Davido ignites Detty December mood in Lagos, set to mark 15 years musical career

Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido is bringing his global career back to Lagos with a three-night residency at the National Theatre in December.

The residency will celebrate the 34-year-old musician’s 15 years in the music industry, featuring songs from his latest album, Oriadé, alongside some of his biggest hits.

For Davido, however, the event is about more than a career milestone. He wants to demonstrate that African artists can stage major international music events at home while attracting audiences from around the world.

“Bringing everything back home is very important for the culture,” Davido told CNN.

The idea followed his tour of Africa last year, which marked his first wider continental tour in eight years.

Davido said returning home had given him fresh inspiration and reinforced his desire to maintain a stronger connection with fans in Nigeria and across Africa.

“Me just being home just gave me so much inspiration. This kind of feels better doing it from where you’re actually from,” he said.

“I don’t ever want to take that kind of break again away from my fans back home,” he added.

Davido said his vision for the Lagos residency was partly inspired by Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny’s 30-date residency in Puerto Rico in 2025.

He said the event demonstrated how music could contribute to tourism, promote local culture and generate economic activity beyond the concert venue.

“It was like a whole tourist attraction,” Davido said. “The country (Puerto Rico) made money, he made money, he promoted his culture. So that’s kind of where my head is at.”

Lagos already attracts large numbers of visitors during December, particularly members of the Nigerian diaspora and international tourists attending concerts, parties and other events associated with the festive “Detty December” season.

Davido hopes the residency will add to the city’s appeal by giving international fans another reason to visit Lagos.

The shows will feature music spanning his career and appearances from some of his collaborators.

The musician said the broader ambition was to create a global cultural moment from Lagos and position the city as a destination for music fans.

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