Burna Boy facts for kids
{{Infobox person | name = Burna Boy | image = Untold 2024 -Burna Boy (53927293629) (cropped).jpg | caption = Burna Boy in 2024 | other_names = African Giant ODG | birth_name = Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu | birth_date = July 2, 1991 | birth_place = Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. | citizenship = Nigerian
| occupation =
- Singer
- Songwriter
- Record producer
| years_active = 2010–present | notable_works = Discography | mother = Bose Ogulu | relatives = Nissi Ogulu (Sister) | awards = Full list | website =
| module = Musical career
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born July 2, 1991), known as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He became famous in 2012 with his song "Like to Party". This song was the main single from his first album, L.I.F.E, released in 2013.
In 2017, Burna Boy signed a deal with Atlantic Records. His third album, Outside, came out in 2018. In 2019, he won Best International Act at the BET Awards. He also released his fourth album, African Giant, which won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
In 2020, Burna Boy won African Artist of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. He then released his fifth album, Twice as Tall. This album won Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. He won Best International Act at the 2021 BET Awards for the third time.
Burna Boy's sixth album, Love, Damini, came out in July 2022. It was the highest-charting Nigerian album on the Billboard 200 chart. It also became the highest-charting African album in France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine listed him among the 200 greatest singers of all time. Burna Boy won his fourth Best International Act award at the 2023 BET Awards. His song "Last Last" won Afrobeats Single of the Year and Song of the Year at The Headies 2023. He is the first African artist to have two albums with over 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Contents
- Early Life and Education
- 2012–2015: L.I.F.E and On a Spaceship
- 2018–2019: Outside and African Giant
- 2020–2022: Twice as Tall and Love, Damini
- 2023–Present: I Told Them…
| Origin | Lagos, Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Labels |
|
Life and Career
Early Life and Education
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu was born on July 2, 1991, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His mother, Bose Ogulu, worked as a language translator. His father, Samuel Ogulu, managed a welding company. His grandfather, Benson Idonije, used to manage the famous musician Fela Kuti. Later, Burna Boy's mother became his manager.
Ogulu grew up in Southern Nigeria. He started making his own music beats using a software called FL Studio. He went to Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State. Then he moved to London, England, to study more. He studied media technology at the University of Sussex from 2008 to 2009. He also studied media communications at Oxford Brookes University from 2009 to 2010. Burna Boy returned to Port Harcourt and worked for a year at Rhythm 93.7 FM Port Harcourt. He started his music career after moving back to Lagos.
2012–2015: L.I.F.E and On a Spaceship
Burna Boy's first album, L.I.F.E, was released on August 12, 2013. It followed his second mixtape, Burn Identity (2011). The album sold 40,000 copies on its first day. The album had five singles before it was released: "Like to Party", "Tonight", "Always Love You", "Run My Race", and "Yawa Dey".
L.I.F.E was produced by Leriq. It featured other artists like 2face Idibia and Wizkid. Nigeria Entertainment Today called it one of the best albums of 2013. The music was inspired by Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Bob Marley. Music critics liked the album. It was nominated for Best Album of the Year in 2014. In August 2013, L.I.F.E reached number seven on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
In 2014, Burna Boy left Aristokrat Records. Eight months later, in February 2015, he started his own record label called Spaceship Entertainment. His second album, On a Spaceship, came out on November 25, 2015. He released a 7-song collection called Redemption in September 2016. Its main song, "Pree Me", was first shown on Noisey.
2018–2019: Outside and African Giant
On January 19, 2018, Burna Boy was featured on "Sunshine Riptide" by American rock band Fall Out Boy. This song was on their album Mania. A week later, on January 26, 2018, he released his third album, Outside. Burna Boy called Outside a mixtape. It mostly featured Afrobeats, Dancehall, Reggae, and Road rap music. It included guest artists like J Hus and Lily Allen.
Outside had six singles: "Rock Your Body", "Streets of Africa", "Koni Baje", "Sekkle Down", "Heaven's Gate" and "Ye". Many producers worked on the album, including Leriq and Jae 5. The album received good reviews. Pulse Nigeria and Nigerian Entertainment Today called it the best Nigerian album of 2018. It won Album of the Year at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. In February 2018, Outside reached number three on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. The song "Ye" became one of the biggest songs in Nigeria in 2018.
On October 7, 2018, Burna Boy performed to a sold-out crowd at London's O2 Academy Brixton. Before the show, he had a special event where he sold his own cereal and other items. On October 9, 2018, he was named one of Spotify's new Afro Hub takeover artists. He was also named YouTube's Artist on the Rise for three months.
On January 3, 2019, Burna Boy was announced as one of the artists performing at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He won four awards at the Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, including African Artiste of the Year. On March 21, 2019, Burna Boy released a 4-song collaboration with the electronic music group DJDS. It was called Steel & Copper. This collection mixed Burna Boy's upbeat songs with DJDS's trap beats. It combined elements of Dancehall and Reggae with Afropop and Trap.
On June 24, 2019, Burna Boy won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards. In July 2019, he was chosen as an Apple Music Up Next artist. He recorded "Ja Ara E" (which means "wise up" in Yoruba) for Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift album. He was the only guest artist with his own song on that album.
Burna Boy's fourth album, African Giant, was released on July 26, 2019. It had six singles: "Gbona", "On the Low", "Killin Dem", "Dangote", "Anybody" and "Pull Up". He started recording the album in 2018. He said it was his most personal project. To promote the album, Burna Boy went on the African Giant Returns tour. Burna Boy also recorded "My Money, My Baby" for the Queen & Slim movie soundtrack. This song used a sample from Fela Kuti's 1972 song "Shakara". On November 22, 2019, Burna Boy was featured with Ed Sheeran on Stormzy's song, "Own It". In November 2019, he became the first Afrobeat artist to sell out the SSE Arena in London. He received a special award for this achievement.
2020–2022: Twice as Tall and Love, Damini
In April 2020, Burna Boy performed in the One World: Together at Home special concert. On June 19, 2020, he was featured on the remix of South African producer Master KG's popular song "Jerusalema". Burna Boy used his Afrobeats style and sang partly in the isiZulu language. On July 30, 2020, Burna Boy was featured on British singer Sam Smith's song, "My Oasis".
His fifth album, Twice as Tall, was released on August 14, 2020. It was produced by Diddy and Burna Boy's mother, Bose Ogulu. The album became his highest-charting project, reaching number one on the Billboard World Albums Chart. On November 24, 2020, Twice as Tall was nominated for Best Global Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. This was his second Grammy nomination in a row. He won an Edison Award for African Giant. He also won Best International Act at the MOBO Awards on December 9, beating artists like Drake. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on March 15, 2021, he won the Grammy award for Best Global Music Album. Burna Boy's song "Destiny" was played at the inauguration of Joe Biden. He won Best International Act at the 2021 BET Awards, becoming the first African artist to win this award three times in a row.
On March 19, 2021, Burna Boy was featured on Canadian singer Justin Bieber's song "Loved by You". This song was on Bieber's album Justice. On September 17, 2021, he was featured on American singer-songwriter Jon Bellion's song "I Feel It". In 2022, NME magazine called him the "Best Solo Act in the World".
Burna Boy released his sixth album, Love, Damini, on July 8, 2022. Before the album, he released the singles "Kilometre" and "Last Last". Burna Boy held his first concert in Jamaica on December 18, 2022, at the Jamaica National Stadium.
2023–Present: I Told Them…
In April 2023, Burna Boy released a song called "Mera Na" with Sidhu Moose Wala. This song was a tribute to Sidhu. "Mera Na" appeared on international charts like the Billboard Global 200. In June, he released the song "Sittin On Top Of The World". This song heavily used a sample from Brandy's 1998 hit song "Top of the World".
On June 10, 2023, Burna Boy became the first African artist to perform at the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show. He performed at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. Over 71,000 people were there, and more than 700 million watched worldwide. In July, he became the first African artist to headline and sell out a stadium show in the United States. He performed at Citi Field in New York.
Billboard named him the top Afrobeats artist of 2023. At the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, Burna Boy won the first-ever Best Afrobeats award. In November, he was nominated for four Grammy awards. This made him the Nigerian artist with the most Grammy nominations ever, with ten in total. He was also the first Nigerian to be nominated for five years in a row, from 2019 to 2023. He was named the most streamed Sub-Saharan African artist globally on Spotify for the second year in a row. The Recording Academy called Burna Boy the biggest artist in Africa. The Nation newspaper named him the entertainer of the year.
"Sittin' on Top of the World" was nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Burna Boy performed the song at the ceremony on February 4, 2024, with Brandy and 21 Savage. In November 2024, his song "Higher" was nominated for Best African Music Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Personal Life
Burna Boy dated British rapper Stefflon Don from 2018 to 2022.
Artistry
Burna Boy's music is mainly a mix of Afrobeats, Hip Hop, Reggae, and R&B. He calls his music "Afro-fusion". It combines Afrobeat, Dancehall, Hip-Hop, Pop, R&B, and Reggae. August Brown from the Los Angeles Times says Burna Boy's sound is smart and modern.
Kittitian Dancehall artist Byron Messia said Burna Boy is a very talented lyricist. Burna Boy told The Punch how he gets ideas: "I get into the booth and lay down the melody and the music just comes to me. The inspiration and ideas just flow through me spiritually." He is known for his song lyrics, which often stand out in Afrobeats music. He also talks about important topics in his music. For example, on the African Giant album, the song "Another Story" discusses Nigeria's history. Nigerian singer Omah Lay said Burna Boy is the best songwriter he has seen.
Burna Boy is known for his unique voice. He sings in a mix of English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin. Rolling Stone magazine included Burna Boy in their list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.
Legacy
Many people believe Burna Boy has become a leading figure in Afrobeats music. Talent manager Kim Moore told CNN that Burna Boy's Grammy win will inspire other African artists. BBC radio presenter Darren Joseph called him "an icon among a generation".
Rolling Stone described him as a Nigerian cultural giant. They said he is an ambassador for Afrobeats as a global music style. Lloyd Bradley of The Guardian said Twice As Tall helps African music fit into the 21st century. In 2021, Pitchfork named him one of the most important artists of their first 25 years.
BOF named him one of the people shaping the global fashion industry in 2023. Lawrence Burney of Vulture said Burna Boy's style and way of performing hip hop and dancehall helped him gain more success in the U.S. African artist Angélique Kidjo dedicated her Grammy win to Burna Boy. She said he changed how the world sees Africa and its music. Aniefiok Ekpoudom of The Guardian said Burna Boy wants to remind Africans about their roots, and Afrobeats is his way of doing it.
Activism
Burna Boy believes in Pan-Africanism. This idea is about uniting people of African descent. He wants to "rebuild bridges" with Africans living outside Africa. He sees Africa as the home continent for all people.
Burna Boy speaks out for social justice around the world. His music is not just for fun; it encourages people to act. He uses his platform to talk about issues in Nigeria and globally. In his album African Giant, he explores Nigeria's difficult history. Songs like "Another Story" criticize the negative impact of colonial rule. "Collateral Damage" talks about Nigerians not standing up to their leaders. "Wetin Man Go Do" expresses the suffering of ordinary people. BBC radio presenter DJ Target said, "He represents change, and speaks out against injustice."
After the 2019 Johannesburg riots in South Africa, he said he would not visit South Africa again if the government did not act. In 2020, he created a fund to help victims of the #EndSARS protests against police brutality. Estelle Uba of The Republic said Burna Boy's powerful lyrics make people think about neo-colonialism in their countries. Through his song "20-10-20", he spoke out against the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters. He also spoke against bad government and corruption in Nigeria.
Awards and Nominations
Discography
- Studio albums
- L.I.F.E (2013)
- On a Spaceship (2015)
- Outside (2018)
- African Giant (2019)
- Twice as Tall (2020)
- Love, Damini (2022)
- I Told Them... (2023)
- No Sign of Weakness (2025)
See Also
- List of Nigerian musicians
- List of people from Port Harcourt
