Page 134 - Flaunt 175 - Diana

“WHEN YOU’RE DOING A JOB WITH A
“WHEN YOU’RE DOING A JOB WITH A CLEAN HEART, WITH NO BAD
CLEAN HEART, WITH NO BAD
MOTIVES, YOU’LL PROSPER IN WHAT-
MOTIVES, YOU’LL PROSPER IN
EVER YOU’RE DOING.”
WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING.”
can you hear it? it’s coming from the garden, from the streets,
from the basement, from the atmosphere? It’s all around us: the definitive global domination of Afrobeats. And Davido, The King of Afrobeats—a nickname that was given to him by the masses all around the world—is its prophet. The international popstar is best known for his fusion of West African beats and modern day production, bridging the gap between Africa and a cluster of global capitals.
When it comes to creating timeless hits, no one does it like Davido. From 2016’s “If” to 2017’s “Fall” to last year’s “Jowo,” Davido brings an unmatched energy and vibe that listeners can’t help but gravitate towards, allowing you to escape in his world of feel-good anthems that remind you to live life to the fullest and enjoy the simple things.
To date, he serves as the most streamed artist to come out of Africa, breaking YouTube’s record for most streamed video from any Nigerian artist. Boasting over 25 million followers on social media platforms, Davido is the first Nigerian to take home the “Rest of Africa” award at the South African Music Awards for his album A Good Time.
The follow up to the smashingly successful project arrived last year during quarantine, aptly titled A Better Time, which hit over 100 million streams in just three days across all streaming platforms following its release. The skyrocketing reach of this sound once again reminds you that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and the album showcased his versatility and capabil- ities in reeling in the hottest stars in hip-hop, including Chris Brown, Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, Lil Baby, Hit-Boy, and Nas.
Beyond the music, Davido entered the film world playing himself in Amazon’s critically-acclaimed film Coming 2 America. With his enormous platform, real name David Adedeji Adeleke also plays his part in giving back to his community, a global activist campaigning for police reform to #EndSars and police brutality. His new single “FEM” even became the Nigerian youth anthem at protests in Lagos. What most people may not know
is Davido is actually from Atlanta, Georgia, hopping on a quick 9-hour flight back and forth between the A and Lagos, Nigeria— where much of the Afrobeats movement calls home.
At only 28 years old, Davido continues to reach new heights in his decade-long career, accumulating over one billion global streams and over 400 million views on Youtube—and let’s not forget his endless accolades and awards: MOBO for Best African Act, the MTV EMA for Best International Act, BBC Headies 2018 Artiste of the Year, Best Pop Single, and Song of the Year,
two MTV Africa Music Awards, a 2014 BET Award for Best Afri- can Act, and two Nigerian Teen Choice Awards for Top Featured Artist and Choice Male Artist.
Flaunt caught up with Davido via Zoom, who was located in Atlanta where his family and daughter reside. Read below as we discuss his career, being the most streamed artist out of Africa, creating “Fall,” crafting A Better Time during the pandemic, col- laborating with other musical superstars, his recording process, fatherhood, acting in Coming 2 America, his love for hip-hop, and a whole lot more!
Why are you The King of Afrobeats?
Over time we’ve been working hard, delivering hits, really push- ing the culture to the Western world. I remember, in 2015, when I first signed my deal, African music wasn’t really accepted. I remember being in the room telling them, ‘Yo, this genre’s going to be hot! It’s the next thing coming.’ They looked at me like I was crazy. Five years later, it’s one of the biggest genres in the world. Not only me, but my colleagues, even my other Nigerian artists pushing it before me, from D’Banj to 2Face to P Square, before I came into the picture. My generation—we’re doing
the work now. The same way the people before my generation worked for us to prosper like this, is the same way we’re working for the next generation to even do bigger things.
One decade later, how does it feel to be the most streamed artist out of Africa?
It’s crazy! These things happen when you’re not longing for
it. I’m doing music because I love it. It’s something I love. It’s not something I’m doing to be in competition with nobody. It’s not something I’m doing for money. I started doing it because
I loved it. When you’re doing a job with a clean heart, with no bad motives, you’ll prosper in whatever you’re doing. I have a great team around me, I have great fans. I have a great coun-
try that supports me, a great continent of Africa that supports me. It’s a collection of a lot of things, I’m definitely not doing
it alone. The fans, my family that supports me. I have amazing producers, amazing artists under me, amazing songwriters. It’s a collective effort, it’s not just me.
‘Fall’ is such a vibe. What memories do you have tied to this record?
I actually made this record upstairs in this house. Funny enough, we were just having fun. We already had ‘If’—‘If’ was
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