Photo: Melody Timothee for Afro Nation Miami
Prior to his appearance at Afro Nation, the only time Fireboy DML had performed in Miami was at a local strip club. Two years later, he got to perform his biggest hit on a festival stage inside the home of the Miami Marlins.
The Nigerian artist was one of numerous acts who invaded the loanDepot Park in Miami for Afro Nation's first event in the U.S. He hit the main stage on Sunday, May 29, and was instantly greeted by cheers from the massive crowd. Midway through his set, his rendition of "Peru" had the fans singing along with him, especially when he sang "I just flew in from Miami."
"I didn't see this coming," Fireboy DML told iHeartRadio. "I didn't see all this happening. It was like a full circle moment coming back here after the strip club two years ago and now I'm here performing ['Peru']. It's a blessing man."
Fireboy DML lit up the stadium as he performed songs off his third studio album Playboy. Despite the scorching heat, DML rocked a designer sweatshirt over a white button-up and long blue jeans. His set was on point from his electrifying start to his exciting finish when he shocked the crowd by bringing out Shenseea. The duo performed their collaboration "Diana" featuring Chris Brown.
"It felt great," Fireboy told iHeartRadio after his set. "It's a blessing to make my people happy. I saw everyone happy. I saw Africans, I saw my people happy in Miami. Apart from the music, they were just really happy to see me and that's a blessing on its own."
The 27-year-old has been on a roll since he made his official debut in 2019. After dropping two solo albums, Fireboy DML released "Peru" in 2021, which spread across the airwaves in the U.S. the rest of the world. It even got a special remix from the UK's Ed Sheeran. Last year, he was nominated for Best International Act at the 2022 BET Awards. The nomination led to his historic performance as the first Nigerian artist to perform at the annual award show.
In 2023, Fireboy DML is manifesting more all-star collaborations. He aims to join forces with other top-tier acts like Post Malone and Travis Scott plus his afrobeats counterparts Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido. He's keeping the momentum going by releasing new music. Following his collaboration with Jaido P "One of a Kind," Fireboy released his latest single "Someone." He explained that the instrumental for the record was originally created with Drake in mind.
"It was a Drake beat sent from one of Drake's producers," he said. "So I felt like 'What would Drake do?' I was just in the mood. I feel like I can get into any persona I like and make a record. I was just in that moment and I just made that record. I was like 'You know I'm not going to wait for Drake to hear this.' So I was like 'I'm going to release it and see what he's going to do.'"
Listen to Fireboy DML's new single and check out more scenes from his Afro Nation set in Miami below.