Burna Boy

Burna Boy, born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu on 2 July 1991, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer from Port Harcourt. He first gained wide recognition in 2012 with “Like to Party,” the lead single from his debut album, L.I.F.E, released the following year. His music brings together Afrobeats, Afro-pop, reggae, dancehall, rap and hip-hop, with a delivery that moves easily between melodic singing and rhythmic, conversational phrasing.

After beginning his recording career in Nigeria, Burna Boy signed with Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group in 2017. His third album, Outside, arrived in 2018 as his major-label debut. The following year brought African Giant, which won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and earned a nomination for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. In 2019 he also won the BET Award for Best International Act and was selected as an Apple Music Up Next artist.

His 2020 album Twice as Tall won Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, adding a Grammy to a run of major international recognition. That year he was also named African Artist of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. Burna Boy won BET’s Best International Act again in 2021, his third victory in the category.

Love, Damini, his sixth studio album, was released in July 2022 and set several chart milestones, becoming the highest-debuting Nigerian album on the Billboard 200 and the highest-charting African album in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In October 2022, he received the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic plaque in recognition of his musical achievements. Rolling Stone placed him at number 197 on its 2023 list of the 200 greatest singers of all time. He won a fourth BET Award for Best International Act that year, while “Last Last” received both Afrobeats Single of the Year and Song of the Year at The Headies 2023.