Nigerian singer Mavo has apologised for his past criticism of Nigerian music stars after old social media posts about Davido, Ayra Starr and other entertainers resurfaced online.

Mavo addressed the backlash on September 24, 2026, admitting that his approach to entertainment commentary had changed since his university days. He said he had been “a bad entertainment critic” before deciding to stop criticising other artistes and concentrate on his music career.

In his words:

“I was a bad entertainment critic when I started uni until I realized superstars don't really care about Twitter. I stopped criticizing and focused solely on my music, and since then it's been bliss. My criticism, sadly, unfortunately & unintentionally hurt several people & I'm honestly sorry. I have met most of these people, and they actually turn out to be amazing people. I'm sorry for my misjudgment. Let love lead.”

The apology came a day after Mavo initially responded to the resurfacing of his old posts. On September 23, he dismissed the renewed attention, writing, “ppl go just wake up dey cry for nothing!! oga go work!”

In another post, Mavo pointed to his current achievements, writing, “I have a record label and a storefront at 22, pls get your life together & stop dissecting my past thoughts.”

Among the posts was a resurfaced comment involving Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, whom Mavo had previously described as “mid.” The two artistes later worked together on “Escaladizzy II,” alongside Zlatan and Shallipopi.

Another comment involving Afrobeats star Davido also resurfaced. Mavo had previously commented about Davido in 2023 when the gossip of Davido’s quietness was noticed. Mavo commented, saying: “More like attempted murder, he tried to kill his new baby.”

At the time, Davido had just lost a baby and was going through a silent crisis.

Mavo has also since built a working relationship with Davido. The two artistes collaborated on the remix of Mavo's “Shakabulizzy,” while Mavo later worked with Davido and other artistes on “Galorizzy.” 

The collaboration with Davido was part of Mavo's rapid rise in Nigerian music in 2025. In an interview with Pulse that year, Mavo said Davido contacted him directly about working on “Shakabulizzy” and later described the singer as a “really nice person.”

Mavo's career has changed considerably since his music made a breakthrough. His 2025 breakout came through songs including “Escaladizzy,” which later received a remix featuring Ayra Starr, Shallipopi and Zlatan. He also appeared on “Money Constant” with Wizkid, DJ Maphorisa and DJ Tunez and “Body (Danz)” with CKay.

In November 2025, Billboard named Mavo its African Rookie of the Month. At the time, he was also recording new music with Davido and had occupied the top three positions on the Apple Music Nigeria Top Songs chart with “Money Constant,” “Body (Danz)” and “Shakabulizzy (Remix).”

In 2026, Mavo received seven nominations for the 18th Headies, including nominations for Best Male Artiste, Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Collaboration and Next Rated.

In his latest statement, Mavo did not defend the old criticism. Instead, he acknowledged that his views had changed, apologised to those affected and ended his message with: “Let love lead.”