box office successes, and he is currently drawing fresh attention for producing “Ore Mi,” the soundtrack single from Funke Akindele’s upcoming film, The Four.
Who Is Tolu Obanro?
Tolu Obanro, professionally known as Tolulope Obanro and also going by the name Tyanx, is a Nigerian film composer, music producer, and sound designer. He is best known for scoring some of the highest-grossing and most talked-about Nigerian films of the past several years, working closely with major Nollywood directors and producers to shape the emotional tone of their projects through music.
He was born in Ilorin, Kwara State, and his professional path into film scoring is unusual in Nollywood, since it began not in music school but in an entirely different industry.
Early Life and Education
Obanro’s connection to music began early, in church, where he started playing percussion at around age 12 before later moving on to piano as a teenager. By the time he was 17, he was already producing music for churches, an early sign of the production instincts that would later define his career.
Despite this early interest in music, Obanro pursued a formal education in Geology, earning a degree from the Federal University of Technology, Minna. He also studied at the National Broadcast Academy, a combination of technical and broadcast-focused training that would later prove useful in his transition into sound design and film scoring. After university, he worked in the oil and gas industry, a career path far removed from the film sets and recording studios he would eventually call home.
Career Beginnings
Obanro’s professional shift from oil and gas into music started with gospel production. He worked as a music producer for gospel artists including Mike Abdul, Kenny Kore, and Monique, building a foundation in production and sound engineering that had little to do with film at the time.
His entry into film scoring came gradually, following work on several YouTube projects that helped him build practical experience in scoring visual content. That groundwork eventually led to his first feature film score for Your Excellency, Funke Akindele’s 2019 political satire and directorial debut, marking his official start in Nollywood film composition.
The Breakthrough
Obanro’s real breakthrough in the film industry came through his collaboration with director Niyi Akinmolayan, beginning with the 2021 film Prophetess. His work on that project impressed Akinmolayan enough that he brought Obanro on to score King of Thieves (also known as Agesinkole) in 2022, a partnership that helped establish Obanro’s reputation as a composer capable of handling large, high-stakes productions.
That same year, he also worked on Brotherhood and Battle on Buka Street, building a track record that made him one of the more in-demand composers working across different Nollywood production houses rather than being tied to a single filmmaker.
Major Film Scores
Obanro’s list of film scoring credits reads like a catalog of Nollywood’s biggest recent successes. Director Jade Osiberu brought him on to score 2023’s Gangs of Lagos, a follow-up to their earlier collaboration on Brotherhood, and later that year he also composed the score for the historical action film Jagun Jagun.
His most commercially significant credit came that year with A Tribe Called Judah, which became the first Nollywood movie to surpass ₦1 billion at the box office. Obanro contributed significantly to the film’s emotional impact through its score. For the climactic scene alone, he developed eight different compositions to capture the weight of its biggest moments.
His other notable film-scoring credits include:
- Everybody Loves Jenifa (2024)
- Behind the Scenes (2025)
- Seven Doors (2025)
- Lisabi
- Gingerr
- House of Secrets
Seven Doors proved especially significant for his career, earning him his first AMVCA win for Best Soundtrack in 2025 after three previous nominations for the category.
Signature Style and Influences
Obanro has cited global film composers Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Göransson as major influences on his approach to scoring, alongside an appreciation for how Indian composers use music placement within a scene. He has also credited his uncle’s wide-ranging music collection, spanning The Beatles and Celine Dion to Nigerian legends like Wasiu Ayinde and Barrister, as an early influence on his musical sensibility.
That diverse foundation shaped what has become his signature sound: a blend of epic orchestral strings, heavy African percussion, and cinematic tension that feels both globally cinematic and distinctly Nigerian. This combination has become one of the reasons filmmakers repeatedly return to him for projects that need to carry emotional and cultural weight simultaneously.
Awards and Recognition
Obanro’s contributions to Nollywood have earned him significant industry recognition. In 2022, he received the Nigerians Achievers Award. The following year, he joined the Top 100 Influential Nigerian Gospel Personalities, reflecting his continued connection to gospel music as his film career expanded.
His work earned three AMVCA nominations for Best Soundtrack before he won the award in 2025 for his score on Seven Doors. The film also received 11 nominations that year. At the 2025 Headies, Obanro and collaborator Abbey Wonder won Soundtrack of the Year for their work on A Tribe Called Judah.
“Ore Mi” and The Four
Obanro’s most recent high-profile work is “Ore Mi,” a soundtrack single released on September 1 as part of the promotional rollout for Funke Akindele’s upcoming film, The Four. The song brings together Akindele and three of her co-stars, Waje, Bisola Aiyeola, and Chioma Chukwuka, blending English, Yoruba, and Igbo lyrics around themes of friendship, love, and the bond between close friends, mirroring the film’s central storyline.
The Four, subtitled No One Fights Alone, is scheduled for a December 11, 2026 cinema release. Releasing “Ore Mi” months ahead of the film’s premiere reflects a growing trend in Nollywood marketing, using original music to build anticipation for a film long before its trailer or theatrical run. Produced by Obanro, the song has already generated strong engagement on social media, with cast members encouraging fans to create their own videos to the track.
Why Tolu Obanro’s Work Matters
Obanro’s rise reflects a broader shift in how Nollywood treats sound and music. For years, film scoring and sound design in Nigerian cinema were often treated as secondary concerns compared to visuals and storyline. Composers like Obanro have helped change that, delivering scores and soundtracks that Nigerian audiences and international viewers alike now expect as part of a polished cinematic experience.
His consistent involvement in some of Nollywood’s biggest box office hits, combined with his willingness to experiment across genres and instrumentation, has positioned him as one of the composers most responsible for raising the technical standard of sound across the industry.
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FAQs
What is Tolu Obanro’s real name?
His real name is Tolulope Obanro. He is also known professionally as Tyanx.
What did Tolu Obanro study before becoming a composer?
He studied Geology at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and later trained at the National Broadcast Academy.
What was Tolu Obanro’s first career before music?
He worked in the oil and gas industry before transitioning into music production and eventually film scoring.
What is Tolu Obanro’s most famous film score?
His score for A Tribe Called Judah is among his most notable, as the film became the first Nollywood movie to gross over ₦1 billion.
Has Tolu Obanro won any major awards?
Yes, he won Best Soundtrack at the 2025 AMVCA for Seven Doors and Soundtrack of the Year at the 2025 Headies for A Tribe Called Judah.
What is Tolu Obanro’s connection to “Ore Mi”?
He produced “Ore Mi,” the soundtrack single from Funke Akindele’s upcoming film, The Four, released ahead of the film’s December 2026 cinema debut.
Conclusion
Tolu Obanro’s career shows how far a musician’s path can wander before finding its true direction, from studying geology and working in oil and gas to becoming one of Nollywood’s most trusted names in film scoring. With credits spanning some of Nigeria’s biggest box office successes and fresh attention now surrounding his production work on “Ore Mi” for The Four, Obanro continues to prove that sound is not a background detail in Nigerian cinema, but one of its most important storytelling tools.
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