Peru: How Ed Sheeran helped Fireboy DML become a worldwide hit

When Fireboy DML is asked to verify his DMs, he must be reassured that Ed Sheeran's messages are genuine. Ed has messaged the Nigerian singer saying he is a fan and would like to collaborate on his hit Afrobeats in Peru.

"He's been listening to that song for weeks," Fireboy told Radio 1 Newsbeat from his studio in Lagos, Nigeria. "Not only has he heard the song, but he's also recorded the verse to it." The 25-year-old singer is known to critics who say such a big name in the song obscures its origins.

"People say Peru is big. It's good enough without him," he said.

But he said the "only" that crossed his mind when he brought Ed Sheeran into the remix was that "it would be great for Afrobeats."

"It's a selfless mindset that comes with being an aphrodisiac artist. Everything you do is for the culture." In the song, Ed sings a few lines of Yoruba, a language spoken primarily by millions of people in West Africa, particularly in southwestern Nigeria.

"He did a great job," said Fireboy, whose real name is Adedamola Adefolahan. Scroll forward, and now the Peruvian remix topped the official UK charts We Don't Talk About Bruno from the Disney film Encanto. "It would be great for the entire Afrobeats genre to hit number one," he said.

Ed Sheeran's remix came out late last year, but Peru has been Fireboy's biggest streaming hit to date, topping the official Afrobits chart for four weeks. Anyone looking for hidden or deep meaning in the song will be disappointed. 

He said he did not rate the song and recorded it as freestyle during last July's unscheduled studio session. "I know I have a lovely, fun song, and on Afrobeats, if you have a fun hook line, you really get a hit. Before Christmas, Fireboy met Ed Sheeran in person for the first time to shoot a video in New York.

"It was a great atmosphere," he said. "I've been listening to him for over a decade, and he's the one who made me love acoustic guitar." Fireboy had been involved with music since childhood, but it wasn't until his sophomore year of college that the "spark" caught fire. "From then on, I was blind to everything else, including school and relationships. Music gives you devotion and blind mania."

In light of Peru's success, Fireboy says he doesn't want to have "too many dreams and lofty aspirations." This puts you under unnecessary stress.