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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
By Gary Gerard Hamilton

Davido's '5ive' welcomes the Afrobeats megastar into an era of change and growth

Davido Portrait Session - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Afrobeats may be the hot sound of the moment, but Davido remembers a very recent past when music from Africa wasn’t embraced globally, amid a perception the continent was one of only destitute poverty and primitive lands.

“I remember when Africans used to lie that they were Jamaicans,” laughed the Atlanta-born “Fall” singer, who grew up between the U.S. and Nigeria. “The narrative has immensely changed. And thanks to the people who are behind this, because it’s not governments … it’s the innovators. The musicians. The entertainers. The lawyers. The doctors in America, pushing the narrative of being African.”

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