Davido Admits He Began To Take His Approach To The Business More Seriously When Afrobeats Became More Commercial
Early in life, Afrobeats artist Davido learned to think on his own, a trait that unexpectedly led him to discover his passion for music.
During an interview with AFROTECH™, Davido, who was born in Atlanta and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, reflected on the formative years that shaped his path in the music industry.
The youngest of five siblings, Davido lost his mother at 5 years old and was raised by his father, Adedeji Adeleke, a Nigerian billionaire who serves as CEO of Pacific Holdings Limited and President of Adeleke University.
Despite his family’s wealth, Davido credits the freedom his father gave him as a key factor that allowed him to carve out his own lane in music.
“He traveled a lot for business”. “He was a busy man…I think I had a lot of time to kinda find myself and know exactly what I wanted to do in life,” Davido said. “In the beginning, I didn’t really have him in my face, like, how he was with my siblings like, ‘Oh, dude. Go to school. I want you to be this.’”
Davido added, “I don’t want to say I was independent at a young age, but I was given that opportunity to just think on my own very early in life, and music was one of the things I stumbled upon at that time when I was finding myself. That’s really how I fell into the whole music group (KB International).”
The artist initially started as a producer, an intentional decision to appease his father, who was adamant that he remain focused on his education.
While his musical debut was with KB International, Davido’s career took off when he became a solo artist.
Embracing his talent as a performer, he made the bold decision to drop out of Oakwood University in 2011, putting a pause on his business administration degree to pursue music full-time. Four years later, he fulfilled his father’s wishes and earned a music degree from Babcock University.
“My father, he don’t care if you make a trillion dollars. He’s very principled. He’s very very big on education…So we figured out a way to do a part-time program… I’d be in Miami on the weekend and on Monday I’m in school. It was a crazy three years,” Davido recalled.
Davido’s decision to follow his passion quickly proved worthwhile. His self-produced debut single, “Back When,” released in 2011, signaled the start of what would become a storied career.
Today, he has cemented his status as a trailblazer in Afrobeats, with a string of global hits including “If,” “Fall,” “UNAVAILABLE“ featuring Musa Keys, and more recently, “With You“ starring Omah Lay.
Afrobeats—a genre Billboard describes as a fusion of West African music, jazz, rhythmic drums, reggae, pop, and hip-hop—has seen explosive global growth.
According to Spotify, the genre generated over 13 billion streams in 2022 alone. NPR adds that data from Luminate shows Afrobeats was among the fastest-growing genres in both the U.S. and globally in 2023, with streaming surging by a little over 26% that year.
Davido, alongside artists such as Tems, Rema, Ayra Starr, and Burna Boy, has played a role in carrying Afrobeats to global heights.
Business Lessons
Davido’s success in the genre has naturally led to a wave of endorsement deals over the years, including partnerships with Puma, GAC Motor Nigeria, and Pernod Ricard’s Martell Cognac as well as the smartphone brand Infinix Mobile, according to Forbes.
“If I show you how much I’ve made off my brand and just being a brand ambassador for these brands, boy, oh, boy. It’s been an amazing ride,” he admits.
Still, navigating that success hasn’t come without its lessons. Davido, who earned his first major paycheck at just 17 years old, candidly shares that he “blew“ through the earnings from his first endorsement deal and did the same with the advance he received after signing with Sony Music Entertainmet, becoming one of the first African artists to land a contract with a major global label.
Davido described himself as being very young during a period of rapid life changes. He was generating substantial income from various sources, including performances and endorsements.
“So, the business side of things, I wasn’t really focused on it or paying attention to it until later on when Afrobeats became more commercial… I’ll say probably eight, nine years ago. Then we started paying more attention to the the paperwork.”
Now, with years of industry wisdom under his belt, Davido has made strategic decisions that are also benefiting those around him.
He launched his label, Davido Music Worldwide, which has signed at least 11 artists over time and empowered them in their artistry, guiding business deals, according to Forbes.
Davido has signed artists, including Toye, Boi Chase, Logos Olori and Morravey, according to NotjustOk.
Essence Festival
As for what’s brewing for Davido, he took center stage at the New Orleans Caesars Superdome for the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, held from July 4-6, marking Davido’s first time in the city. Fans heard some throwbacks such as “If and “Fall” in addition to songs from his latest album, “5ive,” released in April.
“I’m happy that my culture is being represented by me at the Essence Fest,” he expressed.
