Is Davido’s new single ‘Stand Strong’ an attempt to win a Grammy? [Pulse Editor’s Opinion]

The caption on said snippet reads, “For the first time I want to bring you into the other part of my world. The part where every day is a battle but I have no option but to STAND STRONG. I present to you, the first single off my next album.”

From the video snippet and subsequent tweets from Davido following his announcement, here are what we think.

The obsession with crowd vocals and choirs continues in Nigerian music

The Nigerian music industry has recently increased pressure on artists to create music with less lamba and instrumentation, and more vocals, lyrics, and message. Wizkid felt this strongly on the bird app, where he was constantly chastised for poor lyrics and overuse of the infamous ‘she tell me say’ phrase in his lyrics.

Despite the fact that many claim that the majority of his songs are written by others in order to avoid having poor lyrics in the eyes of Nigerian music consumers, Davido has seemed immune. He has, however, felt pressure for not winning or getting nominated for a Grammy, which may have led to him trying new things.

That said, a lot of that pressure comes from errant rival stan bases, who like to poke the bear over pointless issues. Nonetheless, Davido could still do great things.

It signals a change of approach in his music

The Samples choir provided beautiful backups in the snippet, which features a version of his hit song ‘Fall‘ sampled by Kanye West and his choir last year.

In a tweet, he revealed that he has a different mindset, implying that the song’s production was not typical. Perhaps to accommodate a singer vying for his first Grammy?

The tweet read, “This one is special to me. It’s different. The conception has been different. The mindset has been different. The making has been different. I know you love it when I make you dance, but now I want to make you feel. This one’s for everyone out there holding it up.”

In another tweet, he discussed his experiences and how he is unsure if his fans have stood by him during his difficult times over the last ten years.

“I know what I’ve experienced the past 10 years, and alot of you have been through it all with me. But… have you really?”

Does he have Grammy dreams?

Is there any musician who does not wish to win a Grammy? For God’s sake, it’s Grammy. Having his direct competitors Burna Boy and Wizkid all bag nominations and win Grammys as featured and/or lead artists is enough to inspire him to try new things, especially given that the Grammys place less emphasis on commercial success and more emphasis on the actual music.

To get a different result, as the saying goes, one must try new things. This is undoubtedly the reason for the sound change, the choir feature, and the obvious focus on the music. The fact that this came from an artist who made fun of Choirs in records indicates his desperation to be recognized by the Recording Academy.

*Pulse Editor’s Opinion is the viewpoint of an Editor at Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the Organisation Pulse.