Davido keeps making moves. The American-Nigerian musician, who just dropped his latest album ‘Timeless’, is undoubtably Afrobeats biggest star, and as he criss-crosses the globe to promote it, he just revealed some huge news to us: He’s about to get his own Netflix docu-series, and it will be releasing in December of this year.
“I have a movie coming out in December with Netflix,” Davido told us. “It’s very, very big. This is the first time I’ve said anything about it, actually. It’s a documentary–a docu-series about my life, called ‘David’. I shouldn’t be talking about this, but yeah.”
It makes sense. After all, the 30 year old is the leader of a movement that has turned the world’s eyes and ears to West Africa, breaking through to the Billboard charts, headlining major global festivals, releasing his own collection with PUMA, scoring collaborations with stars from all over. He even scored a major global hit with Arab star AISHA with “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)”, one of the official songs of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
During a recent stop in Dubai, Esquire Middle East sat down with the artist, real name David Adedeji Adeleke, to discuss his watch collection, love of making music, and the huge plans he has down the line. Read the full conversation below.
Esquire Middle East sits down with Davido
[Gesturing to his Rolex Rainbow Daytona watch] I love this.
Davido: Oh, this? It’s just a little $600,000, you know? [Laughs]
We might as well do the full fit breakdown.
Balmain pants, these shoes are Puma as I’m signed to Puma. Shirt is Zara—$16!
I have the same one. The shirt, not the watch. Are watches important to you?
I have a really nice watch collection. My best watch is probably my Patek Philippe. The big one. I just bought it. I have every watch I can think of. AP, Rolex, Richard Mille… name it.
When did this passion begin?
I’ve always loved watches. My mom used to love watches. She passed, but my mom was a big watch person. They are investments. Every time I have some money laying around, I just go buy a watch. I bought this watch when it was around $200,000, and now it’s $600,000.
Do you remember the first watch you fell in love with?
The yellow gold presidential Rolex.
Who did you envision yourself becoming as a kid?
50 Cent. I loved the I was obsessed with 50 Cent, not only the music, but just the way he ran his own conglomerate, just how he runs his business. He had the clothing line, the video game, his record label, his movies…
When I blew up in Africa, they used to say, ‘oh, you dress like a rapper’. I grew up in Atlanta—I have lived my life half in Nigeria, half in America. So I have that American thing on me. Just the way he ran his business—if you look at me now, I have a clothing line, record label. Everything he had I have, apart from a video game.
Do you have any big moves coming up?
I have a movie coming out in December with Netflix.
Really?
It’s very, very big. This is the first time I’ve said anything about it, actually.
Tell me more!
It’s a documentary. It’s a docu-series about my life, called David. I shouldn’t be talking about this, but yeah.
Being a part of both worlds has allowed you to be an ambassador on both fronts.
Living in both the Western world and living in Africa has helped me so much, because I understand how both people work. When I get to Nigeria, I know how to walk, I know how to act. When I get to the Western world, I know the same. There’s differences in dynamics in so many ways that it’s crazy.
Even Dubai is so different from anywhere else. For example, I left my phone in the car last night. I had a show, I left my phone, and this morning, when I called the driver, he brought my phone back. ‘Oh, Habibi! I charged it for you!’ Where I come from, if you leave it in the car, it’s gone!
Do you find you have the same passion for music as you once did?
Honestly, you get tired of being famous. Sometimes you even get tired of making money, because to me money is paper. That doesn’t bring me joy in my life. But the passion for the music is what still keeps me interested.
Today, you have Beyonce, who has been singing since before I was born, so for her to even want to learn, to be in the studio, is inspiring.
You never stop wanting to make more dynamic music. When I get in the studio with the younger producers that are coming up now, I’m learning from them.
Really?
Yes! Music, as long as you have passion for music, I don’t see ever losing interest. I may lose interest in being famous, I may lose interest in going the the club, I may lose interest in buying watches. The lifestyle of the superstar gets tiring, but the passion for the music, if you really truly love it, will never leave you. That’s what really keeps me going.
What is it about the music?
It’s the process. Making it, performing it. Even with this album, especially with my boys who are always with me, they say to me, ‘it’s so crazy how you solve the process of making this album, and now everybody is singing it.’
Being in the studio, changing things, writing—it’s an amazing process. It’s so dope. You mix it, you release it, and then you go on stage, and you see people singing it word for word—it’s crazy!
How does a hit happen?
A hit is natural. Sometimes I know. Like with this album, with Feel and Unavailable, I knew those songs would hit, but I don’t feel like you sit down and plan a hit. With Feel, it really came so naturally. Most of my hits come like that. If you’re sitting there stressed out, saying ‘it’s been four months! We need to drop a hit!’ It’ll never come. If you just relax and breathe, it will come. Well, for me it will come—I don’t know about for them. But for me, hit music has always been natural.
Even before I was an artist, I was a producer. I was in the background of things, so I knew hit music before I was making it.
Where’s the inspiration come from?
It depends. Sometimes it’s an idea that I already have. Sometimes my producer comes with a full song. I have writers, too, so sometimes it’s fully processed by songwriters, sometimes it’s fully natural.
When do you feel most inspired?
I love being on stage. I love performing songs. So every time I make music, I go on stage in my head, too. I imagine how it will play out on stage. I’ll yell at my producer, ‘remove that part! This is where the crowd will go crazy!’ The best part of being an artist is performing on stage.
Do you think you’ll do this forever?
No! I’m 30 years old, and I blew up when I was 17. I always want to be doing entertainment. I have a lot of dreams. I want to grow. I want to blow up so many creators in Africa that don’t have the opportunity to showcase their talents. I’m building a talent agency, a media house. I want to own a radio station, I want to own the biggest record label in Africa. There’s a lot of things I want to do in entertainment, but eventually as a musician there’s going to be a day when I’m done. Not now, though.
Is acting in the cards?
I want to shoot movies too. I’m building a creative agency, so short films will be a part of that.
Davido’s new album Timeless is out now from Sony Music. Stream here.