Award-winning Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido has revealed that he originally planned to release his upcoming album, ORIADÉ, as a surprise project before deciding against the idea to give fans enough time to prepare for its arrival.
Speaking in an interview with Kiss Xtra, the singer said he had intended to announce the album just a day before its release but later realised a proper rollout would better serve both fans and the project.
“I actually wanted it to be a surprise album and just announce the day before release and just be like 12 a.m. the album is coming, but obviously we wanted to plan better. That might just throw people off because you don’t know what people might be planning. We think we want people to prepare for this one,” Davido said.
Beyond the rollout strategy, the Grammy-nominated artiste also shared what listeners should expect from ORIADÉ, promising a sound rooted in African music and romance.
According to him, the album will feature highlife influences, Afro R&B and wedding-worthy love songs similar to fan favourites such as Aye and Gobe.
“There’s Highlife in there, Afro R&B, wedding songs like Aye, Gobe… we kind of kept it in that lane,” he added.
ORIADÉ is set for release on July 31, 2026. The 13-track project will be Davido’s sixth studio album and comes as the Afrobeats superstar marks 15 years in the music industry.
Watch below:
🚨Davido reveals that he originally wanted “ORIADÉ” to be a surprise Album 😄
“I actually wanted it to be a surprise album & just announce the day before release & just be like 12 a.m. the album is coming, but obviously we wanted to plan better. That might just throw people off… https://t.co/AmmsbaSDE2 pic.twitter.com/0Unx2ttX0S
— HYPETRIBE (@hypetribeng) July 11, 2026
