Nigerian music sensation David Adeleke, famously known as Davido, has opened up about the early struggles he faced in pursuing a music career, recounting how his father, Adedeji Adeleke, initially opposed his musical aspirations. The multiple-award-winning artist shared these insights during a recent interview on the ‘Kelly Clarkson Show,’ where he discussed his journey from a first-generation entertainer in his family to becoming a superstar in the Nigerian music industry.
Davido reflected on the significant influence of his family’s strong educational background, particularly his father’s commitment to his schooling. Adedeji Adeleke, the owner of a university, prioritized education for his son, emphasizing that he wanted Davido to achieve academic success before embarking on a career in music.
In the interview, Davido disclosed, “I come from a big family that is big on education. I’m a first-generation entertainer in my whole life of bloodline.” He acknowledged that his father supported his musical aspirations but remained steadfast in his belief that education should come first.
“He didn’t mind me doing music, but he was bent on me finishing school,” Davido explained. “He owns a university, so you can imagine, and my mom was a college professor. I think they were also scared because whatever you want your kids to do, you want them to succeed. In our business, it’s not that easy to be successful.”
To strike a balance between his education and music, Davido and his father reached an agreement. He attended school for two weeks out of each month, allowing him to spend the other two weeks in the studio pursuing his musical passions. However, as his music career gained momentum, it began to encroach on his academic commitments.
The young artist explained, “It got to a point where I was distracting the class when my music got bigger. After a while, I got to do part-time class-type stuff. I was getting too big, and he got mad.” Davido revealed that his father had considerable influence, such as the ability to cancel his shows at will, which posed a challenge to his burgeoning music career.
He recounted an incident, saying, “I’m talking about he sees a billboard of me doing a show; the show gets canceled before I get there. He has that type of power. So it got to a point where everyone was scared to book me. But eventually, I did finish school, and now he is my biggest fan.“