Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has credited D’banj as the first Nigerian musician to achieve global fame.
According to Davido, before D’banj’s 2012 hit single “Oliver Twist” made waves internationally, Nigerian artists were not being booked for shows outside Africa.
In a recent interview with Apple Music, Davido shared how D’banj’s success marked a turning point for African music, particularly in the West.
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He explained, “D’banj was the first Nigerian artist I saw taking over the world. No one in America was booking Nigerian artists for shows, but that changed after I saw Kanye West in D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’ video on YouTube. The success of that song opened doors for other African artists like 2Face, P-Square, and more. They started making huge money from shows, and it inspired me to shift my focus to African music.”
While Davido praised D’banj’s contribution to the global rise of Afrobeats, many music lovers and observers contes
t his claim that D’banj was the first Nigerian artist to achieve international fame. Icons such as Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Majek Fashek had already garnered international recognition during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.
Additionally, 2Baba’s (formerly 2Face) hit song “African Queen” had earned numerous international awards and was featured as a soundtrack in the American romantic comedy Phat Girlz (2006), years before D’banj’s “Oliver Twist” became a global hit.
