Davido

AfrobeatsAtlanta, Georgia (raised Lagos)Since 2011Active

Biography

Davido, born David Adedeji Adeleke on November 21 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia to Nigerian parents, is one of the most commercially successful and internationally recognised Nigerian musicians of his generation. The son of Nigerian billionaire businessman Adedeji Adeleke, he chose music over the advantages of privilege and signed a deal with Sony Music in 2016 — the first Nigerian artist to do so — demonstrating that Afrobeats could compete at the highest levels of the global music industry. His debut EP Omo Baba Olowo (2012) and the smash single Dami Duro established him as an immediate commercial force. His debut album Omo Baba Olowo (2012) was followed by the US hit If (2017), which spent seven consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard African Songs chart. His 2018 single Fall became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the first Nigerian video to reach 100 million views on YouTube. Albums A Good Time (2019) and A Better Time (2020) consolidated his status as a global superstar, and Timeless (2023) received critical acclaim as one of his finest artistic statements. Davido has been named BET Best International Act Africa four times and has won numerous MTV Africa Music Awards and Headies Awards. He has collaborated with Chris Brown, Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, Summer Walker, and Khalid among many others. He is known for his philanthropy, including a famous 2021 charity drive in which he raised over 250 million naira for underprivileged Nigerians. His OBO (Omo Baba Olowo) Foundation continues charitable work across Nigeria.