David Adedeji Adeleke, better known by his stage name Davido, is one of the biggest afrobeats stars to come out of Nigeria. With over 30 million Instagram followers and multiple award-winning albums, Davido has made a name for himself both in Nigeria and internationally. But one question fans often ask is: is Davido a Muslim?
Let’s take a closer look at Davido’s background, career, and religious beliefs to understand more about where he comes from and what faith he identifies with.
Davido’s Early Life and Family Background
David Adedeji Adeleke was born in Atlanta, Georgia on November 21, 1992 to Nigerian parents. His father Adedeji Adeleke is a billionaire businessman and founder of Pacific Holdings, while his mother Veronica Adeleke was a university lecturer.
The family relocated back to Nigeria when Davido was very young and he was raised in the city of Lagos. With a wealthy and well-connected family, Davido attended the British International School in Lagos, where he excelled in music and sports.
Davido comes from a complex multi-faith background. His father Adedeji is a Christian, having converted from Islam to Christianity in the 80s. His mother Veronica came from a Christian Yoruba family. However, Davido’s paternal grandfather was a Muslim.
So while Christianity features prominently in Davido’s parental upbringing, there are influences of Islam in his extended family. This diverse religious background has led some fans to wonder whether Davido himself identifies as a Muslim.
Davido Educational Background
After finishing high school in Nigeria, Davido relocated to Alabama, USA to study business administration at Oakwood University. He started recording music just for fun while at university. However, after repeatedly struggling to balance music and his studies, Davido decided to drop out of Oakwood University to focus full-time on his music career.
Oakwood University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university with a Christian background. Some sources reported that Davido converted to Christianity during his time there. However, the musician himself has not publicly confirmed this.
Davido’s Music Career
After dropping out of university in 2011, Davido returned to Nigeria and released his first singles “Back When” featuring Naeto C and “Dami Duro”. He released his first album ‘Omo Baba Olowo’ in 2012, which featured popular hits like “Ekuro” and “Overseas” featuring Sina Rambo.
His fame grew rapidly and Davido has since released hit songs like “If”, “Fall”, “Fia”, “Assurance” and “Risky” among many others. He has won numerous awards including a BET Award, two MTV Africa Music Awards, two Nigerian Teen Choice Awards, and a MOBO Award.
Davido is credited for globalizing and popularizing afrobeats. He has collaborated with international artists like Chris Brown, Tinashe, Nicki Minaj and more. With his status as an afrobeats superstar and his globetrotting lifestyle, this had led some fans to speculate whether Davido may have converted to Islam at some point, especially given the Islamic influences in some parts of his family.
Davido’s Awards and Recognition
Some of Davido’s major awards and achievements include:
- BET Award for Best International Act: Africa (2014)
- MTV Africa Music Award for Best Male Act (2014)
- MTV Africa Music Award for Artist of the Year (2018)
- Nigerian Teen Choice Awards for Top Featured Artist (2019)
- The Headies Award for Best Pop Single “Assurance” (2018)
- MOBO Award for Best African Act (2019)
- Over 25 million Instagram followers
His hit song “Fall” became the longest charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. These are just a few of the many accolades Davido has earned during his highly successful career.
Is Davido a Muslim?
Despite his diverse family background, there is no evidence that Davido himself identifies as a Muslim. Most indications suggest he practices Christianity or potentially does not adhere strongly to any one particular faith.
Some key points:
- Davido was raised Christian by his parents. He attended a Christian university.
- He has released songs like “Something Fishy” that reference Christian beliefs.
- In interviews, he has talked about celebrating Christmas in church as a child.
- He has never publicly identified himself as a Muslim or observed common Islamic practices like abstaining from alcohol.
- His social media shows no indication of Islamic faith, while he has referenced God/Jesus in his posts.
While Davido’s grandfather was a Muslim, Davido was primarily raised in a Christian household. Neither his lifestyle and career choices nor his public persona align with practicing Islam.
Unless Davido himself confirms otherwise, it appears the afrobeats star adheres more closely to Christianity or potentially takes a more flexible approach to religion, rather than committing to a strict Muslim faith. But his personal spiritual beliefs remain a private matter.
Davido Net Worth
With a wealthy family and a massively successful music career at a young age, Davido has amassed quite a fortune for himself. According to Forbes, Davido is estimated to have a net worth of around $20 million as of 2022.
His wealth comes from lucrative endorsement deals, sold-out concerts, YouTube revenue, and more. Some of his biggest endorsements have been with brands like MTN, Guinness Nigeria, and Infinix Mobile.
Additionally, Davido owns his own record label DMW (David Music Worldwide). He has signed popular acts like Mayorkun, Peruzzi, and Dremo to his label. This adds to his income streams.
Between the money he was born into, and the wealth he has created for himself, Davido enjoys an opulent lifestyle filled with cars, jewellery and designer goods. But he has also been involved in philanthropy, such as donating money to orphanages in Nigeria. Despite his privileged background, he seems keen to give back.
Davido’s Personal Life
Davido keeps his personal life relatively private. However, we do know he has three children with three different women. His oldest daughter Imade came from a relationship with Sophie Momodu. He had a second daughter Hailey Veronica from his relationship with Amanda. And in 2022, he welcomed a son named Dawson with partner Larisa Yasmin Lorenco.
He tends to keep his romantic relationships lowkey. However, Davido surprised fans by proposing to his partner Chioma Rowland in 2019. But the wedding plans were stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Family is very important to the singer. He is often seen spending time with his children, nieces and cousins. And he takes great pride in his cultural roots – frequently rocking Nigerian fashion brands like Atafo in his music videos and performances.
While Davido leads a flashy A-list lifestyle on stage, off-stage he tries to keep his personal life and family time more private. His faith and spiritual beliefs seem to be an intimate matter he prefers keeping to himself.
Conclusion
Davido’s unique background – born in America to a billionaire Nigerian businessman and university lecturer, before moving back to Lagos – has shaped him into the afrobeats sensation he is today. While his family background includes both Christian and Muslim influences, all indications point to Davido living more in line with Christianity in his own life.
The award-winning superstar has never publicly identified as a Muslim. And his lifestyle choices do not appear to match a typical practicing Muslim. While his exact personal beliefs remain private, Davido does not show strong indications of following Islam. His faith life seems far more complex and flexible than subscribing to one strict religion.
At the end of the day, Davido’s religious affiliation is a personal matter. What matters most is the wonderful music and entertainment he provides to millions of fans worldwide. His background may be multi-faith, but his music transcends religious boundaries. Whatever Davido’s own spiritual beliefs may be, that does not change the incredible artistry he contributes.