Nigerian music-star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has been named one of the next 100 most influential people in the world for 2021 by Time Magazine.
The FEM crooner made the Phenoms category alongside stars like Amanda Gorman, Charli D’Amelio, Rege-Jean Page, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nyjah Huston, Sydney McLaughlin, Brit Bennett, Olivia Rodrigo, Steve Kornacki, Doja Cat, Luka Doncic, Trevor Lawrence, Abby Phillip, Janja Garnbret, Izkia Siches Pasten and Koyoharu Gotouge.
The excerpt for the selection of Davido was written by Nigerian rapper and BBNaija Lockdown season 5 winner Laycon, who applauded the singer for bringing Afrobeats into the global limelight thereby paving the way for fast-rising artistes like him.
“Davido is one of the biggest voices in Afrobeats because his music connects with people, often in ways that transcend his expectations,” he wrote.
“When he released the song “FEM” in 2020, a title that loosely translates to ‘shut up’ in Yoruba, he didn’t know it would become a major #EndSARS protest anthem, as youth banded together to demand the government take action to end police brutality in Nigeria last October. Officials responded by sending politicians to give speeches. We told the government to keep quiet unless they had something sensible to add—the ethos of ‘FEM’ was directly relatable to that moment.
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“Afrobeats is a worldwide phenomenon, and Davido is one of many Nigerian artists who has made that possible; now more and more artists, from Nicki Minaj to Young Thug, want to work with him. By bringing Afrobeats to the global stage, he’s paved the way for people like me.”
Other Nigerians on the list include Damilola Odufuwa and Odunayo Eweniyi, founders of the Feminist Coalition, Olugbenga Agboola, co-founder of Flutterwave and FK Abudu.
