Son of Mercy
Son of Mercy is the debut extended play by Nigerian singer Davido. It was released by Sony Music on October 21, 2016. The EP comprises five tracks and was produced by Shizzi, Kiddominant and Spellz. It features guest appearances from Nasty C, Simi and Tinashe. Son of Mercy tackles themes of love and combines elements of Afropop, trap, ragga, highlife and house. It was supported by the singles "Gbagbe Oshi", "How Long" and "Coolest Kid in Africa".
Background and promotion
Davido first announced plans to release Son of Mercy in September 2016, revealing its title and saying it would be released on October 21. Davido recorded majority of the EP's songs in the United States. Son of Mercy was produced by Shizzi, Kiddominant and Spellz. It features collaborations with Nasty C, Simi and Tinashe. In an interview with The Native magazine, Davido criticized Son of Mercy and said he did not select the songs that appeared on it. The lead single, "Gbagbe Oshi", was released on October 3, 2016. The song was produced by Shizzi and released nearly 10 months after Davido signed a recording contract with RCA Records and Sony Music. The accompanying music video for "Gbagbe Oshi" premiered on October 1, in honor of Nigeria's 56th annual Independence Day.The Tinashe-assisted track "How Long" was released on October 13, 2016, as the second single. The song fuses South African house music with Yoruba lyrics and R&B elements. Davido told Vice he recorded "How Long" the previous year and agreed to put Tinashe on the record after being asked by a label executive to do so. Sabo Kpade commended Davido and Tinashe's sound and said "How Long" was a "smooth ride of a song". The video for "How Long", which was filmed in Malibu, features scenes of Davido arriving to the beach on a motorcycle and Tinashe on a white horse. The Nasty C-assisted track "Coolest Kid in Africa" was released on November 18, 2016, as the third single. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Sesan Ogunro.