Davido, a Nigerian-American Afrobeats superstar, will perform his latest album, “Oriadé,” in Lagos, Nigeria, for the first time during a three-night residency at the newly renovated National Theatre from December 17-19.
The three shows are expected to highlight new material while also featuring career-spanning hits and special guests to balance out the experiences. The three shows are expected to highlight new material while also featuring career-spanning hits and special guests to balance out the experiences.
The shows are some of the first entertainment opportunities for the mighty “Dirty December” holiday season, which is a high economic traffic and creative season in the region. The announcement is accompanied by a trailer for the shows and a new music video for the single, “On the Road”, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Davido’s life, including his successful Coachella debut earlier this year.
For the 5-time Grammy nominee, the timing is especially significant because December allows him to reconnect with family, celebrate his roots, and perform for fans who have been with him since the beginning.
“Any opportunity I have to promote my culture, you know, I take it,” he tells Variety. “And this one is very special to me because we are doing it at home.”
The sense of homecoming extends to the venue itself. The National Theatre, formally known as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, will reopen in October 2025 after a years-long closure and a 68 billion naira ($50 million USD) renovation. Davido remembers it as a performance benchmark: “It’s like our own MSG,” he says.
The residency demonstrates the rapidly evolving infrastructure and ecosystem for artists looking to invest time and money in touring the region. Many artists whose careers have taken them around the world have expressed a desire for venues that can accommodate the shows that Davido intends to present.
“It’s not that we don’t want to do shows back home,” he says, explaining that replicating an overseas production in Nigeria hasn’t always been feasible. Whether he is playing in Croatia, Germany, or Lagos, he wants fans to leave with the same impression.
“The level of production, we try to keep it consistent,” he says. With the National Theatre back in operation, “I’m just happy that we’ll be able to do more back home.”
