Afrobeat star Daniel Anidugbe, popularly known as Kizz Daniel, has revealed that profound grief from losing his father to other family tragedies inspired his emotional tribute song ‘Al-Jannah.’
In a podcast interview, the 31-year-old said the death of his father in 2015 had a lasting impact on him, noting: “When my dad was alive, he was my best friend.”
He explained that Al-Jannah, which means “paradise” in Arabic, was not written for just one person, but for everyone who has lost someone special.
“I wanted to write a tribute song. We’ve lost people in the past. We lost our son in 2021. I lost my dad in 2015; my wife lost her mum in 2024; I lost my step-mum; we lost a whole lot of people. I wanted to make a song for everyone, not just one person. It’s about our loved ones we have lost in this journey of life,” he said.
Kizz Daniel added that choosing to use the word “friend” in the song was deliberate and meaningful. “I think I was able to accomplish that by using the word friend in the song,” he stated.
The singer’s father died on May 9, 2015, just a few days after his 21st birthday. The loss, along with subsequent family bereavements, shaped the heartfelt message behind Al-Jannah, which serves as a tribute to all departed loved ones.
Kizz Daniel initially announced the birth of twin boy, Jelani and Jamal—on May 1, 2021, coinciding with his birthday.
However, in July 2021, he revealed that he had actually welcomed triplets—Jamal, Jalil and Jelani—but sadly lost Jamal just four days after their birth.
