The 2022 World Cup is saving the best for last. Because not only are fans going to get an opportunity to see Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe vie for the Jules Rimet Trophy, they'll also get to see another superstar live and in the flesh.
One of the biggest names in the modern-day Afrobeats scene, Davido has cemented his status as one of Nigeria's grandest acts. The famed musician, who has secured features from such musical luminaries as Lil Baby, Nicki Minaj, Nas and Young Thug, is slated to headline Sunday's closing ceremony in Qatar, presenting his infectious rhythms to a whole new audience of supporters.
It should make for an interesting appetizer ahead of Sunday's Argentina vs France finale.
MORE: When is Argentina vs France? World Cup final start time
With that, here's everything you need to know about Davido, the Nigerian-American megastar poised to rock the stage in World Cup 2022.
Who is Davido?
Of a number of artists to emerge from the Afrobeats explosion of the late 2000s and early 2010s, Davido is among the grandest draws. His melodic voice and bubbly instrumentals make for an entrancing experience, one that has brought him well over one billion streams on various platforms.
The Nigerian-American artist was born in Atlanta and owes much of his musicality to his Naija upbringing. Davido pens many of his lyrics in English but is also fluent in Yoruba, one of Nigeria's major languages.
He emerged in the early 2010s as an artist to look out for, joining the likes of WizKid, Burna Boy and CKay as Nigerian musicians on the rise. He has since parlayed that hype into a massive following, earning serious plaudits for his debut album, Omo Baba Olowo.
Davido added to his growing popularity in 2017, releasing vivacious singles "If" and "Fall" from his album, "A Good Time". He has kept the pressure on in the coming few years, releasing another album ("A Better Time") as well as lending vocals to a variety of projects.
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Perhaps the most significant of those projects was the 2022 World Cup soundtrack. Davido provides the main vocals on World Cup anthem "Hayya Hayya", a song he is likely to perform in Qatar.
I'm honored to be featured on the Official @FIFAWorldCup 2022 Soundtrack ! See y'all later 2NITE ! This one is for Africa ! TULE!!!! 🤞🏾❤️ WE RISE ! https://t.co/e67lRIFsBz
— Davido (@davido) April 1, 2022
What time is the World Cup closing ceremony?
- Date: Sunday, December 18
- Time: 16:00 local / 8:00 ET / 13:00 GMT / 00:00 (Dec. 19) AEDT
Customarily, the World Cup's closing ceremony occurs on the same day as the tournament's finale. That will be the case once more in 2022, with proceedings scheduled to start around 16:00 local time on Sunday, December 18, about two hours before the final kicks off.
