Entertainment
Davido’s Song, Fall Rules Airwaves In US
Pop star Davido’s song “Fall” is reportedly taking over radio stations in the United States of America and the song is described as one of the biggest to ever come out of Africa.This is according to a report by Rolling Stone.
Davido’s song “Fall” even ought to have reached greater heights in the country, according to the report.
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The Nigerian style of music known as Afrobeats has quietly entranced a large swathe of the world’s population. “Pretty much every song on pop radio [in the U.K. now] is sort of a Mr. Eazi-style, chill, afrobeats [track],” the producer Riton told Rolling Stone last year. But Nigerian singers have not yet established a foothold Stateside, despite well-received, afrobeats-dusted singles from established stars like Drake and Janet Jackson.
So it’s unusual that “Fall,” a springy, 19-month-old track from the Nigerian singer Davido, is currently gaining traction on the airwaves. The growth has been gradual: 482 plays to date, spread across 36 stations, according to Nielsen BDS, which tracks radio activity. BDS reports that four new stations added “Fall” into rotation last week.
Those are admittedly not huge numbers, for comparison’s sake, Post Malone’s new single “Wow” grew by 1,700 plays last week alone. But listeners who hear “Fall” are scrambling to find their phones: It was one of the Top 100 most Shazam’d singles in America this week. In New York City, “Fall” was a Top 10 record on Shazam. And in Atlanta, another crucial market, only two tracks were getting more Shazam activity than Davido’s.
Eliciting that level of interest in America is no small feat for an African singer. Columbia signed “Pana,” a 2016 single from Tekno, but wasn’t able to transform it into a U.S. hit. RCA signed Wizkid, the guest on Drake’s “One Dance,” but hasn’t been able to get a hit either. (RCA is also working with Davido now.) Burna Boy, another Nigerian singer with impressive talent, is now affiliated with Atlantic, but his “Rock Your Body” didn’t reach a wide audience in America.
That has nothing to do with the music, “Pana” and “Rock Your Body” are both indelible polyrhythmic pop songs, wonderfully weightless next to the lead-footed trap that currently dominates both rap and pop radio in America.
But the machinery that creates hits in the U.S. remains conservative, even in the supposedly “new” era brought on by streaming.
Nowhere is this more true than at radio, which throws its still-considerable weight behind only a tiny number of tracks,“A Top 40 radio station is playing five songs 120 times a week every week,” according to one radio insider, and rarely takes risks on music that doesn’t align with seemingly-ancient-if-not-totally-incomprehensible norms.
Mainstream “urban” radio usually won’t play Latin trap next to American trap, even if the same producers worked on both tracks, or pivot from hard hip-hop into soft R&B. Meanwhile, pop radio tries hard to ignore viral rap records, which programmers characterize as “pretty extreme,” in favour of bizarre but ostensibly more palatable concoctions by Panic at the Disco or Marshmello.
Even some Top 40 programmers are confused by this tendency: “I don’t know when everybody’s gonna get it through their heads that we can’t just keep forcing these pop songs that nobody likes down everybody’s throat,” Nathan Graham told Rolling Stone last year.
Radio also depends on a favour system of sorts: Artists play station concerts, stop by for interviews and record drops to help get their music onto the air.
This is costly for artists without American passports. “To work the U.S. is big money, even getting music onto radio in New York alone might cost you upwards of $100 or $200 grand,” the Nigerian star, Mr. Eazi explained to Rolling Stone last year. That’s another reason why, “at the end of the day, nobody has properly broken an African act in the U.S.”
It’s too early to tell if Davido can establish a new path from Nigeria to the American airwaves,his team only recently started “attacking US radio properly,” according to an email from the singer’s manager, Asa Asika.
But there’s no denying that when listeners hear Davido’s music, they are immediately compelled to figure out who sings it.
And that’s not just the case with “Fall.” This week New Yorkers were also trying to determine who steals the show on local rapper Casanova’s new single “2am” (Shazaming Top 25). Surprise — it’s DaVido. He is also the artist behind the 2017 track “If,” which is Shazaming Top 50 in New York.
DaVido’s success appears to be a boon for other Nigerian artists as well.
Afro B’s “Drogba (Joanna)” was even higher than “Fall” on New York Shazam this week. If more radio programmers are willing to give these artists a chance, they may be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Nigerian megastar, Davido shares how his father recognised that his music was getting big.
Davido says his hit single ‘Dami Duro’ was the president’s ringtone
During an interview with newsmen, Davido spoke on the early days of his career and how he eventually got his father’s approval to make music.
The Grammy nominee shared the familiar story of how he left school in Atlanta and returned to Nigeria to pursue music without his father’s blessing which later led to his business mogul dad getting him arrested.
“I don’t think he did not want me to do music, he just wanted me to be successful as whatever I did because he got a blueprint for me already,” Davido said on his father’s early reaction to his decision to make music.
“He is so supportive and he checks on everything…My dad picks my album. When I am done, I send him all the tracks and my dad goes through all the records and gives me a paragraph each,” Davido narrates the personal interest and support his Dad gives him.
“My dad gave me the name Davido…The first show I did, he arrested me, the fans, the promoters,” Davido said laughing as he narrated the story of how his father got him arrested after he returned to Nigeria without his consent and had his first show as a 17-year-old. “He just wanted me to finish school,” Davido added about his father’s insistence that he get a university degree.
The three time Grammy nominee was asked when his father recognised that his music was getting big and he revealed it was when his hit song ‘Dami Duro’ was the president’s ringtone.
“When my song was the president’s ringtone,” Davido said.
While he did not mention the president or the country, Davido is likely referring to the exploit of former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan who was the head of state between 2010 – 2015.
During the interview, Davido also mentioned his plans as a businessman beyond music. He revealed he had a production house called Coco House which he describes as a media house for creatives. He also added that he intends to get into crypto.
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele has announced that her upcoming film, Everybody Loves Jenifa, a spinoff from the Jenifa franchise will premiere in December.
“Been long you saw Jenifa!!!!” Akindele said.
While a December premiere is confirmed, details on the film remain unknown. However, the new title, Everybody Loves Jenifa, suggests a potential return to the core elements that have made the franchise popular. With Akindele leading the creative team, viewers can anticipate the return of familiar characters and humorous storylines.
The sitcom, Jenifa’s Diary has been a major Nigerian television show since its debut in 2015. The series centres around the main character played by Akindele, and has featured Folarin “Falz” Falana, Lolo, Juliana Olayode, Lota Chukwu, Paschaline Alex Okoli, and late Aderounmu Adejumoke.
The Tide Entertainment reports that it has also had spin-offs and sequels like Aiyetoro Town (2019), which is set in Jenifa’s village, and Jenifa on Lockdown (2021).
Akindele played Jenifa in the first film in the franchise, Jenifa (2008), a village girl who travelled to the city in pursuit of fortune. Muhydeen S. Ayinde directed the movie.
The movie was nominated for four Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009 including, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Nigerian Film. For her performance in this movie, Akindele took home the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The convener, South South Media Week, Tammmy Halliday has attributed the lack of unity and collaboration in the PortHarcourt entertainment industry to sentiments, baggages and trust issues.
He made this known yesterday, during an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt.
According to him, some things that spur baggages are family background, personal experience with colleagues or other people, saying that when someone has been reaped or used by any of his colleagues or someone else, he might not want to work with some other persons because of trust issue.
This goes along with baggages, where he now sees his other colleagues as one and same with the one who used him and so this continues to hinder collaborations in the industry.
He advised that as an entertainer you should get better, visible and exposed as the industry required.
He said that the key factor that can help collaboration is growth, explaining that growth would make entertainers live beyond baggages, adding that if you are good at what you do, and know what you want and where you are going with it , then you are good to go.
“You can seek an advice from a legal practitioner, professional or a senior colleagues to ensure that you (entertainer) get it right.
It is not a bad idea to serve or work with someone, because you serve to rise in the industry. You have to be well rooted, but, you should be able to know want you want and where you are going with what you do, this will help you move on, when it is no longer working for you, otherwise, you will remain there and keep complaining and then it gets to that point where you begin to see that person as a reaper,” he said.
Mr Halliday who also do corporate social responsibility award via his platform, South South Media Week stated that critical communication is important in any situation, with a critical approach, no doubt you will always be on the right track.
Speaking on criteria for awarding awards, he maintained that it is on numbers, affiliations, fanbase, followership, association and sales of the person or organisation in question, saying that these also works for collaboration with an artiste, because they are factors that facilitate growth in the industry.
Categories of award that are awarded through the platform includes, entrepreneur award of the year, innovation award of the year and others.
Nancy Briggs
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