Davido Opens Up on How Fame Nearly Drove Him to Jump Off a Balcony

Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke aka Davido has spoken out about one of the most difficult times in his early career, revealing how the pressure of sudden fame once almost made him fall into depression.

In an interview titled “Davido Joins The Vibe Q,” published on VIBE Magazine’s official YouTube channel on Thursday, the singer opened up about how a private moment during one of his first international trips was exposed, leaving him emotionally shaken.

Davido said the incident happened just two months after his breakout songs propelled him to stardom, when he went to Ghana for a performance.

At the time he said he had released only a handful of songs but they had become huge hits across the continent.

“I have like one song, I have like two records, but these are like the biggest records ever,” he remembered.

The singer said he was stunned by the reception he received on arrival, comparing the excitement around him to that of global pop stars.

“Yo, it’s like a Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber kind of thing. “So I’m like, yo, we lit,” he said.

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Davido said that as his popularity grew, there were new milestones every week.

“Every week is just something new.” I’m happy.” I’m like, yo, I’m blowing up every week. We’re going up the charts,’” he said.

He said he, too, was new to the experience of sudden adulation from fans, especially women.

“I am thrilled. I’m like, yo, these girls really love me.

Davido revealed how he spent the night with a woman after going to a nightclub on the Ghana trip, who took a photo of him sleeping after friends doubted her story of being with the singer.

That was my first rodeo in that. It was my first groupie… “And then I remember it was just a great night,” he said.

The next morning his manager woke him up with disturbing news.

“Open the door, he said. “He was like, ‘Calm down,’” Davido said.

He explained what happened by saying, “Apparently she was telling people like, ‘oh, I’m with Davido. They’re saying that you’re lying. And then she snapped the picture.”

The image spread fast and he started getting calls from his family.

“My daddy was calling me. “My sisters were calling me,” he told.

“It was a devastating and overwhelming experience,” Davido admitted.

“If I had seen the balcony that day I would have jumped. I was going nuts,” he said.

Reflecting on the experience, the singer said he believes his lifestyle as a young man played a part in the lesson he learned and that God used the experience to shape him.

“I was young and I liked women too much. God had to show me, believe me, God had to show me at the time,” he said.

“It gave me a lesson for life as to how to protect my privacy as a public figure,” he added.

“You’re young, you’re famous, you’re a sitting duck. “Take their phones, even if you want to have fun.” Davido said.