TIME Magazine lists Nigerian singer, Davido among 100 most influential people

Nigerian singer, David Adeleke aka Davido, has been listed among the 100 most influential people by TIME magazine.

Davido, who was born in Atlanta, United States, is regarded as one of the bestselling musicians in Africa.

The 28-year-old music star later took to his social media platforms to celebrate the achievement.

He wrote:

“Proud to be included in the inaugural #TIME100Next list.”

According to the magazine, excerpt for the selection of Davido was written by Nigerian rapper and BBNaija Lockdown season 5 winner, Laycon.

It read: “Davido is one of the biggest voices in Afrobeats because his music connects with people often in ways that transcend his expectations.

“When he released the song ‘FEM’ in 2020, a title that loosely translates to ‘shut up in Yoruba, he didn’t know it would become a major #ENDSARS protest anthem.

“The youths banded together to demand the government to take action and end police brutality in Nigeria last October.

READ ALSO: Davido threatens to quit music after ‘fight’ with Burna Boy

“Officials responded by sending politicians to give speeches. We told the government to keep quiet unless they had something sensible to add to the ethos of ‘FEM’ which was directly relatable at that moment.

“You can tell Davido puts 100 percent into every song he makes. And the results are clear: his album ‘A Good Time`’ surpassed a billion streams in 2020.

Afrobeats is a worldwide phenomenon and Davido is one of many Nigerian artists who have made that possible.

“However, more and more artistes, from Nicki Minaj to Young Thug, want to work with him.”

Equally important, Davido has released three outstanding studio albums including Omo Babalawo (2012), A Good Time (2019), and A Better Time (2020).

Other Nigerians on TIME Magazine’s list include Odun Eweniyi, FK Abudu, and Dami Odufuwa.

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