Burna Boy has over the past and recent years been sampled on different local and international projects. He has collaborated with world class arts like Rita Ora, Jidenna, Sia, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, Damian Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Sam Smith, Stefflon Don, Youssou N’Dour, Wizkid, Dave, Chris Martin, Dj Snake, AKA, Jorja Smith, Sauti Sol, featured on Lily Allen’s “Your Choice” and Beyonce’s “Lion King album”.
The “Like To Party” Crooner a.k.a Oluwa Burna born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu on 2nd July 1991 is a well known, and high profile Nigerian Music artist, and one of the most successful and biggest music export out of Africa.
He was born and raised in the City of Port Harcourt Southern Nigeria where he hails from. His maternal grandfather Benson Idonije who was once Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Manager played a very significant role in launching his music career and setting the platform for him to climb on. He attended Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State after which he relocated to United Kingdom to further his studies in the University of Sussex where he studied Media Technology.
His soaring music career has been a source of inspiration to up and coming Nigerian artistes who idolizes and emulates his footsteps.
After his emergence to limelight, the very ambitious Burna Boy was underrated to the point where he was robbed of several deserving awards. He didn’t relent, but drew motivation to work harder to prove himself beyond every reasonable doubt. Little did they know that, the African Giant is Way Too Big to be underrated!
Fela the legendary Afrobeat king influenced Burna Boy a lot which he sometimes incorporates in his songs, and exhibits during his stage performance.
The former Aristokrats Record label signee rose to prominence in 2012 when he released his first official single “Like to Party”, which later became the lead single from his debut studio album titled L.I.F.E.
L.I.F.E was released on the 12th of August 2013 following the successful release of the single “Like To Party” which went viral and received massive airplay. The release of his debut album preceded with other hit singles “Run My Race”, “Tonight”, “Yawa Dey” and Always Love You”. The Album got a nomination in 2014 from Nigeria Entertainment Awards for Best Album of the Year.
The album L.I.F.E was single handedly produced by Leriq with guest appearances from M.I, Timaya, Wizkid, 2face Idibia, Reminisce, and Olamide.
Burna Boy after the huge popularity he amassed from the success of his debut studio album in February 2015 parted ways with Aristokrat records, and floated his own music imprint, Spaceship Entertainment where his sophomore album, On a Spaceship was released on November 25 2015, which also followed with the release of a 7-track debut EP titled “Redemption” on September 2016.
In year 2017, Burna Boy signed a major record deal with a prominent American music label Atlantic Records which expanded his popularity and fan-base on the international scene.
The ever talented and optimistic Burna Boy being a hard-worker that knows what he wants and how to shoot himself to eagle’s height released his third studio project “Outside” on the 26th of January 2018. “Outside” is a fusion of Afrobeats, Reggae and dancehall with collaborative supports from English powerhouse singers like Lily Allen, Mabel and J-Hus. “Outside” housed tracks like “Ye”, Heaven’s Gate, Streets Of Africa” “Rock Your Body”, “Sekkle Down” and “Koni Baje”. Production credit goes to Chopstix, Leriq, Phantom and FTSE, Jae 5, Fred Gibson, Juls, Fred Gibson, Baba Stiltz and Steel Banglez.
“Outside” received positive remarks and went on to win Album of the Year at the 2018 Nigerian Entertainment Awards, and as well debuted at number 3 on the Reggae Billboard Albums chart.
“Ye” one of the biggest singles from the album won the song of year 2019 at the prestigious Headies music awards.
Burna had a major breakthrough on 7th October 2018 when he for the first time performed before a sold-out show at the O2 Arena in London. The big moment coincides with him being pronounced as one of Spotify’s New Afro Hub Takeover Artist, and YouTube’s Artist on the Rise for 3 months. The 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival announced Burna Boy alongside Mr Eazi as one of the artistes performing at the show.
Burna Boy’s target from inception has always being to win a Grammy Award no doubt, and he shot for the stars and eventually landed in the moon. The self acclaimed African Giant didn’t slowdown; he commenced work on his fourth studio album titled “African Giant” in 2018 which was later released on July 26 2019. He enlisted tracks like, “Dangote”, “On The Low”, “Anybody”, “Gbona”, “Killin Dem”, “Pull Up”, “Difference” “E Dey Pain Me” to name a few.
He rose to worldwide recognition and had his first shot at Grammy Awards when his delectable Afro-fusion album “African Giant” earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Album which he lost to the Beninoise Singer, Angelique Kidjo. The African Giant’s fifth studio album titled “Twice As Tall” released on 14th August 2020 which was executive produced by the American veteran artiste and business tycoon Diddy became Burna Boy’s highest-charting project which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart.
Burna Boy being Way Too Big didn’t back down, but stood Twice As Tall the following year when he bagged a back to back in a row nomination on 24th November 2020 on the 63rd Annual Grammy music Awards for his fifth studio bodywork “Twice As Tall” on the same category under the World Music Album alongside other artistes like Bebel Gilberto, Anoushka Shankar, Antibalas and Tianariwen which he clinched this time, and took home the award. He same year won Best International Act at the MOBO Awards on 9 December after dusting off music heavyweights likes Drake, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby and Roddy Ricch.
The “Way Too Big” Crooner set another alarming record by becoming the first African artiste to bag and consecutively win the BET Award for Best International Act thrice in a row in 2019, 2020 and currently 2021.
Burna Boy′s ″Destiny″ off his “African Giant” album further gave him a boost when it was included in the playlist at the inauguration of Joe Biden.
The African Giant shutdown and concluded his sold-out London 02 Arena comeback concert with a stellar performance that wowed music lovers on the stage with his spaceship arrival.
Burna Boy has other numerous awards to his name which includes;
The Headies Award for Artiste of the Year 2019
BET Award for Best International Act
2021, 2020, 2019
The Headies Award for Song of the Year
2019 Ye
The Future Awards Africa Prize for Young Person of the Year 2019
Edison Jazz/World – World
2020 African Giant
MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act 2019
Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album
2021 Twice as Tall
The Future Awards Africa Prize for Music 2019
The Headies Award for Best Collabo
2019 Killin Dem
MTV Africa Music Award for Best Collaboration
2015 All Eyes On Me
MTV Africa Music Award for Video of the Year 2014
Run My Race
The Grammy Award winning Burna Boy has carved a niche for himself, and one of the remarkable impacts the once underrated Burna Boy’s influence brought to the Nigerian music industry was not just giving them a run for their money or performing on world big stages, but awakening Nigerian artistes to buckle up on their song writing skills to deliver a superb and master-class albums that can compete in a any global music awards.
Today, Burna Boy is unarguably one of the most successful, consistent and celebrated African artistes. His immense contribution played a huge role in stamping Afrobeat on the world map, and he is indeed the African Giant.
Burna Boy shuttles between Nigeria, London and Los Angeles where he respectively spends time in his faraway homes. The African Giant is a Manchester United fan, and is currently dating Stefflon Don.
Tickets for his Europe tours are still on sale.