Davido was born in Atlanta on 21 November 1992 and raised in Lagos. He studied business administration at Oakwood University before dropping out to focus on music, and he has been one of the defining voices of Afrobeats ever since. He sold out London’s O2 Arena in January 2019, earned Grammy nominations with Timeless, and released his sixth album, Oriadé, in July 2026. These are the top 10 Davido songs, the records that tell his story best.
1. Fall (2017)
Produced by Kiddominant and released in June 2017, “Fall” is one of the songs that opened America up to Afrobeats. It kept growing for two years, until in February 2019 it became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history.
It was the first Afrobeats song certified gold in the US, and it has since gone platinum with the RIAA and Music Canada, with over 100 million Spotify streams. Busta Rhymes even jumped on a remix.
2. If (2017)
“If” was released in February 2017 as the lead single from A Good Time. It was produced and ghostwritten by Tekno, and it blends Afrobeats with R&B. It reached number one on Nigerian radio and charted internationally.
“If” and “Fall”, released four months apart, made 2017 the year Davido went from Nigerian star to international name.
3. Dami Duro (2012)
“Dami Duro” means “stop me” in Yoruba, and nobody did. It was the second single from his debut album, Omo Baba Olowo, and it made him famous. It won Hottest Single of the Year at the 2012 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
More than a decade later, in August 2025, Billboard ranked it number 14 on its list of the 50 best Afrobeats songs of all time.
4. Aye (2014)
Released for Valentine’s Day 2014 and produced by TSpize, “Aye” is Davido at his most romantic. It won Song of the Year at The Headies 2014 and Hottest Single at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards the same year.
5. Unavailable (featuring Musa Keys, 2023)
The second single from Timeless brought South African singer Musa Keys onto an amapiano-flavoured track, which fitted an album that leaned heavily on the sound. “Unavailable” spent five weeks at number one on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and reached number three on the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart.
It was nominated at the 66th Grammy Awards, and Davido performed it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
6. FEM (2020)
“FEM” was the lead single from A Better Time, released in September 2020. The video hit a million views in nine hours and three million in its first day.
It is a confident, cheeky record, and a good entry point into an album that featured Nicki Minaj, Nas and Chris Brown.
7. Assurance (2018)
Davido released “Assurance” on 30 April 2018, dedicated to his girlfriend and timed for her 23rd birthday. Produced by Speroach Beatz, it is a straightforward love song.
It was later included on A Good Time.
8. Risky (featuring Popcaan, 2019)
Davido brought in the Jamaican star Popcaan for “Risky”, one of the singles from A Good Time. Popcaan brings a dancehall edge, and the pairing shows how naturally Afrobeats and Caribbean music can meet.
9. Champion Sound (with Focalistic, 2021)
Released in November 2021, “Champion Sound” teamed Davido with South African rapper Focalistic. The two had already worked together on the remix of Focalistic’s “Ke Star”. The video was filmed in London.
Davido went back to amapiano two years later on “Unavailable” with Musa Keys.
10. Jowo (2020)
“Jowo” was the third single from A Better Time, released in December 2020 and produced by Napji and Magicboi.
More Davido songs and albums
Explore Davido’s albums, including Oriadé, on his AfroYard artist page.
