Burna Boy

Burna Boy
MFR
Burna Boy performing in Ghana in 2014
Burna Boy performing in Ghana in 2014
Background information
Birth nameDamini Ebunoluwa Ogulu
Born (1991-07-02) 2 July 1991 (age 33)
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
DiscographyBurna Boy discography
Years active2010–present
LabelsAtlantic, Spaceship Records
Websitewww.onaspaceship.com

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu MFR[3] (born 2 July 1991),[1] who is known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer.[4][2][5] He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed with Atlantic Records in the United States (and its parent company Warner Music Group internationally) to release his third studio album, Outside (2018).[6]

In 2019, he won Best International Act at the BET Awards, and was named an Apple Music Up Next artist. He also released his fourth studio album, African Giant, which went on to win Album of the Year at the All Africa Music Awards and was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[7][8] He was awarded African Artist of the Year at the 2020 Ghana Music Awards. Burna Boy released his fifth studio album, Twice as Tall, in August 2020. It won Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[9][10] He again won Best International Act at the 2021 BET Awards.

Burna Boy's sixth studio album Love, Damini was released in 2022 and became the highest debut of a Nigerian album on the Billboard 200 chart. It also became the highest-charting African album in France, the Netherlands and the UK.[11] In October, Burna Boy was awarded the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic plaque for his achievements in music.[3] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked him number 197 on its list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.[12] Burna Boy won his fourth Best International Act at the BET Awards in 2023.[13] He won The Headies Afrobeats Single of the Year category and also the Song of the Year for "Last Last".[14]

  1. ^ a b c d Ibile, Fagbo (3 October 2021). "Burna Boy's Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The 'African Giant' Challenging Musical Boundaries". The Atlantic. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b Alake, Olumide (12 October 2022). "More wins: Burna Boy's dad receives MFR award on son's behalf, 2Baba bags MON". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Africa's biggest music stars". CNN. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Burna Boy leads Billboard top 15 Sub-Saharan Artists". m.guardian.ng. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  6. ^ Duerden, Nick (19 July 2019). "How Burna Boy Became Nigeria's Surprise Success Story". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  7. ^ "2Baba Burna Boy and Others Win at AFRIMA 2019". ChannelsTV. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  8. ^ Durosomo, Damolo (20 November 2019). "Burna Boy, Angelique Kidjo, Trevor Noah & More Earn 2020 Grammy Nominations". OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  9. ^ "GRAMMY.com". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Grammys 2021: Burna Boy win at music awards". BBC News. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  11. ^ "5 Records Burna Boy Set with His Album 'Love Damini' Worldwide". 28 July 2022.
  12. ^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  13. ^ "BET Awards 2023: Burna Boy Wins Best International Act". BET. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Headies 2023: Burna Boy, Rema, Asake, win big in US [Full winners list]". Daily Trust. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.