Davido says he’s now focusing on African music and culture after enjoying global success

‎In a recent BBC 1Xtra interview, Davido revealed that his upcoming sixth studio album will be rooted in African sounds, marking a deliberate shift away from Western music influences.
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‎In a recent appearance on BBC 1Xtra’s Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show, hosted by Congolese-British comedian and presenter Eddie Kadi, Davido offered what appears to be the clearest indication of where his music is headed next, emphasising his plan to decenter the West.
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‎”This part of my career… I’ve performed everywhere, sold out every arena, been at all the award shows. I’ve been to three Grammys in the last three years. Now, I want to go back home, I want to go back to Africa. Even the music I’m recording now is very, very Davido African. I’m not focused on Western sounds. This one that’s coming next is very African,” he said.
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‎Outside the casual interview quote, if we can recall, on his birthday in November last year, Davido subtly announced the coming of his sixth studio album. With this latest comment, he appears to be offering an indirect preview of what that project will sound like, indicating a deliberate pivot toward African audiences after years of building and consolidating a global presence.
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‎It would not be the first time Davido has made that choice consciously. His fifth studio album, 5ive, released in 2025, was a commercial success anchored firmly in Nigerian identity. The album connected deeply with the markets Afrobeats had spent a decade cultivating across the continent, reflecting an artist who understood that the genre’s most loyal and most responsive audience had always been at home.
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‎That conviction extended to his live shows. Last year, Davido held the 5ive Tour across five major Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Ibadan, and Enugu. It was a domestic tour that came at a time when major acts had largely abandoned the Nigerian touring circuit, and was widely commended as a statement of intent.
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‎Taken together, the tour, the album, and now this interview show a consistent plan. Davido has spent years chasing and achieving everything the global music industry has to offer. The arenas, the award shows, and the Grammy appearances. By his own account, he has seen it all. What comes next, it seems, is a deliberate return to where it started.