DAVIDO!

It’s 7:22 PM. We’re in a moderately sized studio tucked away in the heartbeat of Ikoyi, Lagos. Davido is still not here yet—of course, he’s not. The production team waits for the superstar, not the other way around. Expected. The team is already looking drained from waiting, and the

excitement from meeting an icon is already fading when the double doors leading to the studio open and Tycoone walks in. He daps up everyone in the room and straightaway makes his way to the array of clothes the stylist—Moses Ebite—had carefully selected and arranged. He’s inspecting the clothes and looking at the options Davido will be wearing for the photo shoot. “This is fire,” he says, stopping in front of a Lisa Folawiyo SS25 shirt. Then, right in the middle of that moment, Davido walks in. He’s casual: off-white tee, brown purposefully faded jeans, and an olive green hat (which, fun fact, ends up in the shoot). He also goes around to shake the members of the crew—who are clearly now a little more excited but keeping it professional and cool—then proceeds to the corner of the room to have his hair and beard trimmed.

In a few minutes, he’s sitting in the chair, cutting his hair, having a conversation with me while signing bottles of you-know-what to get them ready for a related event he was attending after this photoshoot.

“Why so busy, man?” He shrugs, laughs, and says, “When you’re me, it’s

understandable.” But it’s more than just being him—Davido is deep in the rollout for his fifth studio album. In his words: e choke. His fifth album. After dropping four successful albums, you’d think he’d slow down, but he doesn’t seem to be. Davido is pushing this gospel of 5ive to the ends of the earth.

Davido has been on the cover of THISDAY Style before. Then, he was a 24-year-old young man with only “Omo Baba Olowo” to his name—his debut album. Now, almost a decade later, he just released his fifth, and he’s back on our cover. For him, this isn’t just another album. It’s a “timely” one, which he believes will continue to cement his legacy in the industry.

“For me, I just really continue to cement my legacy. We’re talking about almost 14 years now. It’s been a long time… I’ve been making amazing music over the years. I don’t think that’s news.

To me, this is a reiteration of the fact that Davido has come—He’s delivered again. You know what I’m saying? It’s a breath of fresh air.

“I want you to just enjoy music, you know what I’m saying? It’s a hard time now everywhere, even for us.” (I give him a look that suggests, “Why are you whining me?”) “I’m telling you, he says, even for us. But thank God we’re pushing through; hopefully, things get better soon. But yeah, I definitely want to continue cementing my legacy in the industry.”

Also, you know, solidify the culture as a whole—worldwide, globally. The album is very diverse. It touches on every part of the world. I’m excited about it.”

Interview by Ayo Lawal

‘Solidifying the culture globally’ is the perfect segue into my next question. So, how do you balance staying true to your original self while trying to appeal to a global audience? And do you even think doing that is overrated?

Necessary? Yeah, of course. I think before, that was kind of the idea—to be international or push to be global, you had to be like them and get them on your records. Luckily for us these days, the records that even go crazy in America are the “regular” and “proper” Afrobeats records. So I think that has changed over the years. Us trying to act like them or speak like them, I think that is over with now. We’re trying to be like us. They’re trying to be like us. They’re coming here now. Now, the international artists want to come to Africa, do a show, or just want to come and experience it. Or want to work with Afrobeats artists or producers. The narrative is changing.

It’s your fifth album, granted—but was that the only reason you named it 5ive, or is there a deeper meaning? The intro suggests that you may have gone deeper.

Honestly, when I initially wanted to name the album, I wasn’t thinking that deeply. I just knew it was my fifth project, and “5ive” sounded cool—it rolls off the tongue nicely. But then I went back and did some research on what the number five represents, and it all started to come together. That’s when I was convinced it had to be the title. As for what “Five” means, Alhanislam left it all on the intro. It’s all there.

Would you like to talk us through any of the album’s creative processes? Were there any particular moments that defined the album or the direction of a particular song?

I did a camp in California, in Malibu. I took the whole family there. All my friends, all my producers. And I think it was one of the first times one of my producers and writers could travel.

So I took them to Malibu. We got a mansion. We built a mini studio in it. We were just vibing, really. Sometimes we wouldn’t even record, but just being around family, discussing, and reminiscing about how far we’ve come. How God has blessed us. I think we made about six

of the songs on the album—six or seven of the songs, if I’m not mistaken. So yeah, that was very memorable.

Nigerian music right now is at an all-time high, and you’re definitely one of the people who took it to that level. How does it feel that everybody now wants a piece and a taste?

It’s just like investing in something and seeing it grow. Being a part of something early on and seeing it grow into something huge globally that’s definitely something. In Africa, they’ve always

loved our music. We’ve never even had the problem of not being sellable within Africa. But yeah, being recognized worldwide means you’re changing the narrative of being African.

I went to school in America in the early days. I remember getting to school, and the conception of being African wasn’t how it is now. It wasn’t cool at all. Back then, it was more cool to be like Jamaican. Now they’re going to find out their DNA. Everybody wants to be Nigerian at this point. It’s different now. But I’ve seen it change over the years. Even from when I first started my Sony deal.

When I first started my Sony deal, executives were listening to the album and they liked more of the American-sounding tunes. But I was telling them: “these are the songs that are going to go. Let’s put the budget behind these songs rather than these other options you are spending money on.” And they never believed. But then I took a chance on it. And I basically told the label, you know what? Hold your money. I’d go shoot my video myself. And it became one of the biggest songs in the world. So for them to see that made them start believing.

You’ve been on our cover before when you were much younger. Do you remember that? I’d personally say you’ve matured over the years. Looking back now—What advice would you give younger David?

Of course, I do! With TY Bello. To answer your question… Man, I don’t know. I think every young artist—or every young person—has to allow life to take its course, you understand? Obviously, there are a lot of things I’m aware of now that are different from when I was 23 or 24. I dropped

Dami Duro when I was 18. I don’t know what I’d tell my younger self, but I would say: Don’t give up. Work hard because it took a lot of hard work to get here. You know, there were a lot of times where I won’t lie, I could’ve given up. Because the truth is, I don’t have to do this. But the fact that I defeated a lot of naysayers and also made my family proud in that same course… I made something of myself and my family name. I’m proud of that. I’m proud of myself.

I digress, but I have to confess—when I first heard “On the beat, it’s Davido” as a teenager, especially in Dami Duro, I thought you were the producer!

Funny you mentioned that! Because in the first version of the song, I did start the production process. And with “Back When “, I produced the track from top to bottom. After that, I met Shizzi and just fell in love with his process—he was undeniable. I mean, I even have a production

credit on Dami Duro.

What inspires you the most when you’re making music? Would you say it’s something personal that’s happening in your life, or more abstract? Or is it more about the vibe you’re trying to put out at the time?

In the past, I’ve drawn from personal experiences. But with this album, I was more focused on just making dope music. That being said, when you hear the first few songs—like track 2, “Anything,” and track 3, “Be There Still” —there’s a story. They speak to my longevity and my staying power in this game. Like I say in the lyrics, “I been don blow by 17.

” So yeah, you’ll catch some personal stuff in there. But the album is so diverse. It’s not like I’m trying to tell just one story or make it super cohesive. Nah, nah—this isn’t that kind of album.

That’s very different from “Timeless”, wouldn’t you say?

I would say that the album had a very clear theme running through most of the tracks. After “Timeless”, so much even more musical success came. So much. And I’ve just been more focused on everything.

“Timeless” was me stepping up like, “Yo, I’m here. Let’s do this.

” This album feels like an extension of all that. Funny enough, some of the songs on “5ive” were actually meant for “Timeless”, but we couldn’t fit everything on one album.

Let’s talk about collaborations on this one. I have to say, my faves are your track with Omah Lay, and then the one with Victoria Monét. “Holy Water” with Victony also stands out. But let’s talk about you and Chris Brown—this is your fifth collab, right? What’s that working relationship like? It’s got to be something special for you two to keep creating together.

You’ve performed on some of the biggest stages in the world. Which one stands out the most to you—like the one you randomly think about and just smile? I have mine in my head already, but I want to hear yours first.

I’ve got a couple, to be honest. And for me, it’s not even always about how big the show was or how many people were there. Sometimes, there are shows you do that just stay with you—they’re super memorable for one reason or another. But yeah, definitely my first O2 show.

[That was mine too!]

Yeah? [He smiles] That first O2 was major. A lot of people doubted I could pull it off. That was one of those turning points in a career where you just know—like, “Okay, man, we’re really getting somewhere.

” Actually, we’re getting more than somewhere. That was amazing. Also,

because I’m from Atlanta as well, doing the arena in Atlanta—selling it out two years in a row—was a big one for me too. We’re doing it again this year. It’s something I try to do every year now.

Then, of course, the World Cup experience; that one is forever—That’s history right there. How can I forget my very first album concert in Nigeria? It was at Eko Hotel, back in 2012. My dad was there. The whole family showed up. And it was the first time they were all looking at me like, “Yo, David actually made it. ” That feeling? That one hits differently.

There’s a growing trend now with musicians getting into other ventures—especially fashion, retail, and even politics. Looking ahead, do you see yourself exploring other things? Acting maybe?

If you watch my music videos, I already act now! [The whole room bursts into laughter] But real talk—music is so time-consuming. Especially at the level we’re at now. It’s not just about making music; it’s the full package. You make the music, then you promote it, distribute it, shoot videos, handle the financials—it’s a lot. Then there’s the touring: building the stage, designing the set list, flying the crew in. It’s like ten businesses wrapped into one thing. So yeah, even within music, you’re doing a bit of everything. But I’ve also been blessed to come from a background where business is in the family. So yeah, my hand is already in a lot of

things.

Any last words?

I just want to inspire. Especially producers—because I started out as one. So we really, really focused on the production of this album. I want producers, writers, and even young creatives to hear it and feel encouraged. I worked with a lot of young producers people don’t even know yet. And I want them to feel like, “Yo, if they can make music at this level, I can do it too.

” That’s really the heart of 5ive.

Ayo’s note on 5ive

“10 Kilo” had me hitting replay so many times that I’m convinced Davido’s vocals must’ve started hurting—no joke. It might just be my favourite track on the album. Not to say the others aren’t amazing, but what can I say? I’m a lover boy at heart. And truthfully, Davido, I think you are too—and I’m not just talking about the track “Lover Boy.

“Anything” makes me believe in myself every single time I listen to it.

“With You”, I think, is the perfect closer to an upbeat and joyful album. Davido definitely delivered again. Those two weeks I had access to the album before the world did felt like a personal gift. And now? The world gets to share in that gift too.