Veteran Nigerian musician Bright Chimezie has appreciated Afrobeats star Davido, admitting to drawing inspiration from him.
Davido revealed that the legend’s song Because Of English inspired his hit record With You with Omah Lay.
In May, Davido met and hosted veteran Nigerian highlife singer Bright Chimezie in Lagos
Davido’s verse in ‘With You’ “If I speak English, oh-oh, Cho-cho-cho, no working, I no wan punish, woah, woah. I want to punish you, idiarabanko” — closely mirrors Chimezie’s original lyrics, coming across as a creative spin or tribute to the veteran’s signature lines.
In conversation with Hip TV, Chimezie, who made a cameo in the visuals of With You released this week, explained that he didn’t know the song tapped from Because Of English until Davido confessed to him.
He praised Davido for his humility, stressing that he is honoured by the OBO crooner’s gesture.
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“Words cannot describe how I feel. I’m so delighted. I feel honoured. And I’m grateful to Davido for recognising that he drew inspiration from me,” he said.
“I didn’t even know that his song With You was inspired by my song Because Of English. He was the person who made me to understand that. He put a call across to me and confessed that he was inspired by my song. The humility and everything, I feel so happy about it.”
The highlife legend, who recently signed a publishing deal with Sony Music, also stated that he is still making music.
He explained that he and his contemporaries took back seats to allow the young artists to thrive.
This wasn’t the first time entertainers have reconnected with veteran singers.
In July 2024, Brain Jotter visited highlife legend Mike ‘Gentleman’ Ejeagha after using his song ‘Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche’ in one of his viral dance skits, which helped bring renewed attention to the classic