On his 2025 album 5ive, Nigerian superstar Davido kicks things off with a poem by Alhanislam that spells out his overarching ethos: “Rising by lifting others/The artist, the father; the man walking two worlds.”
It’s a philosophy that he’s seemed to live by as a bridge between worlds and sounds, with sonic collaborations that have spanned the African continent and welcomed international stars into the world of Afrobeats. 5ive (released through Davido Music Worldwide, RCA Records & Sony Music UK) bears an all-star guest list, including “Awuke” with YG Marley, “Funds,” featuring Odumodublvck and Chike, and “Be There Still,” alongside more collaborations with Victoria Monét (“Offa Me”), Shenseea and 450 (“R&B”), Musa Keys and Victony (“Holy Water”), Chris Brown (“Titanium”), Becky G (“Tek”), Tayc and Dadju (“Lover Boy”) and Omah Lay (“With You”).
That spirit of collaboration extends to Davido’s his global partnership with French cognac house, Martell, first inked in 2021, and renewed at the debut of the brand’s Afrobeats Live quarterly event series in Paris on June 25.
As Lanre Odutola, Martell’s culutral partnerships and influence marketing manager, explains, “We see Afrobeats as a powerful force for cultural progress, built by artists and communities who are creating their future with clarity and purpose, and our commitment is grounded in respect and belief. Afrobeats Live is a platform that allows us to communicate that, and to give more visibility to the key stakeholders, and taste makers who are involved in shaping the narrative. We’re here to walk alongside the movement, support its growth and contribute meaningfully to where it’s going next.”
During a break in his world tour, Davido speaks to Billboard Africa about his partnership with Martell, what he wants the world to know about African music, and and his advice for the superstars of tomorrow.
For you, how does your partnership with Martell differ from other brand collaborations?
I mean, just to see where the partnership has gotten to. First, I was just meant to do a campaign; just shoot probably one commercial, do a campaign, Now it’s just become this a partnership and it’s just amazing to see. And apart from that, it’s been amazing to see people from back home also get put on to other artists, other presenters. The owner of AfroFutre [Abul Abdullah], he’s part of the family now too. So it’s just good to see all kinds of people join me in this journey with Martell. And obviously we got the Afrobeats Live that we added onto that, so that’s going to be dope as well.
Photo: Courtesy of Martell
How do you think brand collaborations like this help to extend the story of Afrobeats around the world?
With music comes a lot of things, you know what I’m saying? Clothing; everything that accompanies what we do; and just our daily lifestyle. Apart from Martell being a cognac, I also think it’s a culture. It came with a cultural reset, so shout to them for that one. And I’m just happy that we have another avenue to put out Afrobeats, and to expand the culture, expand the conversation. It’s real dope.
Your 2025 album 5ive is a sort of victory lap for you, and for the growth and journey of Afrobeats over the years. What do you want the world to know about Afrobeats today?
That it’s not a new genre, first of all. I mean, I really want the world to know how proud we are of ourselves. How big the music is back home. A lot of people don’t know that—they just think we get a hit, and then we just run to America. Nope, that’s not the case. The music is actually big and huge back home. I think a lot of people don’t see that, until they come. If you go to the club, 90% of the music is African music. If you go and put on the radio, it’s the same thing. Put on the TV, it’s the same thing. Six, seven years ago, 10 years ago, this was not the case.
You’ve become a master collaborator, working with artists and producers from across the continent and around the world. What makes you say yes to a collaboration, and how has your approach to collabs evolved?
I think in the past, I’ll say three years ago, or four years ago, and then before that, honestly, some [collaborations] were business based, and some were like, “Nah, that’s my guy, I want to help him.” Some, it just happened. But these days, man, I can’t lie: it’s no more charity work—I want my money [laughs]! Now, I’m more working on vibes, but knowing that yes, this is [also] going to bring back residuals, and money, and stuff like that. South Africa got the sound and the vibes right now, so obviously I love collaborating with South African musicians, [and I’ve been doing that] way before amapiano was popping. So in that aspect, I love collaborating with people. But these days to me, it’s more about, “Is it going to be a hit? Are we going to make money from it? How successful is this song going to be?” That that’s what I’m on these days.
Photo: Courtesy of Martell
What’s your hope for the African superstars of tomorrow?
I’m sure they’re tired of hearing all of that, “Stay true to yourself,” blah, blah, blah, but that’s the honest truth: stay true to your craft. And just have a good team around, of course. It’s just about hard work and dedication. It’s hard getting up early mornings, sleeping late nights, but all that hard work adds up after a while, I tell you that much. So just keep going and just keep being grinding and keep grinding. For some people, it happens quick. For some people it’s a process, you know what I’m saying? That’s life.
