davido biography

David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992),[1][2] better known by his stage name Davido, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. His 2011 single "Dami Duro" was well-received throughout Nigeria. Along with his elder brother Adewale Adeleke, Davido is the co-owner of HKN Music (a record label home to Sina Rambo, B. Red and DeeKay).[3][3][4] He has produced songs for Naeto C, Skales, Tiwa Savage and Sauce Kid. In April 2012, he signed an endorsement deal with MTN Nigeria.[5] On October 23 2013, Davido partnered with Guinness Nigeria for the "Guinness World of More" concert.[6] Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Davido relocated to Lagos at a young age. His debut album Omo Baba Olowo, released in 2012, was initiated by the bringing out of singles "Back When" featuring Naeto C, "Dami Duro", "All of You", "Overseas" featuring Sina Rambo, "Ekuro", "Gbon Gbon" and "Feel Alright" featuring Ice Prince. Between 2013 and 2015, Davido released the singles "Gobe", "One of a Kind", "Skelewu", "Aye", "Tchelete (Goodlife)" featuring Mafikizolo, "Naughty" featuring DJ Arafat, "Owo Ni Koko", "The Sound" and "The Money" featuring Olamide. The aforementioned singles were reportedly intended to be singles off the album, The Baddest. In January 2016, Davido announced via Twitter that he signed a record deal with Sony Music. His announcement was met with mixed reactions.[7] The record label put out a press release to confirm the deal.[8] Davido started his own label, Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), few months after signing with Sony.[9] Dremo and Mayorkun are currently signed to the label.[10] In July 2016, Davido signed a record deal with Sony's RCA Records.[1 Davido was born on November 21, 1992, to Chief Deji and Vero Adeleke in Atlanta, Georgia. His father is a Nigerian business magnate and his late mother was a university lecturer.[13] He attended the British International School in Lagos. Davido studied Business Administration at Oakwood University prior to relocating to Nigeria.[12] Davido's interest in music started during his time at Oakwood University. He bought musical equipment and started making beats, in addition to recording vocal references.[14] He dropped out of Oakwood University when he started getting bad grades and relocated to London, where he focused more of his energy towards vocals as opposed to production.[14] When Davido returned to Nigeria in 2011, his music career was sidelined after he agreed to honor his father by enrolling at Babcock University. In July 2015, Davido earned a music degree from Babcock after his father paid the university to erect a music department for an inaugural class of one.[1][14][15] 2011–2012:Omo Baba Olowo Main article: Omo Baba Olowo Work on Davido's debut studio album, Omo Baba Olowo, began in 2011. On May 7, 2011, Davido produced and released his first musical recording "Back When".[16][17] The song served as the album's lead single and received frequent airplay.[1] The music video for the single, uploaded onto YouTube on May 9, 2011, was shot and directed in Nigeria by Clarence Peters.[18] Davido told Factory 78 TV that he recorded "Back When" in London.[19] Davido co-produced "Dami Duro" with Shizzi and released it on October 30, 2011.[20][21] The music video for "Dami Duro" was released on January 8, 2012. It was shot and directed in Lagos by Clarence Peters, and was released during the Occupy Nigeria protests.[22] In an interview posted on NotJustOk, Davido spoke on the release and composition of "Dami Duro". He said he recorded "Dami Duro" in August 2011. Three months later, the song got leaked after he sent it out to some friends.[23] On May 6, 2012, HKN Music released "Overseas" as a single off the album. The unfinished version of the song leaked prior to the official release.[24][25] On September 28, 2012, HKN Music released the music video for "All of You". The song was produced by Gospelondebeatz. In an interview with Factory 78 TV, Davido said he recorded the song with Gospel after meeting him at a mall.[26] To further promote the album, Davido released music videos for "Ekuro",[27] "Gbon Gbon",[28] and "Feel Alright".[29]