Davido talks to Trevor Noah about Afrobeats and activism

The musician’s interview follows a statement by MTV Entertainment Group, whose communications manager Lauren Woulard noted that Davido would discuss “his unique and infectious Afrobeats sound.”

Davido’s appearance arrived two years after fellow Nigerian star Burna Boy joined Noah on the show. Wednesday’s chat spanned a variety of topics including the global explosion of Afrobeats, his latest album A Better Time and music as an instrument of activism.

Touching on Afrobeats’ current international dominance, the ‘If’ singer recounts telling a sceptical Sony Music executive in 2016: “You guys might not understand now but in a couple of years, this is going to be, if not the biggest, one of the biggest genres in the world.”

“I did parts of my university in Alabama and I remember back then one of my favourite bands from South Africa was Freshlyground. In Nigeria, it was D’Banj, P-Square … I was young, I went to college at 16, and I remember in my dorm room, they’ll be like: ‘Yo. Yo, what’s that? Them drums is going hard! They sound good.’ So, I always knew that, eventually, it would be appreciated.”

Davido also lauded the Nigerian and African diaspora for their role in the genre’s success. “Everybody in the world has a Nigerian friend,” he said. 

About his single ‘Fem’ becoming an anthem for #EndSARS protests against police brutality in October 2020, Davido said that while he did not record the song for that purpose, he was happy that it provided a voice for young Nigerians demanding accountability from the government, a development that he observed would influence politics in the country going forward.

This week, Davido made the cover of the September issue of Australian fashion and culture magazine L’Officiel Fashion Book. Like his Daily Show appearance, Davido’s L’Officiel Fashion Book interview revolved around themes of advocacy, his music and the Afrobeats renaissance. 

Watch Davido’s Daily Show interview below: