Davido recalls blowing his first ₦20m endorsement deal at 17
Afrobeats superstar Davido has taken fans down memory lane, sharing a candid story about how he spent his first major career payday from an endorsement deal as a teenager.
In a nostalgic post on Instagram, Davido revealed he signed his first endorsement deal at just 17 years old, earning a whopping ₦20 million after releasing only two songs. Alongside his post, the singer shared a photo of himself holding the official documents from the life-changing deal.
Opening up about how he handled the sudden wealth, the DMW boss admitted he quickly splurged the money on a series of extravagant purchases and wild celebrations. According to Davido, after paying his then-manager Asa Asika his agreed percentage, he treated himself to a Chevrolet Camaro.
But the spending didn’t stop there. Davido went on to rent an entire floor at Eko Hotel in Lagos, where he and his cousin, fellow artist B-Red, partied for a full week, leaving the account empty by the end of it.
He humorously captioned the post: “1st endorsement deal. MY FIRST 20M NAIRA. I PAY ASA HIM PERCENTAGE. FROM THERE I GO BUY CAMARO. FROM CAMARO NAH EKO HOTEL. ME AND @BREDHKN ONE WHOLE FLOOR ONE WEEK. MONEY FINISH.”
The revelation amused fans online, many of whom reflected on how far Davido has come since those early days of youthful exuberance. Today, he stands as one of Africa’s most successful and influential artists, with numerous global hits, awards, and brand endorsements to his name. This is proof of his growth and lessons learned along the way.
