Little Secret! See What Davido's Dad Did To Him When He Started Music.......
Little Secret! See What Davido’s Dad Did To Him When He
Started Music
by Ameborguy
ENTERTAINMENT
As soon as he pads into the smart lobby of a Leeds hotel, 25-
year-old Nigerian pop star Davido – wearing Gucci slippers and a
merch shirt from his 30 Billion world tour – is accosted by excited
staff requesting selfies. One woman tells him: “I listen to your
music every day!”
Davido, aka David Adedeji Adeleke , is slightly jet-lagged, but
amiable. He’s arrived in Leeds to perform at the 2017 Mobo
Awards, where he’ll also receive the Best African Act trophy. This
isn’t Davido’s first UK trip, he’s previously packed out club shows
here.
He has, however, reached a point where his success across Africa
is translating into international recognition. Having signed a major
label deal with Sony, his triumphant latest single “Fia” follows “If”
and “Fall” (the latter tracks so far amassing 54.7m and 38m views
respectively on YouTube)
David Adeleke has won Best African Act at the MTV EMAs, and in
early 2018 his 30 Billion tour (which has already covered venues
across the US, Spain, Djibouti, Ivory Coast and beyond) hits the
UK.
“Funnily enough, this is the first time that I’ve won European
awards,” says Davido, in sweetly raspy tones. “I realised that when
I really focused on Africa and my culture, that’s when people
started recognising me.
I travel a lot, but I know the kind of environment I need to be in;
I’d rather create the music at home, in Lagos. The travelling
distracts me, because there’s so much going on.”
In the western music mainstream, the profile of young African
talent is soaring.
Of course, Africa’s vital influence on, and cross-
pollination with, international music scenes, has been deep-rooted
over decades; among countless examples are Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat
movement and legendary 1970s Lagos hotspot The Shrine, which
drew the likes of Paul McCartney to work in Nigeria.
The 21st century has seen collaborative projects such as Africa
Express: launched by British musician Damon Albarn, it has
connected artists from Mali, Congo, Senegal, the UK and the US.
But recent years have also seen the mainstream focus on
“afrobeats”: seemingly a catch-all term, yet very distinct from
Fela’s polemical grooves.
Afrobeats sounds are fuelled by youth culture and catchy
anthems, their vocals and rhythms laced with electronic effects.
Some artists have been Brits reflecting their African heritage:
take Fuse ODG, whose 2014 debut TINA (This Is New Africa)
merged Ghanaian dance roots with western club production, or
fellow Londoner J Hus, whose album Common Sense created a
buzz this year.
Many others, such as Davido, are Nigerian talents whose success
was established well before western attention: D’banj, say, who
scored a 2012 hit with “Oliver Twist”, or Wizkid, who raised the
roof at London’s Royal Albert Hall in September.
Afrobeats has also notably inspired work by international stars
including Beyoncé and Drake.
Why is it that the western
mainstream has now experienced an awakening?
It’s the internet and social media,” replies Davido, with the
assurance of someone who has Nigeria’s biggest Instagram
account (5.5m followers).
“I’m telling you, Nigerian people have a supportive force, and an
amazing energy. Beyoncé and Kanye felt it on their visits, but
Nigeria has always been very big on entertainment; when I was
little, a big artist would come over to play every Christmas.
“Now the music industry in Nigeria is like a government ministry;
it’s worth billions. There are so many artists in Nigeria that you
might not have heard of, but trust me, they’re doing well.”
Davido has never played down his own wealthy background; his
2012 debut album was entitled Omo Baba Olowo (Yoruba for
“Son of a rich man”).
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a family of Nigerian
entrepreneurs, and he returned to the US to study engineering;
when Davido went Awol to pursue music instead, his father was
decidedly unimpressed – and had him arrested upon his
reappearance in Lagos.
“My dad didn’t like me doing music!” laughs Davido. “If he saw
my face on a billboard, he’d arrest everybody at that show! But
when I made the song ‘Dami Duro’ [2011], it became the biggest
track in Africa; it’s saying: ‘I’m the son of a rich man, you can’t
stop me, and people love me.’ It now feels good for dad to see
that music can take me this far.”
This multilingual pop wave is arguably pan-African, with artists
and fans taking inspiration from countries around the continent;
It highlights the rich disparity of African cultures — and the
limitations of the “afrobeats” tag.
“In Nigeria, we all mix sounds together and collaborate; it’s
natural,” says Davido. He prefers to call his own music
“afrofusion”, with elements including hip-hop, Ghanaian high life,
South African kwaito, and R&B. “It’s been generalised as
afrobeats, but I have songs that sound like afropop, afrotrap . . .
”
Source: Financial Times
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Started Music
by Ameborguy
ENTERTAINMENT
As soon as he pads into the smart lobby of a Leeds hotel, 25-
year-old Nigerian pop star Davido – wearing Gucci slippers and a
merch shirt from his 30 Billion world tour – is accosted by excited
staff requesting selfies. One woman tells him: “I listen to your
music every day!”
Davido, aka David Adedeji Adeleke , is slightly jet-lagged, but
amiable. He’s arrived in Leeds to perform at the 2017 Mobo
Awards, where he’ll also receive the Best African Act trophy. This
isn’t Davido’s first UK trip, he’s previously packed out club shows
here.
He has, however, reached a point where his success across Africa
is translating into international recognition. Having signed a major
label deal with Sony, his triumphant latest single “Fia” follows “If”
and “Fall” (the latter tracks so far amassing 54.7m and 38m views
respectively on YouTube)
David Adeleke has won Best African Act at the MTV EMAs, and in
early 2018 his 30 Billion tour (which has already covered venues
across the US, Spain, Djibouti, Ivory Coast and beyond) hits the
UK.
“Funnily enough, this is the first time that I’ve won European
awards,” says Davido, in sweetly raspy tones. “I realised that when
I really focused on Africa and my culture, that’s when people
started recognising me.
I travel a lot, but I know the kind of environment I need to be in;
I’d rather create the music at home, in Lagos. The travelling
distracts me, because there’s so much going on.”
In the western music mainstream, the profile of young African
talent is soaring.
Of course, Africa’s vital influence on, and cross-
pollination with, international music scenes, has been deep-rooted
over decades; among countless examples are Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat
movement and legendary 1970s Lagos hotspot The Shrine, which
drew the likes of Paul McCartney to work in Nigeria.
The 21st century has seen collaborative projects such as Africa
Express: launched by British musician Damon Albarn, it has
connected artists from Mali, Congo, Senegal, the UK and the US.
But recent years have also seen the mainstream focus on
“afrobeats”: seemingly a catch-all term, yet very distinct from
Fela’s polemical grooves.
Afrobeats sounds are fuelled by youth culture and catchy
anthems, their vocals and rhythms laced with electronic effects.
Some artists have been Brits reflecting their African heritage:
take Fuse ODG, whose 2014 debut TINA (This Is New Africa)
merged Ghanaian dance roots with western club production, or
fellow Londoner J Hus, whose album Common Sense created a
buzz this year.
Many others, such as Davido, are Nigerian talents whose success
was established well before western attention: D’banj, say, who
scored a 2012 hit with “Oliver Twist”, or Wizkid, who raised the
roof at London’s Royal Albert Hall in September.
Afrobeats has also notably inspired work by international stars
including Beyoncé and Drake.
Why is it that the western
mainstream has now experienced an awakening?
It’s the internet and social media,” replies Davido, with the
assurance of someone who has Nigeria’s biggest Instagram
account (5.5m followers).
“I’m telling you, Nigerian people have a supportive force, and an
amazing energy. Beyoncé and Kanye felt it on their visits, but
Nigeria has always been very big on entertainment; when I was
little, a big artist would come over to play every Christmas.
“Now the music industry in Nigeria is like a government ministry;
it’s worth billions. There are so many artists in Nigeria that you
might not have heard of, but trust me, they’re doing well.”
Davido has never played down his own wealthy background; his
2012 debut album was entitled Omo Baba Olowo (Yoruba for
“Son of a rich man”).
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a family of Nigerian
entrepreneurs, and he returned to the US to study engineering;
when Davido went Awol to pursue music instead, his father was
decidedly unimpressed – and had him arrested upon his
reappearance in Lagos.
“My dad didn’t like me doing music!” laughs Davido. “If he saw
my face on a billboard, he’d arrest everybody at that show! But
when I made the song ‘Dami Duro’ [2011], it became the biggest
track in Africa; it’s saying: ‘I’m the son of a rich man, you can’t
stop me, and people love me.’ It now feels good for dad to see
that music can take me this far.”
This multilingual pop wave is arguably pan-African, with artists
and fans taking inspiration from countries around the continent;
It highlights the rich disparity of African cultures — and the
limitations of the “afrobeats” tag.
“In Nigeria, we all mix sounds together and collaborate; it’s
natural,” says Davido. He prefers to call his own music
“afrofusion”, with elements including hip-hop, Ghanaian high life,
South African kwaito, and R&B. “It’s been generalised as
afrobeats, but I have songs that sound like afropop, afrotrap . . .
”
Source: Financial Times
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