Odunsi (The Engine)
I was actually devastated around this time because I had just lost my laptop. I was working on a different album, which
I thought was going to be my first album. Something happened to my laptop, and I sent it to someone to fix, and they
just ran away with it. So, all the music I’d been working on up till then was gone. I had to start from scratch. “Rare”
was one of the last songs on the album. I had this guy called DAP The Contract help me on that. He’s very great at
arranging. I had met DAP through another friend, Seni Saraki. DAP and I would exchange music all the time, and I saw how
mature his perspective was. That was good for me because at the time, I didn’t have too many resources to see all the
people I was studying on a global level, but he gave me the same kind of feeling that I would have expected from those
people because of the understanding he had, and he was also close to home. He helped with the arrangement of “rare.” The
song started with me hanging out with Hamzaa one day, and she was playing the piano. I sent a voice note to her a few
days prior, just saying those words, and she sang it that way. That’s how that came together, and we eventually got DAP
to do some additional vocals because I wanted it to sound like gospel or a choir.
Slide 1 of 11
Odunsi (The Engine)
There wasn’t anyone around me who influenced me or this sound. I was really just interested in ‘80s pop music at that
time because I was revisiting some Nigerian classics and some TV shows that had dropped at that time. I found out Chris
Okotie used to make pop music, and the quality of the music was great. There was William Onyeabor as well. It was nice
to see people who experimented with synth music who were from where I’m from and looked like me. Making “falling” made
me realise what the project was supposed to sound like. I teased it the night I made it, the video is still somewhere on
my Twitter (X), and from the response I got, I was sure that this sound was where I wanted to go. I was able to
communicate as naturally as I could, but it still had all the elements I liked.
Slide 1 of 7
Odunsi (The Engine),...
I started this one and sent it to Hamzaa, and I was like, “Yo, just go crazy,” and she did. I feel like she’s one of my
favourite vocalists that I’ve ever heard. She’s one of the earliest people that it’s been super easy to talk to about
music because she really loves soul music, and I love soul music as well. She just understood certain things I’d say and
be interested in, and she has a great voice, too. When she sent “take me there” back to me, I was like, “Woah, this is
such a big voice.” I loved it because I knew I wanted this song. At this time, I hadn’t even thought about sequencing or
anything, but I just knew that this song was needed because it had this kind of transitional feeling towards the rest of
the project.
Slide 1 of 7
Odunsi (The Engine)
“outcast” is very inspired by my life experiences up until that point, when I was working on the album. I had a very
interesting self-perception where it felt like I wasn’t really fitting into places as naturally as I would have liked,
even if I tried to. It was reflecting on the light that came on me, so that’s why that song was a very interesting point
for me. I remember making it and knowing that I know how to express myself on songs easily without saying too much. I
had just started recording music properly, like one and a half years prior. So, I was getting better as the second
passed and it’s a song that made me feel that I could say things easily. I was at Magodo (Lagos) in GMK’s house when I
made “outcast.” It’s where I made most of the songs.
Slide 1 of 7
Odunsi (The Engine),...
So with this one, I woke up from one of those naps where you’re sweating. You just took an evening nap, and you wake up,
and it seems like a war just happened. I see like seven missed calls on Snapchat, and it’s from Tycoone, who’s David’s
creative director. I hit him back, and he’s like, “Where are you? David wants to see you.” I’m like, “What the fuck?
Alright, bet.” So, I pull up and we go to this place called Shisha Lounge back then. David has this whole entourage, and
there were so many people around him. I think Peruzzi was with him at that time, and this producer called Fresh. I
wanted to sit on the other side because there were so many people, but Davido called me over to sit right beside him. I
was nervous as hell. I was very antisocial at that time. He then told me to start playing music, and I played “outcast,”
then I played “falling,” and he said, “Them go love you for Yankee.” He then asks me to play him stuff I’d not worked
on, and I had the beat for “divine” from Hvrry, the producer. The beat only played for three seconds, and he was like,
“Yeah, this is the one.” That was the first time I’d ever seen someone do that; he hadn’t even heard the beat for long
enough, but he was just like, “Let’s go.” So, we got into the cars and we went to Eko Hotels. He rented out a suite, and
we set up there to work on the song. He kind of added some production stuff; it was the first time I’d seen him work in
person, so it was interesting to see how involved he was in the process. Later on, I found out that he used to produce
music. Working with him was interesting. I feel like if life permits it, and we work on music together again, it would
always be interesting because there’s a certain understanding of production.
Slide 1 of 15
Odunsi (The Engine)
I don’t remember the era I made it, but I was getting very bold because I remember making it, and GMK was in the
bathroom. He came out and was like, “What the fuck are you doing? This is weird,” and I was like, “Yeah, I like it.” I
remember making the beat separately and recording the song later that night. I was just super inspired by the ‘80s
classics by Bobby Brown and Ralph Falcon, just that smooth ‘80s programmed drums, reverbs, and snares. That was what
motivated that one.
Slide 1 of 5
Odunsi (The Engine),...
I love “angel,” this is my second favourite song from the album. It was an interesting song to make because at that
time, I was conceptualising the idea of an offspring, and I was thinking of what song I would like my kid to hear from
me if I had a child in the future. In my head, “angel” was that song, and that was the concept behind it. Duendita was
an artist whom I had found at that time, whose voice was very special to me. I just messaged her about the song, and we
made it.
Slide 1 of 5
Odunsi (The Engine)
“take a break” and “outcast” were made around the same time, maybe between two days. I was just realising that I could
say things, like I could say what was directly happening to me. I had just gotten off the phone with my mum because I
wasn’t really seeing my mum a lot since I started working on music. I was just able to put the feeling directly into the
music. I just had to figure out that I was talking to myself. It feels harder when it feels like I’m talking to people.
When it’s just a self-dialogue, it gets easier without knowing that I’m making a song for people or that they’re going
to listen to it.
Slide 1 of 6
Odunsi (The Engine),...
Nasty C was in Lagos, and we met up. That was actually fun because we would go around Lagos at night, and I was with
Santi and one of my homies, Genio. So, we met up with Nasty C, and we made that song. It was a very interesting one
because at that time, South African-Nigerian link-ups were very popular, but there wasn’t anything really happening in
the underground like that. Working with Nasty C and having Santi on it was very important.
Slide 1 of 4
Odunsi (The Engine)
I like this one a lot. I made it one week after I made “wanted you,” and I was like, “I want to do more of that” because
I had so much fun making “wanted you.” Off the confidence of how “wanted you” sounded, I knew I wanted to make something
like that again. While making it, I wasn’t sure it was going to be on the project, but it made it.
Slide 1 of 3
Odunsi (The Engine),...
This one is very interesting because I was making that beat for Santi. We were all in the crib in Magodo (Lagos), and I
was in the studio cooking up. This was a period when there was a series of nights out, and I just made the beat off of
that energy, and I had Efe Jazz come play that guitar riff that’s now become super popular. At that time, Ifeanyi
(Nwune) was managing Runtown, and Runtown was in Los Angeles. Ifeanyi told me he’d send the song to Runtown, so I sent
the song to him. I wasn’t thinking much about it like that, and then, one day, I got a FaceTime video call from Ifeanyi.
He just has his phone up and he’s smoking a blunt. He was in this studio that’s like an open studio, and Runtown is in
the back, and I’m hearing Runtown’s verse. I’m telling myself that this is the craziest Runtown verse I’ve ever heard. I
was like, “Yeah yeah, this one is perfect.” I didn’t even hear the final thing until later, but just off that phone
call, it sounded great.
Slide 1 of 9
Odunsi (The Engine),...
I always wanted to make a song that was neo-soul but had an afro bounce to it. It didn’t exist at that point, so I was
like, “I wanted to make one.” In my brain, I just knew that it was possible to do it. I used to think about it all the
time because I love neo-soul. So, I would always think of a way to do it with gbedu. When I did the chords and put the
drum pattern together, I was like, “Yeah, this is it.” It was exactly how I imagined it. I sent it to Tay after a while.
I already had the song for a bit. Tay and I were exchanging music. We have so many songs we’ve not released. One day, I
just sent him “green light.” I wasn’t sure he’d like it that much, but he sent it back right after, and I was like,
“This is perfect.”
Slide 1 of 7
Odunsi (The Engine),...
“hectic” was interesting because the first part of it was just 234jaydaa. I was just recording with her, and we were
trying some stuff. I wrote that part, but I wanted someone else to sing it. We were also trying to work on another song,
that’s why, if you notice, at the start of the song, she says, “I’m just gonna read it,” but the recording already
started. She was reading and singing it and it just sounded so beautiful. I was thinking of making it a full song, then
I made this other song, “hectic.” I sent it to Amaarae, and she just slides on it. It was the kind of R&B stuff I grew
up on. For me to hear myself making music that sounded like what I grew up on, it just gave me confidence that it was
what I was meant to be doing. It sounded like the quality level that I admire. At that time, Solis was already sending
me demos. She used to sing covers on her webcam. She was just coming up and making lo-fi pop vibe, and I thought she’d
do well on it.
Slide 1 of 9
Odunsi (The Engine),...
“alté cruise” was just what it was. I had just started going out and becoming more social thanks to Boj. He was always
saying the word so much around me, and I had this alt SoundCloud account called fridaycruise where I’d just drop music
very spontaneously. So I just put the two names together. For me, “alté cruise” is just a manifestation of a more social
version of myself. I was going out, hanging out with friends. When I made the song, we were all in the studio, and Santi
did his verse last. We were having fun and goofing around. I feel blessed to have this song because I love music so
much, and a lot of this stuff we were making was more than music. It was a lot of sacrifice for the community and
friends. It was built on knowing that people loved us and what we were doing. We were really making it for them, and we
wanted the people to feel it. So, it’s nice to see that it spread that far.
Slide 1 of 8
The crazy thing about “Rapid Fire” is that Genio didn’t make the beat for me; it was for Tomi Thomas. I just came
inside, heard the beat, and was like, “Guy!…” The thing about these sorts of songs is that they’re really easy for me to
make. I’ve probably made like nine of those types of songs, but this one was sweet to make… there was something about
it. I just did one verse and the hook and was just playing it. I didn’t necessarily have much plans for the song, I just
knew the song was made. My friend, Tomi Agape, was on the song, but we cut her part short and then Phi (manager at the
time) was like, “Let’s put Shane, this rapper from South Africa and this girl from Ghana, her name is Amaarae.” I was
like, “Yeah, I know her, cool.” When it all came together, it was like, “Oh shit.” Shane’s verse was even cut short
because he rapped on the whole thing. Amaa killed the song, too. The thing with “Rapid Fire” is that it was made with a
purity that was intentional. The way the songs were made, the way we shot the video, the way we called all the guys, the
way we all stayed there till the video was done–it was a pure era. People were just watching us live our lives, but we
didn’t even know. We’d just record music and go about. It was just me, Ashley (Okoli), Odunsi (The Engine), and
everybody. That’s how “Rapid Fire” came about. With the video, I’m very inspired by crime and Nollywood, so that’s where
that came from.
Slide 1 of 13
It’s a special record produced by Odunsi (The Engine). It’s inspired by a lot of HAIM (rock band). Again, it’s just pop
music. I used to listen to a lot of HAIM when I was younger. I don’t think they sing that much again. Also, I would say
early Post Malone. There’s a way Post Malone used to sing in his early days that resonated with me and I feel like I
picked up a lot of things about feeling comfortable enough to sing like a popstar on crazy beats. So, the feeling of the
beat just made me feel like this is freedom for me. The thing about me is that when I make a song, I love bringing
people on and seeing how they approach it. So, I put Tay (Iwar) then I sent it to Amaa(rae) to hop on it, and she did.
Slide 1 of 6
It’s inspired by Europop. There’s this song named “Steal My Sunshine” by Len, it’s a very old song. Basically, the
foundation of Mandy comes from a very pure time in my life because I didn’t know anything about the music business. The
project just came from a sense of wanting people to connect to this sound that has been missing but still resonates with
you. When I made “Raining Outside,” it was around 2017, and I wanted to make a song about being there no matter what.
I’m not saying I’m the perfect friend or the best man in the world, but I’m just saying I’m always going to be there. I
feel like that resonates with the heart of people because there’s no greater feeling than when somebody knows that you
have their back– it makes you feel good. Also, all my projects are centred around women because I grew up around my mum
and her sisters. All my life, I’ve lived with my sister and my friends and her friends. So, “Raining Outside” is kind of
an ode to all the girls in my life, too, just to let them know that I have their backs and they never need to bother
when they have a friend like me; I also put a little sexiness in the song. The funny thing about the song is that when I
originally recorded it, I did a whole different thing. I came the next day, and I heard it, and I was like, “Bro, what’s
this rubbish?” and I deleted it. I then started singing line by line and sang the whole thing again. I made “Raining
Outside” in Magodo (Lagos) in GMK’s house in 2017. All the songs on Mandy & The Jungle were made two or three years
before they dropped.
Slide 1 of 14
I feel like I am a rapper, so if I don’t rap, my project isn’t complete. “Diamonds” just has one thing that makes it a
personal song of mine. I just needed to have it so that niggas know. Also, “Diamonds” is with “Where You Been,” it’s two
in one. I was in Lagos at my aunt’s house, and I just walked down the road and smoked and came back. The “Diamonds” beat
was just playing, and I just sang. There’s a thing I do when I record where I try to catch the beat. So, I might be
gaming, but I’ll hear the beat, then I’ll run. It’s just a stupid thing, I don’t know why I do it. It’s just like what’s
going to come out of your head at that spot. So, as I did that, the lyrics just came out. I just sang that part and kept
it. I didn’t hear it again until two days later, and I was just like, “This p is mad o,” and I did “Diamonds.” “Where
You Been” was with Seki, who’s my good friend. He’s from The Philippines. He did the first part of “Where You Been” and
then, I just sang on it. He didn’t know what to do with the song, and I said that I was going to make it the second half
of “Diamonds.” He did his part in Dubai, and I did my part in Lagos in 2018.
Slide 1 of 10
DRAM found my music and told Tunde in Love Renaissance (LVRN) about me. He was texting me that my shit is fire and I was
sending him my music. I sent him the whole Mandy project, and he liked it. In January 2019, there were a bunch of guys
recording in my house, and Genio (the producer) played a beat, and I just freestyled to it. It was hard, and I asked
DRAM if he could go on this, and he said yes. He sent it back the next day.
Slide 1 of 4
“Turn Down Mami” is crazy because it's one of the first beats I made when I started making beats. I would just make the
skeleton and send it to Genio. Or Genio will make something, and I’ll send it to Doz (credited producer) to fully flesh
because I used to like his drums. I recorded it in Dubai. It’s actually about my ex who I was with in Dubai for about
five years. That was her name because she didn’t like going out so they used to call her Turn Down Mami, and I just
named the song after her. She’s my soldier, she loved it. She still calls herself Turn Down Mami.
Slide 1 of 5
That happened in GMK’s house (in Magodo, Lagos). I feel like that song holds a special place in my heart because there
are two ways I record. There’s one where I just freestyle, but it always makes sense–like I just sing from my heart.
“Monte Claire” was kind of special because there’s a time when I’m singing where it feels like I’ve already written it,
but it just keeps going on. The first part of the song just came out of nowhere and I was like, “Oh shit.” Then I sat on
it for a few months till I did the second verse. “Monte Claire” is just like a hip-hop-Mande core song that just feels
good. There’s really no lore behind it, but it’s just a special song because when I recorded the hook, there was a part
where it just comes out of my brain like on “FINAL CHAMPION” where I said, “Werey touch me.”
Slide 1 of 7
Dubai-core. That one is just a very fun song. You know, there are just some songs you make where it’s just a Santi song.
I made the beat with GMK and he was laughing like, “What kind of fucking song is this.” It was just fun and nice, but it
helped to build the sound of Mandy. Songs like “Dime In The Winter,” “Morocco,” and “Turn Down Mami” are very much
instrumental to getting into the lore of our sound. Also, I don’t always write about myself. I could just make a story.
In the story, I’m a guy with a girl, and we’ve smoked the dealer’s stuff, and he’s going to come and kill us, so we are
thinking of what to do. That’s how dancehall guys used to sing about crazy shit and that’s what I did–and then, there
are anime references, of course.
Slide 1 of 7
I made “Maria” around the same time (I made Morocco), but I did not finish it. “Maria” wasn’t going to be on Mandy. It
was Odunsi (The Engine) who was like, “Bro, how are you not going to put this song?” That was when GoldLink was trying
to get me to come and shoot his video. So, I sent him “Maria” and told him to hop on the song. He sent it back that
night and I submitted it the next day. It was the last addition to the project.
Slide 1 of 4
I feel like “Sparky” is a special record because it was produced by Odunsi (The Engine), who has produced a lot of gems
for me. When he first made the beat, I didn’t know what to do with it; I was singing so many things on it. When I first
heard the beat, it reminded me of an old song, and I was singing something like that at the beginning and from there, I
just went into my own realm and “Sparky” just came out. I made “Sparky” in 2017 at GMK’s house. We all make our songs at
GMK’s house, including Odunsi and even (Lady) Donli. I did half of my project at GMK’s house and then did the rest in
Dubai.
Slide 1 of 6
This one is a special record. Higo came to my house, he also made “Raining Outside.” I still have the video of him
producing “Raw Dinner”–he was just playing around. We were just in the house together in one room when he was making the
beat. Then he played that opening section… I did a voice note, and then he left. Before you know it, he sent me the beat
because I didn’t do it there. I recorded the hook, and I had it for a while. Kida became my guy and I just sent it to
Kida. Then Kida sent it back, and I was just like, “Bruh .”
Slide 1 of 5
That song is an ode to my childhood because there was this cartoon called Mike, Lu, & Og. I started the song with the
melody from the cartoon’s theme song. Some people heard it and asked me if I saw the cartoon, and I'm like, “Yeah, I did
see Mike, Lu, & Og.” I found Krisirie on SoundCloud, she’s insane. I asked her to jump on the song; she did, and the
rest was history. She did an insane verse. This is probably one of my best-written nostalgic songs. It just has a feel
to it, and it’s largely how I feel about Mandy. It just came from a time of purity.
Slide 1 of 5
It’s crazy “DSM” was the first song I recorded after Suzie’s Funeral, which was my first SoundCloud project. I wasn’t
really recording. When I released Suzie’s, I just dropped it on the internet and went back to school. I was schoolin,g
and things were kinda hard. It was just me in school, I didn’t know what to do. I just had little funds from the little
work I was doing. I also had to study so I prayed to God and turned off my phone for two weeks. I just prayed to God for
a sign that it was all going to work out. Two weeks later, I turned on my phone, and I was checking my messages, and I
saw one from a verified account. I go to his page and I see that he’s the president of Drake’s label (Oliver El-Khatib).
I was like, “Wow,” and I texted him back. I turned off my phone again because I had to get back to studying, and then,
one night, I was gaming because my girl was with me then. People started reaching out, saying that they are playing my
stuff on OVO Radio. They played “Jungle Fever” and “Gangster Fear,” and that just gave me some insane motivation to
start recording again. The first song I recorded properly, coming back in 2017, was “DSM.” We dropped “Jungle Fever”
around late 2016 or early 2017, and I went back to uni. I was like, “Fuck, we’re back here.”
Slide 1 of 11
“Freaky” was made in 2016. People like Naeto C, Killz, and D’Prince are the key to the future of music. People don’t
understand the core of swag rap, and it’s because we didn’t have as much coverage as we have now. That shit was what we
were grooving and eating. When D’Prince dropped “Jonzing World” and Jesse Jagz dropped “Wetin Dey,” those songs were… If
you just take the drums and make them new and mix some of this shit, it will blow up everywhere. “Shobeedoo” is one of
my best Killz songs. It’s a crazy song, and it’s just different, and that beat was incredible. There’s a part in the
song where nothing plays, and I just told Genio to let us sample it. Genio is really good at R&B. He’s like the god of
R&B when it comes to producing, and I recorded it. We did this in Adeniyi Jones (Lagos) my guy’s house. Luciano, a
rapper, was on the song before, but everything changed when I met Phi (manager at the time). She said we should put
Nonso Amadi on it, and the rest is history. Shoutout Nonso too.
Slide 1 of 9
You know how my music has so many pockets. I can rap, I can do patois, and any style. So, this is a pocket that GMK
(credited producer) entered. Producers have seasons. There is a time when GMK can make a certain type of beat that he’ll
never make again because that’s the season he’s in. So, why “Morocco” and “Maria” are special is because he made both of
them in one week, and he never made beats like that again. Once he made “Morocco,” I just knew that this was my p. It
was in his house. I turned on the mic and just sang about “Morocco” in Magodo (Lagos).
Slide 1 of 5
That one was in Dubai. I was just chilling in the house. I wanted to make a very mainstream pop song because I’m very
deeply rooted in pop music. Like, I love pop music, but the weird type of pop. The type of pop where they just come out
and sing about their life. “Murvlana” is very much in that realm, and then I mixed it a little because Santigold taught
me how to sing like that. It’s a mixture of R&B and indie but at the same time, the whole of Mandy came from a very pure
place. Every song I was making then came from my heart. (At that time) Tay and I hadn’t made a song in three years, so I
knew that I needed to tap in. When I made “Murvlana,” I was just like, “This is Tay” because every song Tay and I have
made is incredible. I sent it to Tay, he sent it back, and history.
Slide 1 of 7
This story is very, very crazy. So, when Kai Cenat came to Nigeria, he was on a livestream in my car and Omah’s music
was playing. I had a mix of songs queued up in my car and then, it was Omah Lay’s song playing. Obviously, that night
was a huge stream. So the next day, Omah tweeted, “I’ve always thought Davido hated me”. I was like, why will I hate
you, you haven't done anything to me. Or are you talking behind my back haha. I was just whining him in the DM. He said,
no, no. So thinking about it, if I didn’t do that stream with Kai, he probably wouldn't have tweeted that and we
probably wouldn't have linked. Funny enough, you would think that Davido and Omah Lay wouldn't connect like crazy.
Because, obviously, he's very chill and I'm very out there. But the first time we spoke on the phone, we spoke for like
40 minutes. What was meant to be a quick call. And when he came to Paris Fashion Week last year, we connected on a major
level. So, yeah, as we were talking (after his tweet), I was like, yo, bro, I think we need to do something. We kept
speaking about it and he said he’s getting it and he wanted to send me the perfect song. So after like two weeks went
by, I was like “Ah, Omah!”. He was like “I will send it. I will send something tonight”. He sent it that night and when
I first played it, it captivated immediately. I actually had another verse on it but my guys were like you need to go
crazy on it. We need to bring out the craze in people. So I called one of my Igbo writers haha. Some of the verses were
done but I called Yung Alpha (credited writer), amazing artist, amazing producer and then we finished the song in
September last year (2024).
Slide 1 of 15
Funny enough, this one was recorded a year before the Timeless album (2022). It originally just with me and Tayc. But
they both ended up doing an album together. It’s crazy, they went on tour together. So I was like wow, since you guys
are working together, Dadju, oya join this song. This was one of the songs that took long to actually arrange because
Francophone artists are very very specific about how they sound and that made it take long. It was very dope to have two
of them on the record.
Slide 1 of 5
Crazy enough, I recorded Funds a little bit after the Timeless album. ODUMODU actually sent me the song when Timeless
had just came out. We were meant to do Timeless deluxe. But I ended up not recording it for a long time. One day, I was
like, why haven’t I recorded this song? Then I recorded it last year August (2024). And then, I don’t know where I was,
but it just hit me and said I’m gonna put Chike on this song. Obviously, I love Chike’s music, he performed at my
wedding. He’s Igbo, my wife is Igbo, you know I’m really in touch with that culture. That’s how it came together.
Slide 1 of 5
Titanium, we recorded this in Malibu. I and Chris Brown, it’s not even about music, he just comes to hang out, we talk
about everything. Like we sleep off on the couch together, smoking, chilling. As he came, obviously we had the studio
set up and he listened to the album. He picked the Victoria Monét song, he was like “yo, that gotta be there”. He loved
10 Kilo, he likes Anything, then he liked Titanium so we got him on Titanium. I went to his house, obviously he has a
studio there. That’s where he recorded his part, in LA.
Slide 1 of 5
Victony, obviously we’re under the same (management). Musa Keys, that’s my man. We have one of my biggest songs
together, Unavailable. You know I’ve been tapping in with South Africa since time, before Amapiano became huge. So
Victony and Musa already had the record so I came as their older brother haha. I was like I love this record. You know
me, when it comes to finishing music, I know how to take it and turn it up a notch. I did my verse, we recorded it in
Lagos around May last year (2024).
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I recorded this one in Malibu (2024). I got the song sent from Ubi Franklin. He sent me the idea, he has producers. He
was doing a recording camp at the time. I was like come, just fly to Cali. I got his ticket so he came with some
material. I hadn’t met the producer before, but I have an amazing engineering team around me that makes me feel like the
producer is there. We penned Awuke, it was written by Moonlight Afriqa. I wasn’t gonna record the song. We were chilling
in the parlor, me Chris Brown and his friend when the song caught me. I was like, this is vibey o. Chris Brown’s friend,
he’s Nigerian. He was like “you better record that”. At this time, I and YG Marley were trying to figure out a record,
so I just sent it to him. He nailed it. He came to Nigeria for the video shoot. It was an amazing process.
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I love the Caribbean. I’m always there, I perform there a lot. My family, we go to the Caribbean every December. Two
Decembers ago, we went to St. Kitts, the last one we went to the Bahamas. I have big Caribbean songs… Risky with
Popcaan. I’ve always wanted to work with Shenseea. I love their culture. We’ve actually recorded like five songs in
total, but they just didn’t dropped. R&B was recorded in Malibu. I sent it to Shenseea, she killed it. When I was in
Jamaica during my wife’s birthday last year (2024), there was this guy, I heard his songs and the girls were going
crazy, his name is 450. I tapped in early with him, linked up with him. He sent in his verse.
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I recorded this during the Timeless album time. It was meant for Timeless. I recorded it the same time I recorded FEEL
(another Davido song). At the time, I was working with Blaise (producer). Amazing song, it’s one of my best songs on the
album. You know, I like when you drop an album, and people run to the clear hits. I feel like Don’t Know is gonna be a
creeper. It’s like how Away from my Timeless album came, then 8 months later, everyone rushed to Away. It’s gonna be
that type of song.
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Shout out to Victoria, she’s amazing. I love when I work with an artist, and they act like it’s their own. That’s when
you know that somebody is serious about their stuff. She sent me the song after the last Grammy’s (2024). I told her we
should work. I sat on the verses for so long, because I needed it to be perfect. I recorded it in my house in Atlanta. I
have a studio set up there in ATL. She came to the video shoot, we even had dance rehearsals, it was crazy.
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We made this one during my 2024 trip in Malibu. Any song you hear from Loudaa (the producer), was from that Malibu time.
This is a typical Davido record. I love songs with melodies, songs that talk to women. Anything that makes women feel
gingered (excited), it will always work. That’s why when we did Unavailable, I said bro, it was gonna work. Every girl
wants to be unavailable. So I knew 10 Kilo would go, because of the message also. Yes, it’s talking about plus size,
women, but there’s also a flip side of it, like 10 Kilo of gold as well. So it’s a double meaning.
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I started recording this song in Houston, but finished it in Ghana about 3 years ago (2021). Shizzi (the producer)
spends a lot of time in Ghana and I was in Ghana then, taking a break. Victony had sent me a song idea, but then this
was not the beat. It was a demo with a different beat. I don’t know why, but the song sounded better with the beat that
Shizzi sent me. When we were vibing to the beat for CFMF, by mistake I sang “I can’t feel my face no more”. I was like
this is sounding good. So I took the hook from the demo Victony sent me. Then got the verses done with my boy Diende
(credited songwriter). We penned it in Ghana.
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I recorded Be There Still in Lagos, about two Decembers ago (2023). Obviously, it’s the same kind of message like I said
on Anything (another Davido song). Many will go, many will come but I will be here still… You know, my longevity in the
game. What people don’t understand is that when I’m in my cycle of recording, I go to the studio everyday. So I remember
we made this in Lagos and it’s a song about my life and story. It’s just Davido.
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I said it during one of my listening sessions with Martel. This was the song that kinda got me into the rhythm for
putting this album (5IVE) together. We made it in Malibu. We were in Malibu having a good time around March 2024. My
manager (Asa Asika) brought some stuff from Loudaa (the producer) and the beat for Anything was one of them ones. I have
a really good production team around me and we are able to get things done no matter where I am and when the original
producer is not in the same place as me. We had a set up in Malibu. I recorded it during the trip. It’s a song about my
journey through the music industry. I always like to dabble into those kinds of things, to remind people of how long
I’ve been here, because people tend to forget. Just obstacles that we’ve passed, and conquered. So anything that has
been put in front of you, any bumper, any obstacles can be overridden. Be There Still I recorded Be There Still in
Lagos, about two Decembers ago (2023). Obviously, it’s the same kind of message like I said on Anything (another Davido
song). Many will go, many will come but I will be here still… You know, my longevity in the game. What people don’t
understand is that when I’m in my cycle of recording, I go to the studio everyday. So I remember we made this in Lagos
and it’s a song about my life and story. It’s just Davido.
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