Emmanuel Babatunde Baiyewu, better known as Tunde, is a British singer songwriter of Nigerian descent and the former lead singer and songwriter of the 15 million selling album band Lighthouse Family. In 2004, he embarked on a solo career, releasing the album Tunde, followed by a second solo album, Diamond In A Rock, in 2013. This was followed by a one off reunion album and tour with Lighthouse Family in 2019, prior to the COVID lockdowns.
Tunde Baiyewu was born in London to a family of Nigerian descent.
After spending part of his early life in Lagos, Tunde returned to the UK, attending the University of Northumbria in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he obtained a degree in accounting. He subsequently met Paul Tucker, who was also studying in Newcastle and working in the bar scene. Their partnership began and they formed Lighthouse Family.
After initially being signed by A and R executive Colin Barlow to a six month development deal with Polydor Records in 1993, Lighthouse Family released their debut album, Ocean Drive, in 1995. The lead single, Lifted, reached the top five on the UK Singles Chart. Ocean Drive was certified six times Platinum by the end of 1997, selling more than 1.8 million copies in the UK alone and spending 154 weeks on the UK Albums Chart. Lighthouse Family’s follow up album, Postcards From Heaven, achieved similar success in 1997, reaching six times Platinum status. Their third album, Whatever Gets You Through The Day, released in 2001, also achieved Platinum status.
Lighthouse Family sold over fifteen million albums globally, with strong support across Europe and Australia and New Zealand, and established a catalogue of enduring popular songs including Goodbye Heartbreak, High, Lifted, Ocean Drive, Loving Every Minute, Question Of Faith and Raincloud.
In 2019, Lighthouse Family reunited and released a new album, Blue Sky In Your Head. The group’s first record in eighteen years was supported by two sell out UK tours either side of the COVID lockdown period before the duo split again in July 2022.
Since 2020, Tunde has been working on a new collection of recordings inspired by the artists and singer songwriter era of the 1970s. Reunited with Lighthouse Family producer Mike Peden, he recorded a selection of Troubadour influenced songs, including compositions by Elton John, Crosby, Stills and Nash, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, David Gates and Bill Withers. Some of these songs are included in his live set.
Through March and April 2025, Tunde toured nationally with Gabrielle on a 14 date tour, including London’s O2 Arena, Manchester’s AO Arena and Birmingham’s Pulse Live Arena. More live shows and festival dates are planned throughout the rest of 2025, including a series of headline shows in October and November to mark Tunde’s 30th anniversary as a recording artist.
Three new original songs are being released through 2025 and into 2026. The first of these, Rain To A Rainbow, was released on Friday 11 July, a timeless track co written by Tunde with Jonathan Quarmby.
Rain To A Rainbow has received heavy rotation on BBC Radio 2, regional BBC stations and Bauer Media commercial stations. It has also charted strongly on Shazam UK, being actively searched and discovered by new audiences. Radio support has continued for over a month and streaming numbers are increasing, with editorial teams at Spotify and Apple Music supporting the track as its impact continues to grow across platforms.
With his unique sound and timeless songwriting, Tunde remains a prominent figure in British music and is now poised to open a new chapter in his career, celebrating both the 30th anniversary of the debut Lighthouse Family album and exciting new music from his own songbook for his audience.