Afrobeats superstar Davido has honored veteran musician D’banj for his role in elevating Nigerian music on the global stage. In an interview with Apple Music, Davido highlighted how D’banj’s 2012 hit “Oliver Twist” served as a major inspiration for him.
Davido recalled, “D’banj was my first vision of a Nigerian artist taking over the world. No one in America was booking Nigerian artists for shows, but that changed when I saw Kanye West in D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’ video on YouTube.”
He also credited D’banj’s success for paving the way for other Nigerian artists. “Because of ‘Oliver Twist,’ Americans started booking D’banj, 2Face, P-Square, and other African artists for shows. They were making about $1,000,000 per show.”
Davido’s experience with D’banj’s impact led him to embrace African music more fully, marking a significant shift in his career. “So I decided to switch and start doing African music because that’s where I am from,” he added.
