Afrobeats star Davido is set to host a three-night residency at the National Theatre in Lagos from 17 to 19 December, bringing his international success home to boost local tourism and promote Nigerian culture.
Reported by CNN on Monday, the concert series will feature tracks from his latest project, Oriadé, alongside his signature hits and guest performers.
The 34-year-old musician explained that his vision was shaped by Bad Bunny’s 30-date run in Puerto Rico in 2025, which drew foreign visitors and boosted the local economy. “It was like a whole tourist attraction,” Davido said. “The country (Puerto Rico) made money, he made money, he promoted his culture.” He expressed hope that his residency would similarly attract international travel to Lagos during the festive “Detty December” period.
Davido highlighted the newly refurbished National Theatre as a central component of the strategy due to its historical significance within the nation’s entertainment industry. Comparing the historic venue to New York’s iconic arena, he noted, “It’s like our own MSG (Madison Square Garden) kind of thing,” adding, “It’s very important that we show the outside world that we have these kinds of facilities in Africa as well. We’re really showing people that we can do this ourselves.”
The singer noted that while the global surge of Afrobeats has allowed African acts to tour internationally, overseas success should not come at the expense of domestic fans. “Everybody’s going to get a hit and run to America, run to the UK, run to the Middle East and do shows,” he remarked. “But I feel like bringing everything back home is very important for the culture.”
While acknowledging that performance fees abroad are often higher, Davido stated that staging ambitious productions locally creates job opportunities and drives financial activity. “We might not get paid as much as we get paid overseas,” he stated, whilst maintaining that high-calibre shows belong in Nigeria. He also cautioned emerging artists to value the home audience that established them, advising, “Don’t forget where you started. These are the fans. If not for these fans, we wouldn’t be here.”
The concept took shape following his broader African tour last year—his first in eight years. “Me just being home just gave me so much inspiration,” he recalled. “This kind of feels better doing it from where you’re actually from.” Pledging not to take another extended hiatus from his domestic audience, he added, “I don’t ever want to take that kind of break again away from my fans back home.”
The artist declared, “The talent in Lagos is mind-blowing. Talent is like water in Lagos.”
Residencies remain a rarity within the Afrobeats genre on home soil, though singer Adekunle Gold previously staged a smaller-scale run in Lagos in 2018.