David Adeleke, better known by his stage as Davido, spoke candidly about his legendary performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony.
The Nigerian musician revealed in a Beat FM interview that he had been struggling since his son, Ifeanyi Adeleke, had passed away a few months before.
"You know the vibe was cool then but I didn't really look at it like 'Oh they're gonna call me back to do the World Cup' or stuff like that."
Davido said he was asked to play at the occasion but needed to decide whether to accept, given the invitation's timing.
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"I've always wondered, is it the primary one? What is the primary one like? I just realized it was the primary one about a week before we left for Qatar, he added.
He continued by saying that he had to choose by learning that the invitation was for the main event.
Davido accepted the offer despite his difficulties because it was unusual for musicians to perform at such a gathering.
We sang the FIFA draw's official theme song, which was performed around a year ago. He claimed that at the time, there were only five or six official theme songs.
Davido stated that he thought his late son would have wanted him to perform at the occasion.
That was like, "Ah! Do I need to do it? But then I realized that this is a chance that might not come around again, and other individuals may never even receive it in their entire career. I thought, "Wow, I bet my son would want me to do that." Okay, I believe I'll do this one, then probably just disappear again, I was thinking," he remarked.
The performer praised the warmth of the Qatari people while calling the experience fantastic.
"Congratulations to the lovely and compassionate Qatari people. They looked after us the entire time. With what happened to me, I think that was among the best places I could have gone," he stated.
In front of an audience of around 88,000 spectators at Lusail Stadium, he performed the official World Cup hymn, "Hayya Hayya," with Trinidad & Tobago's Cardona and Qatari vocalist Aisha.
Several musical groups, including Gims from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ozuna from Puerto Rico, performed at the closing ceremony, "A Night to Remember."
Davido overcame tragedy and found the courage to pay tribute to his kid by performing on a global platform.
His choice to participate in the FIFA World Cup closing ceremony was evidence of his commitment to his craft and professionalism.
