DONALD Glover is an actor, singer and comedian who hit headlines with song This Is America, after its music video amassed ten million views in just 24 hours.
But who is the Childish Gambino singer and Grammy Award winner who also starred in Solo: A Star Wars Story? Here’s all you need to know about the multi-talented star.
AP:Associated Press
Is Donald Glover headlining Coachella?
Yes – Childish Gambino will be headlining the Friday at the music festival.
And if that’s not enough for fans, they’ll also be getting another Donald Glover hit when his new film Guava Island premieres during the event.
The mysterious movie co-stars Rihanna and is set to be released on Coachella’s livestream.
It is directed by Hiro Murai – the same brains behind Gambino’s massive hit This Is America.
Who is Donald Glover?
Donald Glover, 34, is an American actor and musician who has also been a successful director and producer during his glittering career so far.
He was born in 1983 on the Edwards Air Force Base in California, and was raised in Stone Mountain in Georgia.
The star got his big break at the age of just 23 when he became a writer for sitcom 30 Rock with the help of Tina Fey, and he went on to appear in a number of TV and film roles.
Under the name Childish Gambino, he is also a successful hip hop artist.
In May 2018 he released the song This Is America, and within 24 hours the music video for the track had already amassed 10 million views.
What has Donald acted in?
He rose to fame while starring on the sitcom Community where he played the lovable Troy Barnes.
However, his acting career really took off with his own project, Atlanta.
As well as starring in the show, he is an executive producer and also occasionally directs.
The TV series scored him several accolades including Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series and Outstanding Director For A Comedy Series as well as Golden Globes for Best Television Series and Best Actor.
He has also starred in a number of films, including Magic Mike XXL (2015), The Martian (2015) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
However, his two biggest movies to date are as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story and the voice of Simba in the remake of the Disney film The Lion King.
AP:Associated Press
Why does Donald Glover call himself Childish Gambino?
Childish Gambino is Donald’s stage name when performing as a musician and rapper.
He revealed during an interview with Jimmy Fallon in 2011 that he got the name from an online name generator for the Wu Tang Clan while at college.
Under this name he has released three full-length studio albums, including 2016’s Awaken, My Love! and the gold-certified Because the Internet in 2013.
Awaken, My Love saw Donald Glover nominated for five Grammy Awards including Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year.
At the January 2018 ceremony he won Best Traditional R&B Performance for Redbone.
He’s also released numerous E.P’s and Mix Tapes between each album, and has appeared on tracks with fellow musicians Chance the Rapper, Rudimental and Ariana Grande.
It was in the lyrics for his single Sunrise that confirmed the rumour he was Danny Glover’s son was false, rapping: “Donald Glover, no relation / Always working, no vacation.”
DONALD GLOVER/YOUTUBE
What happens in Donald Glover’s Feels Like Summer video?
Donald’s video for the track Feels Like Summer dropped in September 2018.
It features animated cameos from the likes of Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, a crying Kanye West, 21 Savage, Lil Pump, Trippie Redd, Kodak Black and the Migos.
It was illustrated by Justin Richburg.
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What is This Is America about?
In May 2018, Donald released the song This Is America and the music video for the track has already gone viral.
There have been a number of theories about the references in both the lyrics and the video, which sees the artist dancing while a riot takes place around him.
Some fans believe he is taking on the police and referring to Stephan Clark, who was shot dead after police thought he was armed – but just had a phone on him.
The lyrics read “this a celly / that’s a tool”, while in the video black men are filming the chaos on their mobile phones. A tool is another word for a gun – or some think he is trying to point out how important phones are at documenting things in this day and age.
There are also references to Black Lives Matter, the Charlottesville protests, terrorism and much more.
