A poster announcing an impending tour of Kenya by Nigerian pop star David Adeleke, better known by the stage name Davido, sent Kenyans on social media into hysteria.
Davido’s management, however, early this week clarified that the show would not be happening. When the poster was shared on April 24 by little-known events management firm 2icentertainment, it immediately gained traction with entertainment blogs reporting the ‘good news’.
The news also became a major discussion point on social media, with many Davido fans wondering how much tickets would cost.
“This May 21 we present to you OBO!!! Baddest boy himself Davido. Terms and conditions apply, reservation information coming soon. More details dropping this week. Are you ready for Davido Live in Kenya?” read the 2icentertainment caption of the poster.
However, 2ientertainment had not provided further details as promised even after the week elapsed, leaving fans speculating about the would-be venue of the show and tickets pricing.
With Davido’s fans still in a waiting mood, his lawyer, Bobo F Ajudua, dropped the bombshell on Monday, announcing the purported show wouldn’t be happening.
“Kenya show? A different Davido. Really hope no one is out there purchasing tickets,” tweeted Ajudua.
A private WhatsApp’s conversation seen by Sunday Nation between a Nairobi-based entertainment manager and Davido’s manager, Asa Asika, confirmed the show would not take place.
2icentertainment went ahead and deleted the poster on their Instagram page and Twitter handle, without offering an explanation to excited fans.
According to an insider, who has handled Davido’s past visits to Kenya, the organisers reached out to the artist’s management team enquiring about a possible performance in Kenya and had been engaged in negotiations.
“2incentertainment reached out to Davido management and a contract was sent to them on what was required of them. They were supposed to pay an advance to book him and had been given a deadline of April 26, which elapsed without them depositing a dime,” the source, who has worked with Davido’s manager Asika for years, disclosed to Sunday Nation.
Being a highly sought-after artist, booking Davido involves making an advance cash deposit, which 2incentertainment did not have. “That’s why they were asked to bring down the fliers they had put up,” said the entertainment Manager.
What proved to be the main hurdle for 2incentainment was the staggering amount Davido was asking. With a short notice ahead of the event, the organisers did not have a chance to raise the booking fees asked by Davido, and still have a chance to recoup their money, let alone make a profit.
“They clearly lacked strategies on how they could possibly exploit to the maximum such an opportunity. My guess is that they thought bringing Davido would be cheap. They did not even have a single sponsor on board by the time they reached out to him. I’m saying this because they were referred to me to help them get sponsors, but I turned them down because the notice was too short.”
When 2incentertainment contacted Davido’s team, the Skelewu hitmaker charged the promoters $300,000 (Sh35 million) for the show. “What I know is that Davido billed them $250,000 as his performance fees. The extra $50,000 was to cater for his private jet. The last time we brought him to Kenya we paid the exact amount for performance fees; however, for his private jet, we got a discount and paid $18,000 (Sh2 million), but you see that was a long time ago. I think they tried negotiating for a discount, but things didn’t work out.”
A Google search on Davido’s performance fees reveals he charges not less than $200,000 for shows outside Nigeria, according to several Nigerian entertainment news outlets. In 2020, Davido revealed on Amplify Dot show on Apple Music 1 that he charges American artists as high as $70,000 (Sh8 million) for a collaboration.
Last year, Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz revealed to the Nation how he almost went bankrupt facilitating his Number One remix collaboration with Davido, which later turned out to be a blessing in disguise, opening major opportunities for him. Diamond had to take bank loans to finance the project, which was shot in Lagos.
Whenever travelling for shows abroad, the son of Nigerian tycoon Dr Adedeji Adeleke uses either of his father’s two private jets—a Bombardier Global Express 6000 worth $62 million or a Bombardier Challenger 605 acquired in 2018 for $35 million.
The Express 6000 bought by Adeleke in 2020 has a capacity of up to 19 passengers, while the Challenger has a capacity of 12 people. Davido travels with between 15 and 18 staffers.
They include his band of about five people and a deejay, three bodyguards or more, his lawyer and manager.
Had 2icentertainment managed to book Davido for the show, they still would have needed to settle more bills the moment the star and his crew touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
For his stay, Davido prefers a 4 -7-star hotel and gets a suite all for himself paid by the host, which, on average, goes for around $250 (Sh28,000) per night or more, depending on the hotel. During his last visit to Kenya in 2018, he and his team stayed at the luxurious The Tribe Hotel, Nairobi, with the host paying Sh35,000 for his suite. His crew of 13 on average paid Sh15,000 per night. Davido had jetted into the country for his highly publicised 30 Billion Concert at the Uhuru Gardens.
He delivered a thrilling performance, making up for his previous goofs. His first show in Kenya came in 2015, four years after breaking into the limelight with his mega hit song, Dami Duro. At the time, Davido boarded a Kenya Airways flight KQ 533 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, accompanied by a team of seven, touching down at JKIA 7:35pm the same day.
The following day he delivered an underwhelming show at the Carnivore Grounds performing for less than an hour, leaving revelers who had parted with Sh8,000 for VIP tickets, Sh4,000 for golden circle tickets Sh4,000 and Sh2,500 for arena tickets livid. He pocketed Sh5.5 million from the show.
