"I don't do Afrobeat, I do Afro-fusion", singer talks on Beats 1 Radio

jonathan

July 27, 2016 10:07 AM

The DMW singer talked about his career, the first time he heard his record play in a club, his personal choice between properly naming his music, and more.

Davido has had his debut interview on Apple Radio Beats 1, with OAP, Ebro Darden of New York top radio station, Hot 97.

The singer revealed that Wande Coal and D’banj encouraged him after he left London. “Your record is doing well,” they said to him. He was in his mid-teens, and seeing his song played in a club had a profound effect on him. “I was fresh. I was the youngest.”

Davido also had a conversion with Ebro on why he refuses to call his genre of music ‘Afrobeats’. “It is different,” he said.

“I don’t call my [music] Afrobeats, I call it Afrofusion,” he said, “You know the originator of the Afrobeats is Fela. Fela has a sound which I can say has heavy baseline, the Rhodes, brass instrument, [and] the percussion is different.” He went on to articulate popular genres of African music and why he thinks they are different from what he puts out.

An example he chose was his 2013 hit single ‘Gobe’, which according to him was ‘Afro’mixed with Calypso. “But I feel like the Afrobeats is catchy and has caught wave since time.” He said.

“I can’t really tell you the difference between Afropop and Afrobeats. I know some songs that I won’t call Afrobeats; I would call [them] Afropop or Afrotrap.”

Davido was signed to Sony Music Entertainment in January 2016, on a deal which would see him release his sophomore studio album in 2017. He is currently working on an EP, which would feature US acts Tinashe, Trey Songz, and Young Thug.

jonathan

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