Although Davido’s status as the “Omo baba Olowo” (son of a rich man) has never been in doubt, even the wealthy have been known to benefit financially occasionally. The music sensation disclosed that he was just a youngster when MTN Nigeria, a major telecoms company, approached him about an endorsement agreement worth $20 million.
“I recall when MTN, a telecommunications company, announced that they wanted to make an endorsement. When Dad asked how much, I responded, “20 million. I thought I was seventeen, and nobody had ever seen that amount of cash. Well, this is music, and it’s obviously from two songs.
Davido went on to say that the deal was timely since it served as the impetus for him to persuade his multi-billionaire father, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, of the music industry’s potential.
“Daddy see, we can do this,” I say.
He built me a studio, gave me some cash to operate my business, and I finished my first album, which was incredibly successful.
Between 2012 and 2016, Davido served as the face of MTN Pulse. During that period, the pop artist released hit songs like Aye, Skelewu, and Gobe, to name a few, and he also won a number of prizes.
Since then, Davido has developed into one of Africa’s most successful musical exports, selling out venues around the globe, including the O2 Arena in London, appearing at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, raking in billions of streams across various platforms, and working with some of the biggest artists in the world. His most recent album, “Timeless,” his fourth studio effort, debuted at number two on the world album charts.
