By the time David he was young, he used to drop by Madison Square Garden from time to time to visit his aunt. Fast forward years, and the Afrobeats superstar will be performing his first concert at the legendary venue on Wednesday, April 17, as part of his extended ‘Timeless Tour’.
More and more Nigerian artists like Davido have been headlining MSG over the years, including Burn Boy historical concert in April 2022 and Wizkid’s in November 2022. “Man, every artist’s dream is to finally be able to do a show at the Garden,” Davido told BET. “Running here one day was something that was always on my bucket list and it’s finally going to happen.”
The Atlanta-born singer-songwriter teases his fans and adds that the show will be one of the biggest “Davido shows” ever. “I will bring them back, perform the previous records, definitely. So all the way up to Without time, the new records. I have so many surprise guests coming. I worked so hard on the production. I try to give them the best experience they can ever experience. I want them to go home changed, not the same, I feel? you say “New York was a city that supported me very, very early in my career. So, this is like giving back, saying: ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.’ Of course, it will not be the first and the last. I will come back again, whenever I can.”
Produced by US-based entertainment company Duke Concept, the three new North American arena dates kick off with the MSG show, followed by a show at Montreal’s Place Bell on April 19 and ending with a show at the Additional Financial Arena in Orlando on April 24. They are actually adding more arenas later this year. So watch out for that,” Davido reveals.
Founder of Duke Concept, Osita Ugeh, reveals that he has been working with Davido since 2014 on his first US show and a few other tours. “He is one of those who support independent promoters and things. Ten years later and we still work with him. Some artists tend to move to bigger establishments or want something else. But he has been firm in the fact that he wants to bring people that started with the journey. So, that’s one thing I have to commend him for,” Ugeh says of Davido. “As for the Madison Square Garden show, Davido always has something up his sleeve, to be honest. I know he has a lot of surprises lined up. He came with all the energy, all the energy he bottled on the ‘years. This will be one of his best shows ever.”
With almost 13 years in the music industry, Davido is known to be one of the most important Afrobeats artists of the 21st century and is credited with Burna Boy and Wizkid for popularizing the genre worldwide. The 31-year-old released his fourth studio album, without time, in March 2023 via his record label Davido Music Worldwide. The 17-track project reached number 37 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 2 on their World Albums chart. His hit single “Unavailable“Finturing Musa Keys went up to 3 in both Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs and Worldwide Digital Song Sales Charts. During a red carpet interview at her FENTY x PUMA sneaker launch last year, Rihanna revealed that “Unavailable” was one of her favorite songs of 2023. “Man, it’s crazy,” Davido said of the moment. on her and I was like, “Oh, she likes ‘Unavailable,’ which is dope. She’s one of the artists I dream to work with. She would definitely be crazy.”
The three-time Grammy Award-nominated record label, which he created in 2016, is home to many talented artists. It was created because of the joy of seeing others win. “I’m in love with my job and when I see other people doing the same thing at a different level or a smaller level or whatever the level is, I’m just happy,” he explains. “I’m always happy to help and grow young acts. It’s just something that’s in my heart to do. I don’t do it for business. I don’t do it for my income. I just like to see people grow In any way that I can help or put you in a position to feed your family and to change your status, I am here for it.
Davido reveals that he is still working on new music and will release a new album this year. “I have more music with Chris Brown he will come out in about two or three weeks on his album,” he adds. I’m in South Africa now, and I’m also working with a lot of Amapiano artists. Of course, the album is coming.”
Aside from their strong friendship, Davido and Chris Brown are known to be frequent collaborators. In January, he marked his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart thanks to its feature on Brown’s “Sensational” alongside Lojay. “Trust me, he’s the most amazing person to work with,” Davido begins. “He pushes me to the limit. Like, he’s a hard worker. I talk about recording day and night. From going to the studio, going to the rehearsal, shooting a video, getting on a plane, doing a show, it’s a machine. Outside of music, this is my brother. It’s always amazing to make music with someone you love and adore. Every time we go into the studio, it always comes out good because we f**k anyway. I think we have to get a Davido and Chris Brown project soon. It will come eventually. We have like 20 songs that people haven’t heard yet.”
Outside of work, Davido reveals that being a father to twins is the best feeling ever. “I remember when they came in, everyone was calling like, ‘They’re having twins, blah, blah, blah.’ It will be tough. But, my twins are blessed. They don’t even cry. They are just calm and growing so fast. It’s just a blessing. Thank God for everything really,” he says.
Davido’s Madison Square Garden show is on April 17.
