Nigerian artists David Adeleke, better known by his stage as Davido, has joined up with US distributor UnitedMasters to form Nine+ Records, a new record label.
In a Billboard interview, the “Unavailable” crooner stated that he wants to take the label beyond Afrobeats in order to attract a worldwide audience.
Davido also cited his passion for nurturing emerging talent and addressing the challenges of young artistes in the music industry as motivations for the partnership.
“Oh yeah, everything. R&B, trap, etc. Obviously, I am going to start in Africa, but I can see us going all the way,” he said.
“There is one thing that I will always love, which is nurturing new talent…Sometimes, you do not have anybody to advise you on how to move and get good paperwork done.
“I just felt like that was one thing Steve Stoute represents, and that is helping the artistes and making sure they know the best option when it comes to business.”
The news of the partnership was also shared by United Masters via their official Instagram page in what they termed a “groundbreaking collaboration with Davido”.
In the press release, United Masters called the partnership transformative for the African music industry that will see one of the continent’s most influential figures propel the careers of emerging artists to unprecedented heights.
Although Nine+ Records has not yet unveiled any artistes, Steve Stoute, chief executive of UnitedMasters, disclosed that his inspiration for the label emerged during the 2023 UnitedMasters SelectCon, where he and Davido forged a connection.
The music executive also emphasised his commitment to empowering Davido and the label’s future endeavors.
“We are here to bring that structure and funding so he can do what he has to do,” he said.
“If I can get him in the room with the producers and the artistes, and I can get it out the room, that is my job. To get in the room and to get out.”
Davido established DMW, his music label, in April 2016.
The label has served as home to music talents such as Mayorkun, Peruzzi, and Dremo.
In March, Davido rebranded his label to DMW 2.0 and unveiled two new artistes — Morravey and Logos Olori.