Burna Boy
Burna Boy was born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu on July 2, 1991. He is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2012, after the release of “Like to Party,” the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E, he catapulted to fame (2013).
Burna Boy inked contracts with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group abroad in 2017. Outside, his third studio album, marks his major label debut.
Profile
Name: | Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu |
Known as: | Burna boy |
Date Of Birth: | 2 July, 1991 |
Age: | 31 years |
Nationality: | Nigerian |
State Of Origin: | Rivers state(Port Harcourt) |
Genre; | Pop, Art Pop, Hi-Hop Folk Pop |
Stats: | Active |
Childhood and Education
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu was born in Nigeria’s Rivers State city of Port Harcourt. His mother, Bose, was a translator, while his father, Samuel, owned a welding business.
Benson Idonije, his maternal grandfather, once handled the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti. His mother, Bose Ogulu, will become his manager in the future.
Ogulu grew up in southern Nigeria and began using FruityLoops to create his own beats. He attended Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State, before moving to London to continue his education.
Later, between 2008 and 2009, he studied media technology at the University of Sussex, and between 2009 and 2010, he studied media communications and culture at Oxford Brookes University.
He subsequently returned to Port Harcourt and began an internship at Rhythm 93.7 FM for one year. He began his music career upon his return to Lagos.
Career
Burna Boy’s debut studio album, was released on August 12, 2013, after his second mixtape, Burn Identity (2011). The record sold forty thousand copies on its first day of release. Later, Aristokrat Records sold its marketing rights to Uba Pacific for 10,000,000.
Five singles preceded the album’s release: “Like to Party,” “Tonight,” “Always Love You,” “Run My Race,” and “Yawa Dey.” L.I.F.E was produced by Leriq and featured appearances by 2Face Idibia, M.I., Timaya, Olamide, Reminisce, and Wizkid, among others.
The album was placed tenth in Nigeria Entertainment Today’s selection of the twelve best albums of 2013.
The music on the album was influenced by Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Bob Marley. Music critics praised the album’s production, which garnered generally favorable reviews.
The 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards nominated this album for Best Album of the Year. In August 2013, L.I.F.E peaked at number seven on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
Burna Boy left Aristokrat Records in 2014. He created the record label Spaceship Entertainment in February 2015, eight months after leaving Aristocrat Records.
On November 25, 2015, Burna Boy released his second studio album, On a Spaceship. Redemption, his debut seven-track EP, was released in September 2016.
Its debut track, “Pree Me,” made its debut on Noisey.
Burna Boy was featured on Fall Out Boy’s song “Sunshine Riptide,” a tune from their seventh studio album Mania, on January 19, 2018.
On January 26, 2018, he released his third studio album, Outside, exactly one week later. Outside is a mixtape primarily composed of afrobeats, dancehall, reggae, and road rap.
Hus, Lily Allen, and Mabel are included as special guests. Outside featured six singles: “Rock Your Body,” “Streets of Africa,” “Koni Baje,” “Sekkle Down,” “Heaven’s Gate,” and “Ye.”
Burna Boy was revealed alongside Mr. Eazi as a performer at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on January 3, 2019.
At the Soundcity MVP Honors Festival, he won four awards, including African Artist of the Year, Listener’s Choice, and Best Male MVP.
Steel & Copper is a four-track EP that Burna Boy and the Los Angeles-based electronic duo DJDS released on March 21, 2019.
It combines the cheerful melodies of Burna Boy with the slinky trap sounds of DJDS. Steel & Copper fuses dancehall and reggae sounds with Afropop and trap.
Burna Boy won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards on June 24. Burna Boy was announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist in July 2019. His participation in the show was supported by an interview with Julie Adenuga on Beats 1 and a short documentary.
Burna Boy performed on the One World: Together at Home special in April 2020. Burna Boy was featured in the remix of the popular song “Jerusalema” by South African producer Master KG on June 19, 2020.
In the song, Burna Boy utilized his signature afrobeats sound and also partially sang in isiZulu.
Burna Boy was featured on Sam Smith’s single “My Oasis,” the lead single from their third studio album Love Goes, released July 30, 2020. Twice as Tall, his fifth studio album, was released on August 14, 2020. I
It was produced by Diddy and his mother, Bose Ogulu, as executive producers. It debuted at number one on the Billboard World Albums Chart, becoming his highest-charting release.
On November 24, 2020, Twice as Tall was nominated for the 63rd Annual Grammy Award in the World Music Album category alongside Antibalas, Bebel Gilberto, Anoushka Shankar, and Tiranariwen.
On July 8, 2022, Burna Boy released his sixth studio album, Love, Damini. The album was preceded by two singles: “Kilometre” was released as an independent single on April 29, 2021, and “Last Last” was released alongside the album’s launch on May 13, 2022.
Personal Life
Burna Boy and British rapper Stefflon Don began dating in 2018[70], however they split in 2022.
Controversy
On June 8, 2022, his armed escorts allegedly shot and wounded two individuals in a Lagos nightclub. The incident began, according to the wife of one of the victims, when she rebuffed Burna Boy’s invitation to join him in the VIP part of the club.
Five security guards associated with Burna Boy were accused of attempted murder. The woman eventually accused Burna Boy and his relatives of using hush money to silence her family. The club has not yet published surveillance video of the shooting.
Creativity
The majority of Burna Boy’s music is pop and afrobeats. His music is described as Afro-fusion, a blend of four genres: R&B, hip hop, dancehall, and reggae. Burna Boy’s sound, according to August Brown of the Los Angeles Times, is “smart and contemporary while avoiding apparent crossover maneuvers.”
Discography
- Life (2013)
- On a Space (2015)
- Outside (2018)
- African giant (2019)
- Twice as Tall (2020)
- Love, Damini (2022)
Awards and Nominations
- In 2013, Burna Boy won the Nigeria Entertainment Awards for Best New Act of the Year.
- Burna Boy received the 2014 MTV Africa Music Award for Best New Act.
- Burna Boy received the 2014 MTV Africa Music Award for Best New Act.
- In 2015, Burna Boy received the Headies Award and the Nigeria Entertainment Awards for Best Pop Artist of the Year.
- Burna Boy received four Soundcity Music Video Awards in 2018, including African Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for his 2018 hit single “Ye.”
- At the 2019 Soundcity MVP Awards, Burna Boy won Listener’s Choice, Best Male MVP, Song of the Year, and African Artist of the Year.
- Burna Boy was nominated for a Grammy in 2020, but Angelique Kidjo took home the award for Best World Music.
- In 2021, Burna Boy won the Grammy Award for best global music album.
Endorsement deals
As is typical for Nigerian musicians, Burna Boy is a brand ambassador for various companies. He is not an exception, as he also has endorsements. Currently, he represents Globacom, Nigerian Breweries Plc, and Mortell Cognac as brand ambassadors.
Net Worth
As of the date of this post in 2022, Burna Boy is one of the wealthiest and most influential artists in Nigeria, with an estimated net worth of $20 million.