Skelewu
"Skelewu" is a song by Nigerian singer Davido, released on 13 August 2013. It was produced by Shizzi and peaked at number 1 on Afribiz's Top 100 chart. Premium Times newspaper ranked "Skelewu" fifth on its list of the top 10 songs of 2013. It gained popularity in Nigeria after Davido announced the Skelewu dance competition. The song was endorsed by African footballers Emmanuel Adebayor and Samuel Eto'o. In September 2016, "Skelewu" appeared on Queen of Katwes soundtrack album.
Instructional video/dance competition
Davido promoted "Skelewu" by uploading an instructional dance video of it to YouTube on 18 August 2013. Directed by Jassy Generation, the video's release was accompanied by an announcement of the Skelewu dance competition. In order to win the competition, participants were told to watch the instructional video and upload videos of themselves dancing to "Skelewu". According to Pulse Nigeria, the number of dance videos uploaded to YouTube by fans aggregated to over 100,000 views. On 10 October 2013, Davido declared Bello Moshood Abiola the winner of the competition.Music videos
Releases
"Skelewu" was supported with two music videos. The first music video, directed by Sesan Ogunro, was released on 15 October 2013. It was uploaded to YouTube using a parody account. Shortly after the video's release, Davido's fans belittled it and said it wasn't up to par. Davido told his fans to disregard the unauthorized release of the video. Moreover, he said the official music video for "Skelewu" would be shot and directed by Moe Musa. Sesan broke his silence in a statement released by his team. He extensively said, "I and my team shot the video for Davido in Nigeria and to the best of my knowledge, my client and his team were very happy with the result, when they watched and approved the video. If he has since had a change of heart, that is okay." On 21 October 2013, Davido released the official music video for "Skelewu". After releasing it, he received numerous criticism from people who felt it resembles LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" video. According to Vanguard newspaper, the number of people who disliked the official music video almost equate those who disliked the alternative video. Moe Musa reacted to fans' condemnation of the official video in a negative way.Critical reception
The music videos for "Skelewu" were met with mixed reviews. Tosin Ajibade said Sesan's work "pieces random dance clips; wrong dance clips, coloured and graded." The music website Afrobeat360 applauded Moe Musa and praised his video's setting, location, narrative and choreography.Live performances
On 3 November 2013, Davido performed "Skelewu" at the Guinness Colourful World of More concert alongside numerous artists, including P-Square, D'banj, Wizkid, Ice Prince, Burna Boy, Olamide, Phyno, Chidinma, Waje and Tiwa Savage. The concert occurred at the Eko Convention Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos. Davido performed "Skelewu" alongside Burna Boy at the 2013 edition of Carniriv, which was held in Port Harcourt at the Liberation Stadium. On 30 December 2013, he performed the song in front of 16,000 people who attended Calabar Rocks, a concert sponsored by the Calabar Carnival Commission.Accolades
"Skelewu" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards. Its official music video was nominated for Best Music Video of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and for Most Gifted Dance at the 2014 Channel O Music Video Awards. "Skelewu" was also nominated for Song of the Year and Best Dance in a Video at the 2014 African Muzik Magazine Awards.| Year | Awards ceremony | Award description | Results |
| 2014 | Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Dance | |
| 2014 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Music Video of the Year | |
| 2014 | African Muzik Magazine Awards | Song of the Year | |
| 2014 | African Muzik Magazine Awards | Best Dance in a Video | |
| 2014 | MTV Africa Music Awards 2014 | Song of the Year |