Davido’s wait to release his debut single under Sony Music is not ending anytime soon.
The singer who signed an international recording deal with the music giants in January 2016 is yet to drop a single in this calendar year, and according to inside sources, the situation is not ending anytime soon. The deal requires Sony Music to be in charge of all Davido’s releases, and would produce, vet, supervise, and authorize the release of any music content from the artiste.
Davido’s debut single is titled ‘How Long’, and it features Sony label mate and US singer, Tinashe. The video has already been shot in July, on location in Malibu, Carlifornia, with photos released to the media to promote the project. But it is yet to be released.
A release date for the single was earlier scheduled, for Friday, September 9, 2016. When that was announced, Davido was excited, and took to Snapchat to express his happiness on the authorization to release new music.
I’m happy I waited, I’m about to turn up”, the singer wrote. “Happiest day of my life, finally got my date of release. September about to be a movie, best music and videos I ever made in my life.”
But that is supposedly not happening anymore. The release of the single has apparently been cancelled, and postponed indefinitely. Sources close to Davido’s camp have told Pulse that this is the situation, with the singer being unable to release new music.
There has been no public announcement from Davido, Sony Music, RCA Records, or any other party associated with the release.
His collaborator, Tinashe, is also silent on the project, as none of her social media pages have released anything in relating to the single. This has frustrated Davido once again, and he has also taken to Snapchat to express his displeasure.
Sources have also revealed to Pulse that Sony Music’s decision to hold back on the release might have been influenced by Wizkid.
The ‘Ojuelegba’ singer who has achieved relative penetration in the US, has collaborated with ROC Nation singer Justine Skye, on a single titled ‘U don’t know’. The new single is set for a major international official release, and it clashes with the previous planned release date for Sony’s Davido.
According to sources, Sony would rather not have two Nigeria-America collaborations hitting the world market on the same day, and competing against each other.
Davido’s recording process is being executively produced by Efe Ogbeni, the Sony Music executive, who brokered the deal, and works extensively with RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony, which Ayo Jay is also signed to. Photos of the singer in the studio has been a social media regular in the past three months.
Pulse has reached out to Sony Music Entertainment West Africa General Manager, Michael Ugwu who revealed that the single is being held off due to an opportunity to amplify the release.
"The role of a major record label is to amplify records released by artists on our roster." Ugwu said via email. "An opportunity presented itself to further amplify the release and so took a tough decision to hold off on our planned dates and push back. The release proper is not far off at all."
When will a Davido 2016 single be released? Will the singer's current lack of material at Sony Music come to an end sooner, rather than later?