David Adeleke, known by all as Davido, released his fourth studio album, #ABT (A Better Time) on the 13th and it is now the temporary relief in the country in a while, well on Twitter. But it came in a different dimension. There was a twist to the album, which seems strategic.
Davido himself was caught saying in an interview, that the Talent in the music business is like 40% of the success and so, he knows better to concentrate on the 60% left. And that seems to be the secret of his success in the business.
He Is Indeed Musical
Naysayers are quick to say he is successful in music because of his family’s wealth, but critically, that is highly impossible, because it is the public that can judge good content at the end of the day.
His ability to identify hit songs for years, takes a good percentage of talent to know the music producers that can deliver such hits and keep it up for years.
And most importantly, he keeps his music delivery simple concentrating on hooks and sing-along verses, with an easy chorus that the mind can unconsciously assimilate without the listener trying to memorize the lines of the song. D’banj used this style back then as well.
He has A Music Pattern
Having listened to Davido for some years now, I can say, his music has a pattern that I call ‘climax songs’ he starts mostly on a low key, using a double line strategy and he uses it in all his songs.
For example, Tanana featuring Tiwa Savage, for those who have listened to it, he sang;
It’s another Saturday, I ain’t come play
Ain’t come Shere
Me I wan tanana, Me I wan tanana
Me I wan mekwekwe
Me I wan suo
Me I wan jogodo
Me I wan turn-up
That’s why me I come table my matter to you
{Girl you
Oh, girl you
Oh girl you bad, you por, you plenty(Ladies and gentlemen, here is the climax)
He intentionally builds on the low tempo by switching the melodious flow in between to have your constant attention till the song ends. It is even realistic to say, the album was an easy hit for him.
He understands the business aspect of it and the Music Politics
Davido will continue to be a threat to his counterpart because he has a structure to his music career that is so solid and can run for another decade if he wants.
The Business: He understands well enough that he cannot play all the roles for him to actualize the desired success and he is quick to explore opportunities from raw talents, just like how he admitted to FEM being produced by a guy who wanted to change the engine oil of one of his friend’s car.
He gives room to opportunities and as he taps into them, he ends up accommodating most of them. Mayorkun, who is lyrically sound with hit songs, Peruzzi who understands the organization of songs, Kiddominat who is versatile and creative with sounds and others.
So, he has a lot of people around him, but they all have roles to play in the success of his musical career and those that seem not involved musically, are solely for the politics of it.
Someone like Alomo for instance is covering the average audience for davido to be sensed as accessible to the average audience, knowing the barrier his background might create in the sphere of social strata. If we place him side by side with DJ Cuppy, we will be able to tell the difference.
His social media platforms are structured to address fans like he wakes up with them in the same house.
When his album was officially released, he wrote on Twitter. “Off to party o!!!. Worked so hard on ABT!! Lemme know what track y’all love. THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE!!!!!!!! IM SO HAPPY!!!.”
The message depicts humility, including the fans and putting their opinion on a peddle stone and that will melt any fans’ hearts to quickly go stream the album because they feel it is their responsibility to let him know if he did a good job or not.
Random giveaways, constant reply to unverified fans on Twitter among other things are the politics to draw people to him and his work and his life is intentionally opened for everyone to see, relate to, admire, and also be in the know of his reality unlike other artists in the industry.
This article does not categorically state that all these findings are intentional structure to who he is in the industry, it might be unplanned, but it does not change the fact that it is a known factor of things that have brought him this far.
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