Davido Performs At Qatar World Cup Final
In a history-making event, Nigerian superstar Davido joined the duo of Aisha and Trinidad Cardona to perform ‘Hayya Hayya’ (Better Together) at the finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup 2022 Official on Sunday.
The track is the first single of the multi-song FIFA 2022 World Cup 2022 official soundtrack.
It is Davido’s first public performance since his son, Ifeanyi, died in an unfortunate drowning incident in September.
The trio performed the FIFA theme song before the estimated 88,000 fans in attendance at Lusail Iconic Stadium, Qatar.
The tournament’s closing ceremony, which FIFA dubbed ‘A Night to Remember’, also featured a performance by Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Ozuna and French rapper Gims’ collaboration Arhbo’.
Moroccan-Canadian singer Nora Fatehi, Emirati pop star Balqees, Iraqi musician Rahma Riad and Moroccan vocalist Manal concluded performances with ‘Light the Sky’.
The trio emerged from underneath the stage, simulating a blossoming flower.
History made
Davido made history as the first Nigerian artiste to perform on a FIFA World Cup stage.
It is the first time that the tournament’s soundtrack will feature a multi-song collection, with international singers showcasing diverse musical genres that span the world setting.
During the tournament, other Nigerian singers, Kizz Daniel and Patoranking performed before football lovers at the FIFA fan arena in a series of concerts by the football governing body.
Amid speculations, Davido, who arrived in Qatar before his appearance at the FIFA 2022 World Cup’s closing ceremony, was supposed to perform at the beginning of the football tournament but couldn’t.
The ‘Stand Strong’ singer’s appearance at the World Cup was first announced on Thursday by Chinese businessman Stephen Hung on Instagram.
Before then, the singer’s fans doubted whether he would form as he had maintained a social media silence after his son died.
Fans react
Unknown to many, Nollywood actress and filmmaker Omoni Oboli is one of Davido’s biggest fans.
The actress spared no words in celebrating the arrival of the singer and his wife, Chioma, at Qatar, the venue of the World Cup.
“My joy is full. My love for these 2 is something even I can’t comprehend. We are all praying and rooting for you,” she captioned a photo of their arrival on Twitter.
My joy is full ❤️❤️❤️ My love for these 2 is something even I can’t comprehend. We are all praying and rooting for you 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/8143Js0nSx
— Omoni Oboli (@Omonioboli) December 18, 2022
Another Twitter user, SirPlayboy, chose to celebrate the singer’s greatness.
“He wrote; I love you @davido. Today we will be celebrating greatness…#DavidoInQatar.”
I love you @davido….today we will be celebrating greatness…#DavidoInQatar pic.twitter.com/Kr2z6jRupj
— 🔱SirPlayboyˢᵀ😈🇱🇷🇳🇬 (@David86605457) December 18, 2022
For Twitter user @yemioftheworld, it was all about the motivation the ‘Fem’ singer is giving to youngsters.
“The King is back… All hail the king. Just look at the motivation he gave the young stars in the comments. Goat fi a reason,” he wrote.
The King 👑 is backkkk… All hail the king 🙌🙌🙌 just look at the motivation he don gave the young stars in the comments. 🐐 fi a reason #DavidoInQatar pic.twitter.com/hm2YKpcHff
— YEMI (@yemioftheworld) December 18, 2022
Background
Although he is the first Nigerian to grace the World Cup stage, other Africans have been privileged to perform at the acclaimed arena.
In 1998, Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour and Axelle Red performed their song ‘La Cour des Grands’ (Do You Mind If I Play) at the tournament’s opening ceremony hosted by France.
The song was from the album, ‘Music of the World Cup: Allez! Ola! Ole’, released in 1998 by Sony Music Entertainment.
It was also chosen as the official anthem of the FIFA World Cup that year.
Also, Grammy-winning singer Angelique Kidjo performed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa.
She was one of the headline artists for the Kick-Off Celebration Concert in Johannesburg.
