Singer's business and creative moves to drop his EP

With each new day, Davido is getting closer to the release of his EP.

The singer who was signed by Sony Music International, in January 2016, is yet to release any new material. But all of that is changing soon.

Davido was signed in January to Sony Music International, a deal which was well-publicised and passed through all the relevant channels. That deal will involve him making one album, and submitting it to Sony for approval and publishing in various countries including the USA, UK, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, and the rest of the world, excluding Africa. Based on the market performance of this album, Sony has the right to order a second and third album. The deal does not involve Africa, meaning that Davido is free to do whatever he likes with his work on this continent. He might give it out for free on this continent if he chooses to be generous enough.

But to get that first album out, the Nigerian singer has to tease with an EP as a forerunner. That EP will cater to the taste of the market that Sony Music decides to market it in. For now, the focus appears to be the US, and the singer is making moves to get all various parts of the business right.

Creative

Davido’s recording process is being executively produced by Efe Ogbeni, the Sony Music executive, who brokered the deal, and works extensively with RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony, which Ayo Jay is also signed to. Photos of the singer in the studio has been a social media regular in the past three months.

Collaborations are an integral part of the process. After working with Meek Mill to release ‘Fans mi’ in 2015, the singer has more collaborations in the bag, with a few confirmed to make the project. US singer Tinashe is a big part of it, and will feature in Davido’s forthcoming single. The video has already been shot, with photos on the internet. Tinashe is half-Zimbabwean herself, so it remains to see what direction the sound will go.

Other collaborations which have been linked include Trey Songz, and Young Thug. These two stars were reported to have their features originally housed on the shelved forthcoming album, but they might just be thrown in. No confirmation yet.

The direction of the album will be determined by Davido’s team, in collaboration with Efe Ogbeni.

Business

Sony Music will be handling publishing and distribution of every work by the singer. It will be handled by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a music publishing company, presently co-owned by Sony Music Entertainment and the estate of Michael Jackson.

In the US, the singer’s releases will be handled by RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. RCA Records is an American flagship recording label (alongside Columbia Records and Epic Records) of Sony Music Entertainment (SME). It releases multiple genres of music including pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, blues, jazz and, through RCA Nashville, country. It is home to a number of top stars, including ASAP Ferg, ASAP Rocky, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Zayn Malik, Usher, T-Pain, Shakira, Justin Timberlake, Pink and many others. The label also signed another Nigerian, Ayo Jay this year.