Afrobeats star Davido has opened up about the challenges he faced as a teenager while chasing his music dreams against his father’s wishes.
Speaking on a recent episode of the American podcast Bagfuel Brigade, Davido recalled secretly building a studio inside his family’s 16-bedroom mansion without his father’s knowledge. He spent most of his time there making music and smoking.
“I was living alone with my dad in a 16-bedroom mansion because all my siblings were in America. I had a complete studio set up in the house and he didn’t know,” Davido shared.
Eventually, he fled the mansion and spent about six months in London, living with a producer friend to focus entirely on music. During that time, his father, Dr. Deji Adeleke, reportedly enlisted the help of Nigerian security forces, including the army and immigration officials, to track him down.
“I left the mansion for about six months. My dad was looking for me, the army, immigration officers, every security agency in Nigeria was searching for Dr. Deji Adeleke’s son,” he said.
Davido’s adventure came to an end when he was intercepted at the airport on his return to Nigeria.
“When I got back, I wasn’t planning to go home. I intended to stay with a friend. But the moment I stepped out of the airport, an army officer approached me and escorted me outside,” he recounted. “There were about 20 army officers waiting, and then I saw my dad.”
Contrary to what he expected, Davido said his father welcomed him with a warm hug, expressing relief that he was safe.
“He hugged me and asked why I ran away. I told him, ‘I wanted to do music. I just didn’t know how to tell you.’”
