Afrobeats star Davido has credited fellow musician D’banj with paving the way for Nigerian artists on the global stage. In a recent interview, Davido revealed that D’banj’s 2012 hit single “Oliver Twist” was instrumental in opening international doors for Nigerian musicians.
According to Davido, before the global success of “Oliver Twist,” Nigerian artists were not getting booked for shows abroad. However, that changed when D’banj featured American rapper Kanye West in the song’s music video, which gained significant attention on YouTube.
“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,” Davido explained.
He added that the success of the song led to American promoters booking not only D’banj but also other prominent Nigerian acts like 2Face and P-Square, with artists earning as much as $1,000,000 per show. This global breakthrough inspired Davido to embrace African music fully, realizing its potential to resonate with international audiences.
D’banj’s “Oliver Twist” was a milestone moment for Afrobeats, contributing to the genre’s growing influence worldwide and setting the stage for the next generation of Nigerian artists.
