Akon, or Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, has over the last few years taken the step up among the really big stars. He has cooperated with some of the biggest stars in the music industry, including Eminem, Gwen Stefani and Chamillinaire. In 2004 Akon released his first album “Trouble.” The album got a lot of attention from its leading single, “Lonely”, which became a huge hit all over the world. “Lonely” actually reached the top spot in the charts in UK, Germany and Australia. The album itself also reached number one in the UK.
His next album, “Konvicted”, was released in 2006. “Konvicted” included cooperation with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Styles P. The first single from the album was “Smack That.” The single, which included Eminem, was an instant success, and peaked at #2 in the Billboard top 100 singles chart. His second single from “Konvicted”, “I want to love you”, became Akon’s first #1 hit on the Billboard chart. With Snoop Dogg included on the track, they topped the U.S. charts for two weeks. “Konvicted” itself debuted at #2 on the Billboard top 200 album chart, with 285,000 sales in the first week. The single “Smack That” still holds the record for the biggest leap in the Billboard list, with its jump from 95th to 7th place.
With these two huge successes, Akon has gone from a virtually unknown to one of the brightest stars on the music heaven. His third album “Freedom” is right around the corner, being released on December 2. In several interviews, Akon has said that “Freedom” will include tracks that has a more “Euro-club scene” style than his previous releases. Judging from the success he has had with cooperating with other artists with other styles, this will surely be something you should not miss. Two singles has already been released from the album, “Right now” and “I’m so paid”. “Right Now” made an impact on the charts right from the get-go, and if we can expect some more of those easy-listened pop tracks in the same style, Akon’s Freedom will surely be a hit.