Nigerian street-pop star Zlatan Ibile has shared an interesting behind-the-scenes story about how he ended up on the hit collaboration “Nakupenda” with Davido, Shoday and other African music stars.
According to Zlatan, the collaboration came together in an unexpected way after Davido and Shoday visited his studio to record the song because they were experiencing electricity issues at another location.
Rather than initially planning to be part of the record, Zlatan said he was simply in the background, contributing ad-libs while the artists worked on the song.
The rapper explained that his spontaneous contributions caught the attention of those in the studio, who found his ad-libs interesting enough to invite him onto the record.
What began as a casual contribution eventually became an official appearance on “Nakupenda,” adding Zlatan’s distinct street-pop energy to the star-studded collaboration.
The song also features South African DJ duo TxC, Scotts Maphuma and AI Xapo, bringing together artists from different parts of Africa.
The story adds another interesting layer to the making of the track, showing how some major collaborations can emerge from unplanned studio moments rather than carefully arranged sessions.
“Nakupenda” was originally recorded in 2025 and later gained additional star power after Davido joined the record. According to Shoday’s manager, Maybreed, Shoday had written most of the song before Davido’s contribution was added.
The track subsequently became one of Shoday’s biggest career moments, reaching No. 3 on the Official Nigeria Top 100 and earning millions of on-demand streams in Nigeria.
For Zlatan, his contribution was seemingly not part of the original plan. He was simply in the studio, making ad-libs while Davido and Shoday worked, before those around him encouraged him to become part of the song.
The revelation has given fans another glimpse into the unpredictable nature of music-making, where a spontaneous idea in the studio can sometimes become part of a major record.
With “Nakupenda” bringing together prominent names from Nigeria and South Africa, Zlatan’s story makes the collaboration even more intriguing — proving that sometimes, all it takes is being in the right studio at the right time.
