Davido Opens Up About 15 Years in Music, ‘ORIADÉ’ & Taking Afrobeats Back Home | Billboard News

Davido celebrates 15 years in music and breaks down the vision behind his upcoming album ORIADÉ. He reflects on constantly creating, recording songs across two years and nearly 60 tour dates, and why this new era feels deeply personal. He also explains the meaning behind ORIADÉ, why he wanted the album’s title, theme and sound to be predominantly African, and how returning to tour across Africa reignited his desire to pay homage to the culture that brought him to the spotlight. Plus, Davido opens up about growth, legacy, and what fans can expect from his sixth studio album.

Well, you are celebrating 15 years in music- 

15!

Which is crazy. Does it feel like 15 to you? 

It feels like 15, it feels like 15. Yo, what’s up my people? It’s your boy, Davido, and you’re now watching Billboard News. What’s up? 

What’s up, bro?  How’s life? 

I’m good. Life is good. Life is lifin’. 

Life is lifin’? 

Mm-hmm. 

I heard life is lifin’ so hard that you got another album on the way. 

Yes, my sixth studio album, ORIADÉ Yes . . . on the way. It’s gonna be crazy. I’m excited, man. 

Now, we just got a record from you last year, so when did you start working on this new one? 

To be honest, like, there’s never a time, like, I start working on music. I’m always working on music. Mm-hmm. Whether I’m planning to release or whether I’m not planning to release, I feel like it’s just, like, how will I say it? If you do sports, whether you are in season or not, you still gotta have time to work out. You know what I’m saying? To keep your body in shape, and just to keep my skills in shape. So I kinda, I recorded this album, I’d say over my tour, two years. You know what I’m saying? It’s like two of the songs I actually recorded for my last album. But they didn’t make it. You know, you know when you listen- You think they’re on this one? Yeah. You know when you listen to music after, you be like, “Yo, why didn’t I put that record on? ” Like, it’s so hard. Yeah. But you know, sometimes you sit on songs, you listen to it too much, you get tired of it. Mm-hmm. You know? Um, so yeah, I’d say over the span of two years, over my last tour.

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