Photos courtesy of Davido.
If “rest” appears on Davido’s rider, nobody told him. The 33-year-old Atlanta-born, Nigerian-bred artist was between sets when I called him last week fresh off a 40-show world tour, days away from his Coachella debut, and somehow still logging hours in the gym. He holds the only Afrobeats slot on this year’s festival lineup, although he’s unfazed by the distinction. For more than a decade, the musician has functioned as both hitmaker and cultural conduit, widening the lane for every artist around him. I caught up with him mid-curl to talk about the performance, the culture, and why when Davido wins, everybody eats.
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OLAMIDE OYENUSI: How are you feeling?
DAVIDO: Oh, I’m good, man. We’re just in LA, been rehearsing. We’ve got Coachella this week and next week, and we just came off our Europe tour. So it’s just been back to back, to back, to back.
OYENUSI: What have you done today?
DAVIDO: I’m in the gym right now. I used to go to the gym a lot a couple of years back, but I fell off because I was touring so much. I didn’t have the time.
OYENUSI: Do you consider yourself a gym bro?
DAVIDO: I’m getting there. I’ve been off it for so long that I can’t just snap back into it, but I’ve been in the gym every day for the past two months.
OYENUSI: You’re the only Afrobeats artist on this year’s Coachella lineup.
DAVIDO: Yeah, I didn’t even know that till last week.
OYENUSI: Oh, really? How did you feel?
DAVIDO: It felt good. I mean, it felt good that I finally got to do Coachella, but I felt kind of special. I was like, damn, they chose me out of everybody.
OYENUSI: Do you feel like you’re representing Afrobeats as a whole, or is it more like, “I’m representing myself as an artist”?
DAVIDO: I think I’m representing the culture as a whole, for sure. You know what I’m saying? Definitely representing.
OYENUSI: Is there pressure there?
DAVIDO: I mean, not really, man. We’ve been opportuned to be on a lot of big stages, so I’m kind of prepared for this. I’ve always wanted to do Coachella, though.
OYENUSI: Describe your Coachella set in three words.
DAVIDO: Energetic, cultural, and impactful.
OYENUSI: How are you making sure that your set feels unmistakably you?
DAVIDO: The music, first of all—it’s all me. I mean, we change a lot of components, but we’re keeping it African. I can say that. We’re keeping it very African, very original.
OYENUSI: As you should.
DAVIDO: With styling as well. It’s going to be a good show. I’m bringing all my dancers, and I even added more dancers because we’ve got to make it look crazy. Don’t forget, we just got off a whole 40-show, back-to-back run.
OYENUSI: Where did you tour?
DAVIDO: I did 11 arenas in the US, all sold out. Then, from there, we went to Africa. We did Nigeria as well, the different states in Nigeria. That hasn’t been done in a while. And then we did Europe, which I just came off of.
OYENUSI: Congratulations. What was your favorite stop?
DAVIDO: I liked Belgium. I liked Switzerland. Barcelona was cool, as well.
OYENUSI: Are there any hidden details in your set that fans should be looking out for?
DAVIDO: That’s why it’s hidden, right? [Laughs] But I’ll give you this, definitely have some guests coming out, people that I have amazing songs with. So, let’s see how that goes.
OYENUSI: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
DAVIDO: Not really. I have my whole family coming down. Just going to chill, relax. I definitely like to get my rest. Get a massage. I got a facial today, so that was kind of cool.
OYENUSI: What’s your post-show guilty pleasure meal?
DAVIDO: I like my eba and okra. It’s an African dish.
OYENUSI: If Coachella were a Nigerian dish, what would it be?
DAVIDO: Ooh, I’d say beans, plantain, some chicken—that’s a very Western, outside-in-the-sun dish type stuff.
OYENUSI: Jollof rice.
DAVIDO: [Laughs] Yeah, Jollof.
OYENUSI: What are you wearing?
DAVIDO: I actually don’t know yet. I have a fitting today after this call, so I’m about to really find out. I don’t know, but I know it’s going to be cool. Afro-pop. I dress really Western. With the way I dress, you wouldn’t know I’m from Nigeria. I grew up in Atlanta as well, so we’re mixing that up.
OYENUSI: Do you think that the Lagos heat is going to prepare you for the Coachella desert?
DAVIDO: Oh, definitely. There’s no place as hot as Lagos. Trust me.
OYENUSI: What do you need when traveling?
DAVIDO: Definitely my laptop, my phone. I like to catch up on my series when I’m on a plane, stuff like that. I carry a mobile studio everywhere in case I have to record something. That’s it. I have a lot of assistants. My stylist travels with me, my manager, so I really have everything I need.
OYENUSI: Adds up. Congratulations on your Grammy nomination for 5ive.
DAVIDO: Thank you.
OYENUSI: What does that recognition mean to you?
DAVIDO: It felt so good because I was very, very skeptical. I wasn’t really making that album for validation, to be honest. I was just like, “Yo, I’m trying to drop extra songs.” So I was so happy that it got that recognition. Sometimes when you don’t work toward something, it just happens naturally.
OYENUSI: How do you stay inspired at this point in your career?
DAVIDO: I mean, I love my job, first of all. I feel like that’s one of the most important things. And there’s always another level. You know what I’m saying? I always like to experiment with different sounds. Music is so broad that you can never get bored.
OYENUSI: Is there a genre that you haven’t really tapped into that you would like to?
DAVIDO: K-pop. I’m working on some K-pop stuff.
OYENUSI: Are you working on a new album?
DAVIDO: I’m working on new music, not necessarily an album. I’m not sure about that yet, but I’m always in a studio. I have a studio in my house, so I’m always working.
OYENUSI: You’ve been called the King of Afrobeats, who’s the queen?
DAVIDO: You trying to put me in trouble.
OYENUSI: [Laughs] Perhaps. Who’s an Afrobeat star that you haven’t worked with, but would like to?
DAVIDO: I haven’t worked with Rema. I feel like we’d bang out something crazy.
OYENUSI: Please do. How do you stay true to yourself in a Westernized market?
DAVIDO: Everybody around me is African. I mean, if you come to my house in Atlanta, you’re smelling Nigerian food.
OYENUSI: When you look back at this era of your career, what do you want people to remember the most?
DAVIDO: I want people to know that, apart from my own career, a lot of people gain from my success. You know what I’m saying? I’m very, very big on putting people on. If you look at all my albums, there are always new artists that people haven’t heard of. I have a festival in Atlanta where I bring artists all the way from Africa to perform. Apart from what I’ve done personally, it’s also about how the whole culture gained from me just doing music.
OYENUSI: What’s next for you after Coachella?
DAVIDO: I’ve got to go to Africa, do a couple shows. I’ve got to go to Zambia. It’s my daughter’s birthday, so we’ve got to do that too. Both of my daughters’ birthdays are in May. Just spend time with family before I get busy again because, from August, it’s crazy.
OYENUSI: Happy birthday to your daughters. How old are they turning?
DAVIDO: One is turning nine, and one is turning eleven.
OYENUSI: Oh, cute. If Afrobeats were a country, what would you build first?
DAVIDO: Probably music studios because there’s so much talent. Entertainment is a whole industry. It’s like oil.
