After cooking for his family, Dayo rested for a while before finally picking up his phone to call Luna. They hadn't spoken much lately — the Global Competition had swallowed his time, and he was constantly looking for new ways to promote himself and Lois's album.

The line rang once. Twice. Then Luna picked.

"Hey baby, how are you doing?" Dayo asked, trying to sound casual.

"Ohoo," she dragged the sound, teasing. "So you forgot me, and now you're calling me baby?"

Dayo chuckled nervously. "Ah, no, it's not like that. You know how everything's been going…"

"Excuses, excuses," Luna shot back, laughing. "Every time, there's always something."

They bantered back and forth, playful but with an undertone of "you neglected me." Finally, Dayo cut in.

"Okay, okay, fine. But I really need your help with this one. You know I'm competing for a spot in the Global Competition through the wildcard. I'm pushing… I need you to..... you know help me win."

Luna's voice softened. "You know I've got you. Don't worry, I'll handle my part. Just keep doing what you're doing."

"Thanks, baby. I appreciate you."

"Now you're calling me baby again? All the best, BABY," she teased, and they both laughed before ending the call.

***

The next morning the official release day of the wildcard video and opening for fans vote.

Dayo woke up early, went for his usual jog, and streamed it live for the first time. It was a new plan — connect with fans directly, show them his world, and push votes in real time.

He jogged past quiet streets, camera shaking slightly as the sun peeked over the horizon.

[Live Viewers: 612,481]

The comments started coming in:

@mariamxo: JD IS STREAMINGGGGGGG FINALLY 😭😭😭

@globalfan23: bro why he look fine even while jogging??

@mod_jay: CHAT SLOW DOWN. Mods can't keep up 😂

@teamJD: This is history, first ever JD live 🥹

Dayo laughed mid-run, breath steady, and said in a Nigerian accent:

"Ah, so this is what you people do every morning? Just sit down and roast people? See sweat dripping from my head and you're calling me fine boy."

The chat spammed emojis, hearts, and laughing gifs. By the time he returned home and quickly showered, the numbers had spiked.

[Live Viewers: 1.2M]

He set up in the kitchen next, adjusting the camera. The angle caught him perfectly — damp hair, plain black T-shirt, sleeves rolled a little. Fans lost it.

@sandy_d: WHO SET UP THIS CAMERA ANGLE OMG 😩🔥

@ade_the_real: lock your girlfriends NOW. JD is dangerous 😭

@frenchfanclub: he's literally cooking AND serving looks 😭🍝

Dayo held up the pack of pasta dramatically.

"Alright, today's dish is called Spaghetti alla Carbonara."

He leaned closer to the camera, lowering his voice like a teacher.

"That's Italian for… ehh… pasta that will make you forget your problems."

The chat went wild.

@livelaughlois: LMAOO JD pls 🤣🤣🤣

@chef_toni: That is NOT the translation 😭😭😭

Dayo grinned and shook his head. "Alright fine, you caught me. The real translation is pasta with egg, cheese, and pancetta. But my version is better abeg."

The comments exploded with laughing emojis. Gifts and superchats poured in, the little icons flying across the screen.

[Live Viewers: 2.3M]

As he stirred the sauce, his sister Janet suddenly walked into the kitchen — in a nightie, hair messy, completely unaware of the stream.

"Dayo, what are you cooking???" she asked, leaning over to sniff the food.

"Uhhhm, that smells great."

Dayo pointed at the camera, laughing. "Say hello to two million people."

The moment she realized, Janet screamed, covering her face. "AHH, you're wicked! You didn't tell me you were streaming! Look how you made me dress in front of your fans!" She bolted out of frame, still yelling.

The chat went feral.

@usafan33: HIS SISTER IS SO CUTE OMG 😭

@africanqueen: Janet Nation rise up 🙌🔥

@modsquad: protect her at all costs 💀

@jdarmy: bro your sis is so fine. Your sister stole the spotlight 😭😭

Dayo laughed so hard he almost dropped the spoon. "See my life. I'm the one cooking, but now it's Janet's show. Na wa oh… and heyy jdarmy my sis is a no-go area o."

The last part got the fans laughing.

Soon, the rest of his family wandered in curiously, and the chat lost control again.

@globalfan88: MAMA JD IN THE BUILDINGGG ❤️

@teacherbb: WE NEED A JD FAMILY REALITY SHOW.

@Such8: Man your family are so foooine

Dayo introduced them quickly, shaking his head. "See now, my whole family has come to take my shine."

Finally, after cooking and serving his family, he leaned closer to the camera, voice steady.

"Alright, guys. Thank you for today. But don't forget why I'm streaming. The official voting for the Wildcard qualifiers has opened. If you believe in me, if you enjoyed the song, I need your votes. Every single one counts. Let's get this together."

The comments spammed back:

@jdarmy: ALREADY VOTED!!! ✅

@musiclover: Voting daily until we win 🫡

@fan_jp: JD TO THE WORLD 🌍🔥

Dayo smiled, then added:

"And one more thing — I'm sure you guys have seen the teasers already. The next single from my artist Lois is dropping tomorrow… and yes, I'm featured on it. This will be the first release leading into her album, so stay ready. It's going to be special."

The fans exploded in excitement.

@loislovers: JD + LOIS ?? SAY LESS 🔥🔥🔥

@intl_army: WE CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE RELEASE IT ALREADY😭😭😭

@filamdo: I heard the teaser and it's fire I can't wait for the reals hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Behind the scenes, Dayo and his management had already been working on collaborations with influencers, planning promo events and Dayo plan on doing streams with other influencers. he stream wasn't just for fun — every moment was part of the bigger strategy that Dayo is cooking.

He waved at the screen. "Grazie, grazie — see you next time. Chef JD signing out."

The stream ended at 2.8M live viewers, trending instantly across platforms. For a first-timer, it was more than goo.

But once the cameras were off, Dayo leaned back at his desk and pulled up his system. He had checked the Trend Insight about four weeks ago, but today he wanted to be absolutely sure. If the market had shifted, his whole release plan could collapse.

The glowing panel appeared in front of him.

— TREND INSIGHT —

5–6 Weeks Projection:

R&B / Soul Fusion → Rapid growth (+27%)

Acoustic Duets (male + female) → Surge (+31%)

Dayo exhaled slowly, satisfied. The path was still clear. The duet style he and Lois were about to drop was sitting right at the heart of the wave.

That was all he needed to confirm. His team was already dropping teasers, securing show slots, and planning online boosts. Tomorrow, Lois's first single would drop — testing the waters and, if the Insight was right, it should see a huge spike in listeners.

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