Davido has shared a surprising behind-the-scenes moment from his recent album, revealing that With You, his widely celebrated collaboration with Omah Lay, almost didn’t make the final cut. The Afrobeats star opened up about the near miss while reflecting on the song’s journey and his latest Grammy nomination.
Speaking in an interview with OkayAfrica, later shared by HYPETRIBE, Davido explained that the track failed to stand out during early listening sessions. Like he often does before releasing a project, he had sent the album to close friends and family to rank their favourite songs. With You barely registered.
He recalled that the song wasn’t among anyone’s top choices at the time, a detail that now feels unreal given how far it has gone. Watching audiences connect with it during live performances often made him pause and imagine what could have happened if he had followed the initial feedback and left it out.
The singer also spoke about how he received news of his latest Grammy nomination. He said it came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, just days before his birthday. A phone call interrupted what he was doing, and when he heard he had earned another nomination, his first reaction was gratitude.
Since its release, With You has grown into one of Davido’s most successful recent records. The song climbed to the top of the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart, reached number five on the US Billboard Afrobeats Songs Chart, and debuted at number one on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 100. It has also crossed the 100 million streams mark on Spotify and picked up the Most Iconic African Song award at the 2025 AMAN Awards.
The track’s success contributed to Davido’s fifth Grammy nomination, raising hopes that the long-awaited win might finally arrive. However, the 2026 Grammy Awards ended without a trophy for Nigeria, despite several strong contenders. Davido, Omah Lay, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr and Wizkid were all nominated but missed out, as South Africa’s Tyla claimed Best African Music Performance for Push 2 Start.
With awards season behind him, Davido says his attention is now on the road and on creating new music. He is set to perform at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 11 and April 18 in Indio, California, making him the only Nigerian artist on the lineup. The appearance marks another major step in his global run.
According to him, the plan is simple: get back on tour, release more music and keep pushing forward, with Coachella standing out as one of the biggest moments ahead.
