Grammy 2026: Omah Lay breaks silence on early misunderstanding with Davido

Afrobeats star Omah Lay has opened up about a past misunderstanding with fellow Nigerian music heavyweight Davido, revealing that he once believed the award-winning singer disliked him — a perception that later proved false and ultimately led to their Grammy-nominated collaboration, With You.

Speaking during a GRAMMY red carpet interview with OkayAfrica, shared by HYPETRIBE on Monday, Omah Lay reflected on how his initial assumptions about Davido shaped his early impressions.

According to him, the turning point came unexpectedly while he was at home and stumbled upon a video showing Davido reacting positively to his music.

“I was in the house, really, and I was going through it when I saw it, and I lost my mind,” he said. “It was the fact that I didn’t know Davido was like that. I thought we had a beef. I thought he didn’t like me.”

He explained that once they eventually connected, the chemistry was instant, and their working relationship came together naturally.

“It was funny, and we connected so well after that. Boom — magic happened,” he added.

Their collaboration, With You, released in 2025 under Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), marked a major milestone for Omah Lay, earning him his first-ever Grammy nomination.

When asked about his expectations ahead of the awards, the singer expressed optimism while acknowledging the strong Nigerian presence in the category.

“Me and Davido, of course,” he said. “But Burna is there, Ayra is there, Wizkid is there. Any of us — I mean, we are repping Nigeria.”

Despite the dominance of Nigerian nominees, South African star Tyla clinched the Best African Music Performance award for Push 2 Start, edging out With You as well as Burna Boy’s Love and Ayra Starr and Wizkid’s Gimme Dat.

Nonetheless, the nomination underscores Omah Lay’s growing influence in the Afrobeats scene and highlights Nigeria’s continued prominence on the global music stage.