David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992),better known by his stage name Davido, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. His 2011 single "Dami Duro" was well-received throughout Nigeria. Along with his elder brother Adewale Adeleke, Davido is the co-owner of HKN Music (a record label home to Sina Rambo, B. Red and DeeKay). He has produced songs for Naeto C, Skales, Tiwa Savage and Sauce Kid. In April 2012, he signed an endorsement deal with MTN Nigeria.On October 23, 2013, Davido partnered with Guinness Nigeria for the "Guinness World of More" concert.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Davido relocated to Lagos at a young age. His debut album Omo Baba Olowo, released in 2012, was initiated by the bringing out of singles "Back When" featuring Naeto C, "Dami Duro", "All of You", "Overseas" featuring Sina Rambo, "Ekuro", "Gbon Gbon" and "Feel Alright" featuring Ice Prince. Between 2013 and 2015, Davido released the singles "Gobe", "One of a Kind", "Skelewu", "Aye", "Tchelete (Goodlife)" featuring Mafikizolo, "Naughty" featuring DJ Arafat, "Owo Ni Koko", "The Sound" and "The Money" featuring Olamide. The aforementioned singles were reportedly intended to be singles off the album, The Baddest.
In January 2016, Davido announced via Twitter that he signed a record deal with Sony Music. His announcement was met with mixed reactions.The record label put out a press release to confirm the deal.Davido started his own label, Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), few months after signing with Sony Dremo and Mayorkun are currently signed to the label. In July 2016, Davido signed a record deal with Sony's RCA Records
Life and music career
1992–2010: Early life and career beginnings
Davido was born on November 21, 1992, to Chief Deji and Vero Adeleke in Atlanta, Georgia. His father is a Nigerian business magnate and his late mother was a university lecturer.He attended the British International School in Lagos. Davido studied Business Administration at Oakwood University prior to relocating to Nigeria. Davido's interest in music started during his time at Oakwood University. He bought musical equipment and started making beats, in addition to recording vocal references.Davido earned a music degree from Babcock after his father paid the university to erect a music department for an inaugural class of one.
2011–2012:Omo Baba Olowo
Work on Davido's debut studio album, Omo Baba Olowo, began in 2011. On May 7, 2011, Davido produced and released his first musical recording "Back When" which was a major hit. The song served as the album's lead single and received frequent airplay. The music video for the single, uploaded onto YouTube on May 9, 2011, was shot and directed in Nigeria by Clarence Peters. Davido told Factory 78 TV that he recorded "Back When" in London.Davido co-produced "Dami Duro" with Shizzi and released it on October 30, 2011.The music video for "Dami Duro" was released on January 8, 2012. It was shot and directed in Lagos by Clarence Peters, and was released during the Occupy Nigeria protests. In an interview posted on NotJustOk, Davido spoke on the release and composition of "Dami Duro". He said he recorded "Dami Duro" in August 2011. Three months later, the song got leaked after he sent it out to some friends.On May 6, 2012, HKN Music released "Overseas" as a single off the album.
2013–2015:The Baddest promotional singles and Africa Rising campaign
In early 2013, Davido began recording his second studio album. On February 25, 2013, he released "Gobe" as the upcoming album's lead single.The song was produced by Shizzi. Charles Mgbolu of Vanguard commented on the release of the single, saying: "It’s a beautiful song with a tremendous video running along. In Gobe, Davido is beaten up by thugs after winning the girl. It’s a song that exudes fun from start to finish.The music video for the single was shot in South Africa by Godfather Productions.The song was ranked second on Premium Times list of the Top 10 songs of 2013.
Skelewu", the third single from the upcoming album, was released on August 13, 2013. It was ranked 5th on the aforementioned list of the top 10 songs of 2013. The song peaked at number 1 on Afribiz's Top 100 chart.[39] A dance competition with a cash prize of $3000 (₦480,000) was announced days after the release of the song. Davido uploaded an instructional dance video onto YouTube and asked fans to upload videos of themselves dancing to "Skelewu". On October 10, 2013, Davido declared Bello Moshood Abiola the winner of the competition.A week after announcing the winner of the Skelewu dance competition, a Sesan directed music video was released to the public. Shortly after the release of the video, Davido took to Twitter to debunk the video and said that someone betrayed him by releasing it. He also said he'll re-shoot the video with Moe Musa, a UK based music video director.Sesan commented on the release of the music video and said that Davido was satisfied with his contributions to the music video. He also said that it would be immature for Davido and his management to release inaccurate statements in order to defame his brand.On October 21, 2013, the official music video for the single was shot and directed in London by Moe Musa. It was uploaded onto YouTube at a total length of 3 minutes and 56 seconds
In June 2014, Davido collaborated with Mi Casa, Lola Rae, Sarkodie, Diamond Platnumz and Tiwa Savage on a song for DSTV's Africa Rising campaign, which was designed to inspire Africans to partake in community-based social investment projects. The music video for the song, released on June 24, 2014, was shot and directed by South African production house Callback Dream.The aforementioned artists performed the song at the Africa Rising launch ceremony in Mauritius. In July 2014, Davido told The New Age newspaper that he plans on collaborating with American rappers Rick Ross and MeekMill.In June 2015, Davido dropped his long-awaited collaboration with Meek Mill titled "Fans Mi".
2017 to 2018 international fame
On November 30,2017 Davido won the best African act at the MOBO Awards and also became the first African act to perform live at the awards On June 24, 2018, Davido became the first African-based artist to have received his award on the BET Awards main stage. His award was presented by Hollywood actor Omari Hardwick and actress Tika Sumpter. In his acceptance speech, he urged patrons and American artists to visit Africa and also enjoy the food.
Endorsements
On April 6, 2012, Nigerian Entertainment Today reported that Davido signed a ₦30 million endorsement deal with MTN. The deal unveiled him as the face of MTN Pulse, a marketing campaign for Nigerian youths.On October 24, 2013, Pulse reported that Guinness Nigeria signed Davido to an endorsement deal. As part of the deal, Davido performed at the Guinness World of More Concert alongside P-Square, D'banj, Wizkid, Ice Prince, Burna Boy, Olamide, Phyno, Chidinma, Waje and Tiwa Savage, among others.
Discography
Studio albums
- Omo Baba Olowo (2012)
EPs
- Son of Mercy (2016)
