By Eric Elezuo
Love him or hate him, one thing is obvious, and everyone can agree on it. And that is the fact that David Adeleke, popularly known by his brand name, Davido, is a force to reckon with; an evergreen talent and an enigma of light years ahead.
In his close to 15 years professional sojourn in the world of music, Davido has hardly had a career downtime. He has consistently been on his A-level performance, breaking barriers, creating new vistas, exhibiting a high level of IQ and of recent has become a role model to what the ideal husband should be.
It is not therefore, a surprise that Davido has remained a toast to many, within the continent and internationally. His brand of music, his pendant for respect and responsibility, coupled with his patriotism to family and country have all remained a positive reference point to career builders, the upcoming youths and lovers of good things. Davido is an enigma in the truest definition of the word.
Born of the shinniest of all silver spoons, Davido chose a path that particularly defined him for himself, giving the Adeleke family another addendum in their most impressive history. Many would have thought that the young man, who is only 32, would stay like an apro string to the already built and established great Adeleke name, but he made a clear detour; creating an all new curriculum for himself. A curriculum that has opened doors for the family, and expanded the family’s horizon.
The beauty of his choice today is the fact that he is not ordinarily recognised as Adeleke David, but as Davido – his own undisputable brand. His own personality. He did not hide in the haystack of existing wealth, but followed a passion, superlatively nurtured it and came out tops. He is, for all intent and purpose, most loved locally and a recognised international brand.
He is presently on a five-state tour of Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Enugu, Oyo and Lagos. The tour kickstarted on October 25, and will terminate in Lagos in December. So far, the tturn out has been massive, and the love from the people, straight from the heart.
Born David Adedeji Adeleke on November 21, 1992, in Atlanta, United States of America, to Deji and Nnenna Adeleke, Davido enjoys dual citizenship of both Nigeria and America. He is not just a singer, he is a prolific songwriter, record producer and label owner.
Though he was born in Atlanta, Davido was raised in Lagos, Nigeria. Among many things one can count positive for Davido is his love for family, especially his wife, Chioma, his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke and his dad, Deji Adeleke.
In June 2024, Davido married Chioma, who he can’t stop gushing over, in one of the most flashy ceremonies in history, drawing together the best of the society to the Eko Hotels and Suites. The white wedding followed later in the USA.
Only last weekend, Davido took to his Instagram story to share a photo of a bouquet he sent to his wife, alongside a touching message that read, “I want to remind you that I love you today, tomorrow, and always. I miss you so much. Your loving husband.” He is every bit a loving husband.
Wikipedia captured Davido life trajectory as follows:
He made his music debut as a member of the group KB International. Davido studied business administration at Oakwood University before dropping out to make beats and record vocal references. He rose to fame after releasing “Dami Duro”, the second single from his debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo (2012), from which six additional singles—”Back When”, “Ekuro”, “Overseas”, “All of You”, “Gbon Gbon” and “Feel Alright”—were taken. In 2012, Davido won the Next Rated award at The Headies. Between 2013 and 2015, he released the singles “Gobe”, “One of a Kind”, “Skelewu”, “Aye”, “Tchelete (Goodlife)”, “Naughty”, “Owo Ni Koko”, “The Sound” and “The Money”.
In January 2016, Davido announced on Twitter that he had signed a record deal with Sony Music and a few months later, he founded the record label Davido Music Worldwide, to which artists including Morravey and Logos Olori are currently signed. In July 2016, Davido signed a record deal with Sony’s RCA Records and in October the same year, he released the five-track Extended Play (EP) Son of Mercy, which was supported by the singles “Gbagbe Oshi”, “How Long” and “Coolest Kid in Africa”. In April 2017, Davido re-negotiated his contract with Sony due to creative control issues and later that year, he released five singles including “If” and “Fall”. “If” generated worldwide social-media activity while “Fall” became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. In November 2019, Davido released his second studio album A Good Time, which was supported by the previously released singles “If”, “Fall”, “Assurance”, “Blow My Mind” and “Risky”.
In 2019, New African magazine listed Davido as one of the 100 most-influential Africans. His third studio album, A Better Time, was released on November 13, 2020. In February 2021, Davido appeared on Time 100’s Next List. He released Timeless, his fourth studio album, on March 31, 2023. Davido is a cultural ambassador for Nigeria and a prominent voice of human rights in Africa. He is also one of the most-followed African artists on Instagram and Twitter.
In 2011, Davido started working on his debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo, which is a mixture of Afrobeats and hip hop. Davido worked with Jay Sleek, Maleek Berry, GospelOnDeBeatz, Spellz, Dokta Frabz, Mr. Chidoo, Theory Soundz and Shizzi to produce the album. Omo Baba Olowo features guest appearances from Naeto C, Sina Rambo, B-Red, Kayswitch, Ice Prince and 2 Face Idibia. It received generally negative reviews from music critics, who panned its lyrical content and Davido’s songwriting. The album won Best R&B/Pop Album and received a nomination for Album of the Year at The Headies 2013, and for Best Album of the Year at the 2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
The Naeto C-assisted track “Back When” was released as the album’s lead single on May 7, 2011. It was produced in London by Davido and received frequent airplay. The Clarence Peters-directed music video for “Back When” was uploaded to YouTube on May 9, 2011. Davido and Shizzi produced the album’s second single “Dami Duro”, which was released on October 30, 2011. In an interview posted on the NotJustOk website, Davido said he recorded the song in August of that year. The song was leaked three months after he sent it to some of his friends. The accompanying music video for “Dami Duro” was released on January 8, 2012, during the Occupy Nigeria protests.
The album’s third single “Ekuro” was released on January 25, 2012. Its music video was recorded and directed in Miami by Antwan Smith. Nigerian singer Aramide released a soulful cover of the song. The album’s fourth single “Overseas” was released on May 6, 2012; an unfinished version of the song was leaked prior to its official release. The GospelOnDeBeatz-produced track “All of You” was released as the album’s fifth single on September 28, 2012; Davido said he recorded the song with GospelOnDeBeatz’ whom he met at a mall.
Davido has five surviving children out of his original six, with Imade (from Sophie Momodo) as the oldest. His first son, Ifeanyi, died in October 2022 at the age of three.
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