David Adedeji Adeleke OON (born November 21, 1992), who is professionally known as Davido, is an American-born Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. Davido was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. 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 hit 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 he had signed a record deal with Sony Music and a few months later, he founded the record label Davido Music Worldwide, to which acts Dremo, Yonda and Peruzzi 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. Davido released his second studio album A Good Time in November 2019; it 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, and in February 2021, he appeared on Time magazine’s Time 100 Next List. Davido released Timeless, his fourth studio album, on March 31, 2023. He 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.

David Adedeji Adeleke was born on November 21, 1992, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. His father Adedeji Adeleke is a business magnate from Nigeria and his mother Vero Adeleke was a university lecturer. Davido is the youngest of five siblings and his father’s third-born son. He attended the British International School in Lagos, and at the age of 16, he returned to the U.S. to study business administration at Oakwood University, Alabama.

While at Oakwood, Davido bought musical equipment and started making beats. He also formed the music act KB International with his cousins B-Red and Sina Rambo. Davido dropped out of Oakwood University to pursue music full-time and relocated to London, where he worked on his vocals. After returning to Nigeria in 2011, Davido paused his music career and agreed to honor his father by enrolling at Babcock University, from which he graduated in July 2015, with a degree in music after his father paid the university to start a music department for an inaugural class of one student.

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.