Before the sold-out music tours, performance at the BET Awards, and luxury wristwatches, there was a young talent named Davido and a talent manager named Asa Asika. Last weekend, Asika got married to the love of his life, Leona Adesanya in Lagos and a viral video of Davido crying during a speech at the wedding showed the bond between both men.
What started as a manager-artist link-up in the early 2010s has now grown into one of Afrobeats’ most iconic partnerships, complete with a silent breakup, a wholesome reunion, and enough full-circle moments to make other musicians jealous.
Asika and Davido’s friendship has survived egos, growth, and the madness of fame. Through it all, they’ve given us some of the biggest moments in Nigerian pop culture.
Here’s a complete timeline of their friendship: from the first link-up to the bromance that brought Davido to tears at Asika’s wedding last weekend.
Pre-2010s: Asa Asika and Davido became casual friends
In an interview that Asa Asika did in 2020 on Joey Akan’s Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, he said he doesn’t remember the first time he met Davido, but they were both teenagers. Asika was at Whitesands School and Davido at British International School (BIS).
Some boys in Asika’s class in Whitesands moved to BIS, and became Davido’s classmates. Some moved from Davido’s class in BIS and ended up at Whitesands too. “We had a few of those kinds of friends. We knew each other. I knew there was this guy David that used to make music,” he said.
He also said that some of their friends convinced them to work together. Davido was known as the guy who had a great passion for music. As a teenager, Asika had worked with singer YQ, who was signed to Storm360, a record label owned by Obi Asika (Asa’s uncle) at the time. It made sense that their school friends saw potential in them and tried to convince them to work together.
But at the time, Davido was only interested in being a music producer and label owner, not a musician.
2010: Asa Asika managed Davido
In the late 2010s, when Asika was still trying to work with Nero NPZ, Davido’s cousin, he called Asika to say he was ready to give being a musician a shot. Asika was aligned, and it was go-time. “We always used to say it. You [Davido] can do this better than all these people,” Asika said.
Davido was working on his first single, “Back When”. He finished the song in Nigeria and featured Naeto C, Asika’s cousin, on it. That period was Asika’s first rodeo with talent management. At age 20, he became Davido’s manager.
Together, they did the groundwork for what became HKN Music, Davido’s first record label. Under Asika’s management, Davido’s “Back When” and “Dami Duro” blew up and made him a household name.
2012: Asa Asika and Davido split
However, after working together on Davido’s first album, Omo Baba Olowo: The Genesis and releasing it, they split up. Rumours arose that they split due to ego clashes and industry pressure. Some said it was a business disagreement, but none could be confirmed. They never aired their dirty laundry in public.
In 2013, Asika focused on his personal music company, StarGaze Management Company. In 2016, he founded The Plug Entertainment, an entertainment and management firm alongside Bizzle Osikoya.
Davido, on the other hand, had a new manager called Kamal Ajiboye during that period, launched another label, Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), signed a deal with Sony Music and released his Son of Mercy EP, which wasn’t critically acclaimed.
Though they were apart regarding work, that didn’t stop them from making money together as friends. According to Asika, they made more money together when they split than when they first worked together.
Late 2016/Early 2017: Asa Asika and Davido reunited
By the time Asika and Davido got back to working together, they had both evolved. Asika had worked with more artists, like Ayo Jay, BOJ, Naeto C, DJ Obi, Black Magic, etc. Davido has had major label experience and achieved more success in his music career.
Asika once stated that he wasn’t impressed with how the Son of Mercy EP performed, but it gave him insight about what worked when he was in the team and when he wasn’t. “Everybody saw the difference when I came back. So, everybody knew that these guys [him and Davido] together are a force. Me and him [Davido] always knew it was just a thing of us being men and say that ‘Oya, let’s go and do this.”
Davido rehired Asika as his manager in 2017. It was a surprise but a welcome comeback. That same year, Davido released “If” and “Fall.” Both songs went on to kickstart OBO’s international crossover.
Since the two got back together as musician and manager, their professional relationship has flourished. They remain among the most successful artist-manager duos in African music history.
2025: Davido cries at Asa Asika’s wedding
Over the weekend of May 16th, 2025, the most talked-about event was Asa Asika’s wedding to Leona Adesanya. “Davido’s manager is getting married” and “It’s the wedding of the guy who blew OBO” were the kind of comments that spread on the internet. Also, thanks to the ever-present media and to Davido’s vibrant self, several moments from the wedding that revealed the depth of their friendship went viral online.
From making an enthusiastic comment, “Person wey change my life for fourteen years” and bringing out bundles of Naira notes to lavish at Asika’s wedding, it was a wholesome weekend of celebration, loyalty and bromance for Davido and Asa Asika.
