HIS warm rich, voice is instantly recognisable and responsible for some of the 90s’ most uplifting music.
And nearly 30 years on from his chart heyday, The Lighthouse Family’s Tunde Baiyewu, 56, has barely aged a day.
The Lighthouse Family’s Tunde Baiyewu looks much younger than his 56 years[/caption]
The soulful singer is now a solo artist and brimming with positivity[/caption]
Despite an acrimonious break-up in 2022 with bandmate Paul Tucker, Tunde is still very proud of the music they made together.
Just days ago he spoke fondly of the duo’s steady rise to the top of the UK music scene and their classic tracks like Lifted and High.
Now a solo singer, Tunde felt he had no option but to walk away from the Lighthouse Family and previously claimed he’d been treated like a “doormat”.
He told The Sun: “We’re not on talking terms. I haven’t spoken to him because of that for over two years.
“I just want to get on with my life and make music, but we haven’t spoken for almost two years now.”
The split announcement came just before they were due to play their last gig at the Mouth of Tyne Festival.
Paul wrote on Instagram: “I’m so sad to let you know that after almost 30 years we have reached the end of our Lighthouse Family journey.
“Tunde now wants to focus on his solo career and I wish him all the best.
“I was really looking forward to this hometown show and playing our songs in this amazing place close to the lighthouses that gave us our name.
“I am as disappointed as you are. It breaks my heart to let you down.”
But Tunde said behind the scenes Paul had locked him out of their social media accounts.
What made it worse for Tunde was that he’d bought the Lighthouse Family Facebook page from a fan who’d created it years ago – meaning it technically belonged to him.
He explained: “When we made this last Lighthouse Family record, the record company came to me and said, ‘We know you own it, but can we use it?’
“So I gave it to everybody to use it and then to find myself locked out of it was just unacceptable.
“That was the final straw for me. When it gets to that level, you just realise the spirit that started the whole thing is not there anymore, and I just found that it’s best to just step away from it and do my own thing.”
The Lighthouse Family’s 1995 debut album, Ocean Drive, sold more than 1.5 million copies.
Tunde and bandmate Paul Tucker fell out in 2022[/caption]
Paul claimed it was because Tunde wanted to pursue a solo career, while Tunde said he was treated like a ‘doormat’[/caption]
Best known for their single, High, which went to number one in Australia, the duo first met while working in bars in Newcastle.
They signed to Polydor Records in 1993 and Ocean Drive went on to be six-times certified platinum.
The group’s sophomore album, Postcards From Heaven, achieved similar success.
Tunde admitted their split was “very sad, considering when you look at the history of the band”, but noted how it often happens with bands.
Lighthouse Family took a break from touring and promotional appearances in the early 2000s to focus on their solo projects.
They reformed in 2010 and completed national tours in the UK and Ireland, and they released their fourth and final album in 2019 called, Blue Sky in Your Head.
Tunde is now focusing on his solo career and touring[/caption]
Tunde Baiyewu’s Career Timeline
Tunde Baiyewu is a British-Nigerian singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the multi-platinum-selling band Lighthouse Family.
Born in London on November 25, 1968, he moved to Nigeria as a child following the death of his father, where he was raised by his mother and stepfather, Nigerian political figure Olusegun Obasanjo.
Tunde later returned to the UK to pursue higher education, earning a degree in accounting from the University of Northumbria in Newcastle.
It was during this time that he began to explore his musical ambitions.
In the early 1990s, Tunde teamed up with keyboardist and producer Paul Tucker to form Lighthouse Family, a duo that would go on to achieve significant commercial success.
Their debut album, Ocean Drive (1995), was a massive hit, spawning popular singles such as “Lifted”, “Ocean Drive”, and “High”.
Known for their smooth, soulful sound and uplifting lyrics, Lighthouse Family became one of the defining acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s, with further success through albums like Postcards from Heaven (1997) and Whatever Gets You Through the Day (2001).
The duo sold millions of records worldwide and became a staple on British radio.
Following the band’s hiatus in the early 2000s, Tunde embarked on a solo career, releasing his self-titled debut solo album in 2004.
The album showcased his distinctive voice and included tracks like “Great Romantic” and “Anaesthetic”. His second solo album, Diamond in a Rock, followed in 2013.
In 2010, Tunde reunited with Paul Tucker for a series of Lighthouse Family performances, and in 2019, the duo released their long-awaited fourth studio album, Blue Sky in Your Head.
