For this week’s New Music Friday, Davido makes an appearance with his highly anticipated single Stand Strong, off his forthcoming album. The track features The Samples Choir, the same group behind Kanye West’s famous Sunday Service movement which had preciously sampled Davido’s Fall.
Earlier this week, he teased a snippet of the single, with a heartfelt caption which read:
“This one is special to me. It’s different. The conception has been different. The mindset has been different. The making has been different. I know you love it when I make you dance, but now I want to make you feel.
This one’s for everyone out there holding it up. I know what I’ve experienced the past 10 years, and a lot of you have been through it all with me. But… have you really?
For the first time I want to bring you into the other part of my world. The part where every day is a battle but I have no option but to STAND STRONG. I present to you, the first single off my next album.”
Stand Strong is a far cry from OBO’s last drop, club banger Champion Sound and with the help of The Samples, he delivers an emotional, spiritual-sounding track. Produced by Pheelz, Stand Strong is an outlier from Davido’s typical upbeat Afrobeats music. Stand Strong tells a story of resilience, with its harmonious lyrics that connect with the soul. It appears that the singer is testing the waters and experimenting with different music styles, giving a glimpse of what his forthcoming album will look like.
Davido’s most recent release has been met with different reactions, with certain camps concerned that he may be pandering to a Western audience in the bid to win a Grammy. For others, Stand Strong is evidence of Davido’s versatility and evolution as an artist.
Catch OBO’s latest drop below!