Davido opens up about fame, fortune, and why he won’t push his kids into music, ahead of his new album ‘ORIADE’.
Davido has never really needed a rags-to-riches story to win people over, and he knows it. In a new interview, the Afrobeats star made a bold claim: out of every billionaire’s child in the world, he’s the only one who’s actually built his own name and his own money.
Nigerians love an underdog story. The poor boy who made it big always gets the loudest applause. Davido knows this too well, and he’s the first to admit his own journey doesn’t fit that mold. He was born into serious money. His father, Chief Adedeji Adeleke, is one of Nigeria’s wealthiest businessmen, with his hands in energy, real estate, education, and more. His uncle, Ademola Adeleke, is the sitting Governor of Osun State. So no, David didn’t hustle from nothing.
But here’s his point, and it’s a fair one: plenty of rich kids around the world inherit wealth and just sit on it. Davido says he’s different. He went out and built an entire career, on top of the money he already had.
“Which other billionaire child do you know in the world who has made a name for himself and also made a lot of money? You can’t name one aside from me,” he said in the chat with Vibe Magazine.
That’s Davido for you. Confident, a little cheeky, but honestly, hard to argue with when you look at the numbers and the years he’s put in. It’s been 15 years since he dropped his first single in 2011, back when his dad wasn’t even fully on board with the music thing. Look at him now.
Interestingly, he’s not pushing his own kids toward music, even though he says his second daughter clearly has his talent. He’s said this before, and he’s sticking to it. Maybe he knows firsthand how tough the industry can be, fame and fortune aside.
The timing of this interview isn’t random. It’s dropping right alongside his sixth studio album, ‘ORIADE,’ which just hit streaming platforms. The 13-track project pulls in a solid mix of names, including Black Sherif, Mayorkun, Aya Nakamura, and Leon Thomas. The lead single, ‘I Know Who I Be,’ is basically Davido looking back at his own journey, even filming the video at his childhood home.
Up next, he’s taking the whole thing on the road with a world tour, kicking off in Europe.
