David Adedeji Adeleke, professionally known as Davido, is a American-born Nigerian singer, songwriter, record producer and performing artist, who is known for jams such as ‘Dream Girl’, ‘Fall’, ‘If’, ‘Fia’, ‘Fem’, ‘Stand Strong’ and more. He is one of Africa’s most prominent musicians, whose music blends elements of traditional Afro-pop with mainstream music.
Davido came into limelight in 2011 after releasing his popular song ‘Back When’ that features rapper Naeto C. He became a famous face in the Nigerian music industry after releasing his hit single, Dami Duro, in 2012. He is also the recipient of the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act (2017), BET Award for Best International Act: Africa (2014) and The Headies Award for Artiste of the Year (2018)
David Adeleke a.k.a Davido is one of the most prominent and well-known individuals in music and the Nigerian entertainment industry. With millions of followers on Instagram and other social media platforms, has many admirable qualities, especially among female fans. His unique voice, attractiveness, almsgiving, riches and sense of humor are a few of these qualities.
This article is all about the amazing details about the multi-talented singer, Davido; his biography, real name, age, state, tribe, education, career, family, relationship, children, discography, awards, nominations, endorsements, social media and net worth.
Biography
Davido Adeleke, born November 21, 1992, better known as Davido, hails from Osun State and was born in Atlanta, US, and raised by his parents, Mr & Mrs Adeleke in Lagos State, Nigeria. Davido’s father, Adedeji Adeleke, is a Nigerian billionaire, business magnate and president of Adeleke University and his mother, Dr Veronica Adeleke, was a University lecturer. He later lost his beloved mother in 2003.
The second-born son of Mr & Mrs Adeleke is the youngest of four siblings. His siblings are Adewale Adeleke, Sharon Adeleke, and Ashley Coco. Davido’s siblings all hold senior positions in their father’s company, Pacific Holdings. His brother, Adewale, is an Executive Director of Pacific Energy, music producer, co-owner of the HKN music record label.
Profile
Full Name: David Adedeji Adeleke
Stage Name: Davido
Born: 21 November 1992 (age 30 years old)
Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
State Of Origin: Osun State
Tribe: Yoruba
Nationality: Nigerian
Parents: Adedeji Adeleke & Veronica Adeleke
Children: Hailey Veronica Adeleke, David Adedeji Adeleke Jr., Aurora Imade Adeleke and Late Ifeanyi Adeleke
Height: 1.68 m
Siblings: Sharon Adeleke, Adewale Adeleke and Ashley Coco
Girlfriend • Wife: Sophia Momodu (ex.) and Chioma Avril Rowland
Occupation: Singer, Songwriter, Record producer and Music Executive
Net Worth: $40 million
Education
Davido was enrolled at the British International School located in Victoria Island, Lagos State, Nigeria. He later gained admission to study Business administration in Oakwood University, Huntsville, Alabama, at the age of 16.
While at Oakwood University, Davido started his music career. He also bought some recording and musical equipment to make some beats. He teamed up with his cousins B-Red and Sina Rambo and formed the music act KB International. He later dropped out of school and moved to London in 2011 to pursue music fully.
He worked on his vocals, while in London without his father’s knowledge but was later intercepted and brought back to Nigeria. After deliberations with his Dad, Davido decided to pause his music career to earn a degree in music from Babcock University. He did this to honor his father’s wishes (who had paid to have a music department installed for an inaugural class of one).
Career
As a teenager, Davido released his official first single, ‘Back When’, on the 7th Of May 2011, featuring rapper, Naeto C. The song was recorded in London, while Clarence Peters shot the music video in Nigeria. He was later signed to HKN Records during this period, which his older brother, Adewale Adeleke, owns.
On that same year, Davido released his debut studio album, “Omo Baba Olowo”, featuring hit singles: ‘Dami Duro’, ‘Ekuro’, ‘Overseas’, and ‘Back When’. The album was nominated for the Album Of The Year category at The Headies 2013, and also won the Best R&B/Pop Album at the same award show.
Following the success of “Omo Baba Olowo”, Davido worked with a cross-section of talented artists and producers like, Maleek Berry, Spellz, Shina Rambo, 2baba, Jay Sleek, GospelOnDeBeatz, Naeto C, B-Red, Kayswitch, and Shizzi. He also partnered with his friend and producer, Shizzi, in 2013, to release the hit singles: ‘Gobe’, ‘One Of A Kind’, and ‘Skelewu’.
‘Skelewu’ was a massive hit globally as it promoted a unique dance style that trended for some years. The energizing artist also shot two music videos for the single and the first was directed by Sesan, while Moe Musa shot the second in London. On the 1st Of February 2014, Davido took the industry by storm with the release of the song, ‘Aye’.
That same year, Davido collaborated with South African star, Mafikizolo to record and drop the song, Tchelete (Good Life). In June 2015, he also released Fans Mi‘s trap song, which had American rapper, Meek Mill as a guest artiste. He later signed a record deal with Sony Music on January, 2016.
That same year, he set up his record label, Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) and signed three artists: Mayorkun, Dremo, and Ichaba. In addition, he released “Son Of Mercy”, a five-track EP, which features singles like ‘Coolest Kid In Africa’, featuring Nasty C, ‘How Long’, and ‘Gbagbe Oshi’.
On the 17th Of February 2017, he released the song, ‘If‘. The song won Best Pop Single and Song Of The Year at The Headies 2018. In addition, the single was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Of South Africa (RISA), which meant it had sold over 200,000 units. The music video for ‘If’ was also shot and directed in London by Director Q.
Davido a.k.a Baddest dropped the international banger, ‘Fall’, on the 2nd Of June 2017. The song, was one of the top-100-Shazam-searched singles in America, and was also certified platinum by the Recording Industry Of South Africa (RISA) and was the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. The music video for ‘Fall’, which was shot and directed by Daps in the United States has earned over 100 million views on YouTube, becoming the first video by a Nigerian artist to achieve the milestone.
On the 10th of November 2017, few days to his twenty-fifth birthday, Davido released the single, ‘FIA’, which was produced by Fresh VDM and Clarence Peters. He also released Assurance on the 30th Of April 2018 to celebrate his girlfriend, Chioma Avril Rowland‘s, 23rd birthday. Between the 2017-2018, Davido won the Best African Act award at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards and the Best International Act at the 2018 BET Awards.
In 2019, Davido broke the record of becoming the first solo African artist to sell out his organized show at the 02 Arena in London. On the 22nd Of November 2019, he dropped top-charting singles, ‘Blow My Mind’ featuring Chris Brown and ‘Risky’, which featured dancehall artiste, Popcaan. Meji Alabi directed the music video for ‘Risky’.
Davido released his third studio album, ‘A Better Time’ on the 13th Of November, 2020 and the songs featured artists such as Ckay, Mayorkun, Bella Shmurda, Lil Baby, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, and Chris Brown. The album accumulated over 213.2 million streams. He also released the song, ‘Fem’ on the 10th Of September, 2020 and Dammy Twitch directed the music video. ‘A Better Time’ also fared well commercially, breaking into the Billboard charts its first week of release.
In 2022, the hardcore musician released a hit single, ‘Stand Strong’, which topped the Chart hours after release.
Personal Life
Davido is currently married to his fiancée, Chioma Avril Rowland after having a rocky relationship in the eyes of the public. The couple had known each other for some time before going public with their relationship. Years into their relationship, David proposed to her. In 2020, the couple welcomed their child, Ifeanyi Adeleke (died 31st October, 2022).
The multi-talented singer is the father of four children, three of which were with three different women, Sophia Momodu, Amanda, and his fiancée Chioma Avril Rowland. His children include Imade Adeleke, Hailey Veronica Adeleke, Ifeanyi Adeleke and David Adeleke Jr. His fourth child is rumored to be a second son with a woman in the UK.
Discography
Davido has released many songs, some of which are below;
- Fall
- Electricity
- Blow My Mind
- Jowo
- Aye
- If
- Champion Sound
- FEM
- Gobe
- Risky
- FIA
- The Best
- Shopping Spree
- Skelewu
- 1 Milli
- Dami Duro
- D & G
- La La
- Holy Ground
- Ke Star
- Coolest Kid In Africa
- Fans Mi
- Sweet In The Middle
- Assurance
- High
- Hayya Hayya
- Electricity
- Stand Strong
Awards and Nominations
- Recipient of the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act (2017)
- BET Award for Best International Act: Africa (2014)
- The Headies Award for Artiste of the Year (2018)
Endorsements
Davido Adeleke, known to be the wealthiest Nigerian artist, is the leader of the 30 Billion Gang. He owns a private jet, and he is known for his luxurious lifestyle and philanthropic exploits. He is also one of the biggest brand influencers in the country.
The singer is the brand ambassador of top brands like Infinix Mobile, 1xBet, Martell, and Munch It. In addition, he was a former brand ambassador of the telecommunications company, MTN. On October 24, 2013, he also signed an endorsement deal with Guinness Nigeria.
Net Worth
Since making his debut on the Nigerian music scene in 2011, Davido has risen to be one of Nigeria and Africa’s biggest successes. According to records, his net worth is estimated to be $40 million. He is one of the continent’s highest-paid artists and also one of the highest-selling musicians out of Nigeria and the African continent.
Davido has performed at the world’s biggest festivals and sold-out concerts worldwide. The hardcore singer has also earned a fortune from his endorsements with the world’s biggest brands, including Pepsi, Puma, MTN, Infinix, and more.
The talented musician is also a lover of cars. He owns a 2022 Mercedes Benz Maybach SUV, 2021 Lamborghini Aventador, 2021 Rolls Royce Cullinan, Lamborghini Huracan, 2018 Bentley Bentayga, and more.
Social Media
Davido is the second most followed African on Instagram. He has over 26.2 million followers on the platform.
You can connect with Davido using the following social media;
- Instagram: @Davido
- Twitter: @Davidoofficial
- Facebook: Davido