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Acrobats singer Davido has stirred conversation by claiming that fellow Nigerian artist D’banj was the first to achieve global stardom. Speaking in a recent interview with Apple Music, Davido emphasized that Nigerian musicians weren’t getting international bookings until the success of D’banj’s 2012 hit single, *Oliver Twist*.
“D’banj was my first vision of a Nigerian artist taking over the world,” Davido remarked. He noted that the appearance of Kanye West in D’banj’s *Oliver Twist* video marked a shift in the industry. “It was because of the success of *Oliver Twist* that Americans started booking D’banj, 2Face, P-Square, and other African artists for shows. They were making about $1,000,000 per show.”
Davido added that D’banj’s success inspired him to switch to African music, stating, “I decided to switch and start doing African music because that’s where I am from.”
While Davido’s claims credit D’banj with pioneering the globalisation of Afrobeats, some observers disagree, pointing to earlier Nigerian music legends like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Majek Fashek, who gained international recognition as far back as the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Additionally, 2Baba’s hit *African Queen* made waves internationally years before *Oliver Twist*, even serving as a soundtrack for the 2006 American film *Phat Girlz*.
