Afrobeats superstar Davido is preparing for a major homecoming in Lagos this December, where he will stage a three-night residency at the newly renovated National Theatre as part of the city’s highly anticipated festive season.
The five-time Grammy nominee will perform from December 17 to 19, bringing his latest album, Oriadé, to the stage in Nigeria for the first time. The residency is expected to combine songs from the new project with some of the biggest records from his career, alongside special guests and surprises planned across the three nights.
For Davido, however, the concerts represent more than another stop on an international touring schedule. They offer an opportunity to return to the city and country that have remained central to his identity and musical journey.
“Any opportunity I grab to promote my culture, you know, I take it,” he tells Variety. “And this one is very, very dear to me because we’re doing it at home.”
The shows are also expected to become an early highlight of Nigeria’s so-called “Dirty December” period, when Lagos in particular experiences a surge in entertainment, tourism, social activity and consumer spending as Nigerians in the diaspora and international visitors return for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Davido said the timing makes the residency particularly special because of the opportunity to reunite with family and perform for Nigerian fans during the festive season.
“Man it’s been a crazy past [few] months. [‘Oriadé’] has been doing crazy numbers. People are loving the records. It’s been exciting – definitely super pumped for the three-night residency that we have coming in December,” he said.
“And this one is very, very dear to me because we’re doing it at home during the festive period of Christmas with all the families together.”
A landmark venue returns
The residency will take place at the National Theatre, one of Nigeria’s most recognisable cultural landmarks, which reopened in October 2025 after a years-long closure and an extensive renovation reportedly costing 68 billion naira, or about $50 million.
The venue, formally known as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, has historically been an important stage for Nigeria’s performing arts and major cultural events.
For Davido, its return has particular significance because of what the venue represents to Nigerian performers.
“It’s like our own MSG,” he says, comparing the National Theatre with New York’s Madison Square Garden, one of the world's best-known entertainment venues.
The reopening also comes at a time when Nigerian musicians are increasingly performing on international stages and undertaking large-scale tours, placing greater demands on the country’s entertainment infrastructure.
Davido said Nigerian artists have not necessarily lacked the desire to perform at home, but have sometimes faced difficulties recreating the scale and production standards of their overseas shows.
“It’s not that we don’t want to do shows back home,” he said.
For the singer, consistency in the concert experience is important regardless of where he performs.
“The level of production, we try to make it the same,” he said. “I’m just happy that we’re going to be able to do more back home.”
Balancing new music with old favourites
With Oriadé expected to feature prominently in the December concerts, Davido also faces the challenge of balancing his newest material with the songs that have defined his career.
That balance could be particularly important in Lagos, where his fan base spans multiple generations.
“It depends on the show, the demographic of fans,” he said. “I’m lucky to have a long-range demographic of young children and also the older folks. So I’m kind of lucky to have both people as fans.”
The singer promised that the three performances would not simply be identical repetitions.
“It’s going to be three nights of different kinds of music and surprises,” he said.
The announcement of the residency comes alongside a trailer for the concerts and the release of a new music video for his single “On the Road.” The video offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Davido’s life and career, including footage connected to his Coachella debut earlier this year.
A growing musical connection
Davido also discussed his forthcoming collaboration with gospel and Christian music star Kirk Franklin, describing the relationship behind the collaboration as a natural extension of their friendship.
“Man, shout-out Kirk. He’s such an amazing human being,” Davido said. “We have a lot of mutual friends. I met him at the Grammys two years ago and since then we’ve had a great relationship.”
For Davido, genuine relationships are an important part of the creative process.
“And I feel like when you’re collaborating musically, that relationship just needs to be natural. I don’t like it being forced,” he said.
The collaboration also carries a personal connection. Davido said he grew up around church music, noting that his father is an elder in the church and that Kirk Franklin’s music was part of his upbringing.
“I come from a family – like my dad’s an elder in the church. So, we definitely were bumping Kirk Franklin when I was young,” he said. “To grow up and be able to create music with him is just a great feeling. And he’s praising the Lord at the same time.”
Beyond the Afrobeats label
As Afrobeats continues to expand internationally, Davido has increasingly found himself positioned as one of the genre’s most recognisable global representatives.
But he believes the Nigerian music scene is considerably broader than the label suggests.
Reflecting on the changing perception of African music internationally, Davido recalled introducing African sounds to his American friends long before he became a global recording star.
“Even before I decided [being a recording artist] is really what I wanted to do, even when I was in school, I was always playing African music for my American friends,” he said.
He also pointed to the changing way Africans are perceived in Western culture.
“How the narrative of being African has changed over the years is just crazy,” Davido said. “I remember when some Africans used to be like, ‘oh, I’m Jamaican,’ just because they wouldn’t be laughed at. I’m telling you, for real.”
For him, the international acceptance of African music is significant, but his current focus is increasingly centred on what is happening at home.
“So, it’s just crazy how the culture has been accepted in the Western world. But that’s cool, but to me, that’s not where my head is at right now,” he said. “I feel like now the vibe to me, where my head is at, is being at home and doing this at home. You feel me?”
Davido also pointed to the diversity of sounds emerging from Nigeria, arguing that artists working in R&B, rap, pop, jazz and other styles can often be placed under the broad Afrobeats umbrella simply because they are African.
“Obviously, once you’re making music as an African, you’re classified as an Afrobeats artist, no matter what. Whether it’s R&B, whether it’s rap, whether it’s pop,” he said.
“But I feel like there’s so much more to explore. And yes, Afrobeats is the term that’s been used but there’s so much more than what [mainstream Western audiences] are listening to.”
He specifically referenced emerging talent such as Zayleven and encouraged audiences seeking to understand the breadth of Nigeria’s music scene to experience it in Lagos.
“People need to visit Lagos,” he said. “First of all, Nigerians are so super talented.”
Davido described discovering venues and communities in Lagos where genres such as jazz thrive outside the mainstream Afrobeats conversation.
“If you come to Nigeria, I’ll take you to a place that they only play jazz music. You would never ever think, like, ‘What? I’m in Africa?’ You know what I’m saying?” he said.
“There’s so many other genres.”
No plans to slow down
Despite years of touring and a demanding album cycle, Davido said he is not yet ready to step away from music.
“I got [the energy] in me. I don’t think I’m slowing down for now,” he said.
Still, the singer acknowledged the physical and personal demands of maintaining a global touring schedule. He said spending time with his wife and children remains an important part of maintaining balance.
“But I do love taking breaks, spending time with my family, my wife, my kids,” he said. “I feel like it’s very, very important. You know, even mentally, physically on your body.”
Davido revealed that he performed 62 shows last year, a schedule he said eventually takes a toll.
“I just did 62 shows last year, back to back. It takes a toll,” he said.
Away from the stage, he has also been settling into a new home in Atlanta while preparing for another busy festive period.
“We just moved into our new house in Atlanta. I’ve been getting that situated,” he said. “And then we’re just getting ready for the festive period in December!”
With the National Theatre residency, Davido’s December schedule will bring his latest music, established hits and international experience back to Lagos — at a venue whose reopening signals renewed possibilities for large-scale live entertainment in Nigeria.
For an artist who has spent much of his career taking African music to audiences around the world, the message behind the three-night residency is perhaps captured most clearly in his own words: “I’m just happy that we’re going to be able to do more back home.”