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Harnessing the power of digital media, African Beat Ambassadors spread Nigerian culture around the world.
IIn early April, 30-year-old music superstar Davido is as jet-set as you can get. A global Afrobeat sensation whose music has been streamed more than two billion times, he has released his fourth studio album. timeless Traveling between Lagos, Johannesburg, New York and London, he excites an increasingly international fan base.
Just days after the album’s release, David, born David Adedeji Adeleke, packed into New York’s famed Irving Plaza for a launch concert. The next night, on his The Late Show, he played a hit mashup with Stephen Colbert, before flying to London for his label, Columbia, where he pressed records for his event and his event. Kickoff hosted a parade for his party. Soon, he will return to his hometown of Lagos to announce his new fashion collaboration with Puma, the $9.29 billion (2022 revenue) German sportswear giant. Davido shares every step of his tour with his grueling transcontinental press on Instagram and his TikTok with his 30 million followers.
“I remember when it wasn’t cool to be from Africa. People lied and said I was Jamaican,” he said as he headlined the Forbes Under 30 Africa Summit this weekend in Gaborone, Botswana. Serving David says: “Now he has his own Billboard charts in the US and UK, which shows how seriously the West takes our music.”
Jamel Toppin from forbes
Afrobeat, a wide musical genre from West Africa that mixes jazz, driving drums, reggae, pop and hip-hop, is gaining ground worldwide. Fueling growth: the thriving African diaspora, digital streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, and viral social media trends like Instagram and TikTok. Afrobeat music streams on Spotify surged nearly 300% from 2019 to 2022. Meanwhile, Amapiano, South African-style house music, saw him reach 2 billion views between 2021 and 2022 with streams increasing by 150%. We use digital music services to bring sound around the world,” said Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa. “With the current way people consume music, the appetite for discovery is great and this music is finding new audiences much more quickly.”
The frictionless and boundaryless state of digital media has helped David and other Afro stars such as Wizkid, Burna Boy, Thames and Lema reach millions of new fans and lucrative markets. . These top acts now fill stadiums in the US, UK and Europe, collaborating with Western pop icons such as Beyoncé, Drake, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran. “It brings a new shelf life to his songs that have lasted a year or two on the African charts, and a large audience that will further extend that growth,” says Christian Adofo, author of music history books. Quick Tin On: Afrobeat (Jacaranda Books, 2022). “It is local culture that drives the global growth of music.”
And that’s what drives the African music industry. According to record industry expert IFPI, in 2022 the region’s music revenue will surge 34% to $94 million. Last year, as measured by revenue, Africa was the fastest growing music region in the world, far ahead of mature markets such as the US (5%), Europe (7.5%) and Asia (15%) . Clause. “The global music industry is investing in African artists and producers to take the music people listen to seriously,” said JJ Italiano, Head of Global Hits at Spotify. “It’s a truly global sound and the industry is responding to it in a very cool and encouraging way.”
D.Coming onto the scene in 2011, avido has pioneered and profited from this trend. Davido’s management expects him to earn more than $20 million in 2023 from royalties, tours, merchandise sales and endorsements. (Not that he needs the money. His father is one of Nigeria’s most successful businessmen, with interests in banking, energy, agriculture and real estate.)
In 2016, he signed with Sony’s Columbia Records, becoming one of the few African musicians to join a major international label.Last year, along with musicians Trinidad Cardona and Aisha, he created the song hayahayais the official anthem of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and was performed at the closing ceremony of the global sports spectacle.
his new album timeless has already garnered critical acclaim and digital play. In his first 10 days of release, the album was streamed over his 133 million times (43 million in the US market alone) and reached his No. 2 spot on Billboard’s World Albums chart.
Behind the scenes, it has signed sponsorship deals with Pernod Ricard’s Martell Cognac, smartphone maker Infinix Mobile and Puma. “David and his music represent a contemporary blend of African and international influences,” Puma general manager Johan Curro said in an email. “Flagship stores in New York and London.” When I introduced the collection at a pre-launch event in New York, people were queuing around the block.”
He also runs a Nigerian record label, Davido Music Worldwide. This provides better leverage and economics in trading and nurtures future local artists. “My career is very blessed. I didn’t like signing artists because I want to make money from them,” he says Davido. “I love watching them grow and know I was a part of their success.”
A triple threat: Davido’s upbeat sound, massive social media clout and all-star collaborations are spreading African music and culture to millions of new fans.
Forbes Jamel Toppin
D.Abid was born in Atlanta to Nigerian parents and raised in Lagos. At his home, he was ready to sit in the conference room, not the soundboard. His father Adedeji Adeleke founded his Pacific Holdings Limited in 1983. It has grown into an industrial conglomerate whose power plants generate most of West Africa’s electricity. His family also boasts plenty of political power. Davido’s paternal grandfather was a senator and his uncle Ademola Adeleke is currently governor of Osun State, Nigeria.
And then there’s Aliko Dangote, David’s godfather and Africa’s richest businessman with an estimated net worth of $13.5 billion. Davido says Dangote drove him and his mother home from the hospital after his birth. “I learned a lot from being there with my dad, seeing him in the office, listening to him on the phone, seeing how he handles life,” David said. “He’s very humble, true to his principles, and a strong Christian. Before I go on stage, I know my team won’t ruin my prayers.”
While attending high school in Lagos, Davido became obsessed with American hip-hop artists such as 50 Cent and JaRule. A cousin owns a music studio, and after recording a song one afternoon, Davido was hooked. “I hid it from my family,” he says. “It was normal for me to go to school, graduate, and work for my father.”
At just 15, he enrolled at Oakwood University, a historically black school in Huntsville, Alabama, before dropping out to focus on music. (He eventually completed his music degree from Babcock University in Nigeria in 2015). Davido entered his Afrobeat scene in 2011 with his hit song. Dami Duroand followed up with the 2012 album son of rich fatherIn the years that followed, he released a string of popular singles, often collaborating with well-known African artists, amplified with music videos on YouTube and social media. In 2019, he released a hit studio album good timehis next album, better time, dropped in 2020 and featured US hip-hop stars like Nas, Nicki Minaj, Lil Baby and Young Thug. . Davido took a six-month break from touring, recording, and socializing with his media.
his latest album timeless It marks David’s return to music and public life. Next year we will be touring around the world including New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago and LA. He also wants to expand from music production to filmmaking and start a media company to get backstory from Nigerian writers and directors. Now in his twenties, Davido finds strength in getting more involved in the family business. “I want to join his father’s company and learn more about power generation,” says Davido, who sits on the Pacific Holdings board of directors. “I have met so many important people and presidents around the world,
Business to new places where people become fans of my music. “
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