“D’banj was the first Nigerian artist to achieve global recognition.” — Davido

Afrobeats artist David Adeleke, also known as Davido, asserts that D’banj was the pioneer Nigerian musician to achieve worldwide fame. He stated that prior to D’banj’s chart-topping single ‘Oliver Twist’ in 2012, Nigerian artists were not receiving international bookings. In a recent interview with Apple Music, Davido credited D’banj’s global success for sparking a shift in the music industry that allowed African music to gain popularity in the Western world.

He stated that D’banj was the first Nigerian artist he saw making a global impact. Prior to seeing Kanye West in D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’ video on YouTube, American venues were not booking Nigerian artists for performances. However, this changed after the success of ‘Oliver Twist’. As a result, American audiences began booking D’banj, 2Face, P-Square, and other African artists for shows, with earnings reaching up to $1,000,000 per show. Inspired by this success, he made the decision to transition to African music, citing his cultural background as the reason for the shift.

Although D’banj played a significant role in the globalization of African music, particularly Afrobeats, during its early stages of exportation, there are conflicting opinions regarding Davido’s assertion that he was the first Nigerian musician to attain international fame.

Nigerian music icons like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Majek Fashek, and many others had already gained popularity on the global music scene in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

The hit song “African Queen” by 2Baba, previously known as 2Face, has received numerous international awards and was featured as a soundtrack in the popular American romantic comedy “Phat Girlz” (2006) prior to the release of D’banj’s “Oliver Twist.”