“I’m now an upcoming artist” – D’banj

• Veteran Nigerian musician, D’banj describes himself as “a new cat” (up-and-coming artist) despite 20 years in the industry.
• He announced a new album, ‘Entertainer’, as a sequel to his 2008 hit ‘The Entertainer’.
• D’banj discloses plans to feature new generation artists like Ayra Starr, Rema, Ruger, and Don Jazzy, emphasizing collaboration over competition.

Veteran Nigerian musician Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj, has declared himself “a new cat” in the music industry, despite having a career spanning two decades.

This term, often used locally to describe an up-and-coming artist, reflects D’banj’s belief that he is once again at the beginning of his musical journey.

In a recent interview with Hip TV, the 43-year-old artist shared his enthusiasm for the evolving music landscape and revealed plans for his forthcoming album, ‘Entertainer‘.

D’banj expressed his eagerness to collaborate with a new generation of artists, including Ayra Starr, Rema, Ruger, and his long-time collaborator Don Jazzy, emphasizing that “collaboration is the new competition.”

Reflecting on his pivotal role in the global recognition of Nigerian music, D’banj spoke proudly of his international collaborations, particularly highlighting the success of his hit track ‘Mr Endowed’.

In his words;

“I am not the first [Nigerian artist] to have done an international collaboration. We were just the first to have done it the way we did it. Usually, when you want to do a collaboration with an international artist, it seemed before ours, like they were doing you a favour. But with the kind of grace that God gave us and the kind of team that we had, we were able to deliver one of the biggest [‘Mr Endowed’].

“I think that actually gave hope and visibility to the kids [new artists] to know that they can do it. So, I feel like a very proud father if I may say. That’s why I am a cat again [up-and-coming artist]. Now, I want to feature not even international artists but local artists. I want to feature Ayra Starr, Rema, Ruger and Don Jazzy. Collaboration is the new competition.”