Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991) is one of the most prominent artists in the African music industry. His stage name is Burna Boy. Burna Boy is considered one of the best songwriters and singers on the African continent and has won numerous accolades for his numerous works.
He won the Best World Music Album Award at the 63rd Grammy Awards in 2021 for his fifth studio album “Twice As Tall”.
The music superstar rose to fame in 2012 after signing with Aristokrat Records and releasing the song “Like To Party”, the lead single from his debut album “LIFE” released in 2013. A three-time winner of the BET Awards’ Best International Artist, the first African music artist to sell out Wembley Stadium (SSE Arena), Burna Boy is the founder of Spaceship Entertainment and is currently signed to Warner Music Group.
Burna Boy has done in just a few years what most of his peers have been unable to do in years. He entered the music industry in 2010 and two years later, he was on the rise, becoming one of Nigeria’s fast-rising stars and attracting much attention.
The singer may not be as mainstream as Fela Kuti or King Sunny Ade, but he does have what it takes to be as good a singer as these greats. Burna Boy has the voice, ability, talent, charisma and a conquering spirit that have helped them overcome many obstacles in the industry.
I think you really need to understand this fast-rising talent and his music career. You will find the real reason why Burna Boy needs to be considered now.
Nigerian singer
Burna Boy |
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 Burna Boy: History, Biography, Photos |
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| Wiki facts and figures | |
| Name: | Damini Ebunuolu Ogulu |
| stage name: | Burna Boy |
| Date of Birth: | July 2, 1991 (33 years old) |
| place of birth: | Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria |
| country of origin: | Rivers State |
| Country of Citizenship: | Nigeria |
| high: | 1.85m |
| parents: | Samuel Oguru, Boss Oguru |
| Brothers and sisters: | Romani Oguru, Nisi Oguru |
| Wife • Spouse: | unmarried |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Velvet Tang |
| Children: | not applicable |
| Profession: | Singer • Composer |
| net worth: | $20-25 million |
early life
Burna Boy was born Damini Ogulu on July 2, 1991. He was born in the coastal city of Port Harcourt. He is a native of Rivers State and hails from the Niger Delta and South-South region of Nigeria.
He has mixed ancestry, his mother is Bose Ogulu, a Yoruba woman, and his father is Samuel Ogulu. Burna Boy comes from a very creative family.
He is the elder brother of singer and mechanical engineer Nisi Ogulu. He has an elder sister named Romani Ogulu who is a scientist and designer. His grandfather is Benson Idonigi, a veteran radio broadcaster, music critic and former manager of Fela Kuti’s band. In addition, his mother was once the Queen of Kalakuta, one of Fela Kuti’s female dancers.
His parents raised him in the Christian faith and he spent his early years in the city of Port Harcourt and Lagos. Born into a family with a rich artistic background, Burna Boy discovered his musical talent early on and his parents did not face any resistance in pursuing his passion. Instead, they encouraged him, which led him to start writing songs while he was still in high school.
Aspiring to become one of the best musicians of all time, he knew that his music had to be unique in order to stand out. Therefore, he chose to go the path of Afrobeats and allowed himself to be influenced by records of Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade and others.
educate
Burna Boy comes from an upper-middle class family, which afforded him access to quality education.
He completed his nursery and primary education at a top private school in Port Harcourt. He completed his junior and senior secondary education at Korona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State.
He moved to the United Kingdom for his university education and studied at the University of Sussex, graduating with a degree in Media Technology.
Profession
Burna Boy learned how to make beats using FruityLoops and recorded two mixtapes, Burn Notice and Burn Identity, before signing to Aristokrat Records, where he shot to fame in 2012 with the hit song Like To Party.
“Like To Party” is the lead single from his debut studio album, LIFE, which was released on August 12, 2013. The album also included other hit singles such as “Run My Race”, “Yawa Dey”, “Always Love You” and “Tonight”.
Burna Boy was nominated for The Headies 2013 Next Rated Artiste Award. However, he lost to fellow singer Sean Tizzle. His debut album LIFE was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
Two years after becoming a music star, he parted ways with Aristokrat Records and founded his own music label, Spaceship Entertainment, in February 2015. Under Spaceship, he has released four more commercially successful albums and music projects.
On November 25, 2015, he released his much-anticipated second studio album, On A Spaceship. The album was supported by his debut EP, Redemption, which was released in September 2016.
In January 2018, Burna Boy made a comeback with his third album, Outside, which was released on the 26th of the month. The album helped him gain recognition in the international music industry, with hit singles such as “Ye”, “Heaven’s Gate”, “Rock Your Body”, “Koni Baje”, “Sekkle Down” and “Streets Of Africa”. The album also won the Nigeria Entertainment Awards for Album of the Year.
In 2019, he was one of the African artists invited to participate in the production of Beyoncé’s album “The Lion King: The Gift”. He wrote and recorded the single “Ja Ara E” and was honored as the only guest artist with a solo track on the album.
That same year, Burna Boy became the first African music artist to sell out the Wembley Arena. Additionally, he won four awards at the 2019 Soundcity MVP Awards, winning the coveted African Artist of the Year, Listeners’ Choice Award, and Best Male Vocalist MVP Award.
His fourth studio album, African Giant, which contained hit singles such as “Anybody”, “Killin’ Dem”, “Gbona”, “On The Low”, “Dangote” and others, was released on July 26, 2019 to critical acclaim and commercial success. The album was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards in 2020. However, he lost to Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo.
In 2020, during the pandemic, Burna Boy began recording his fifth studio album, Twice As Tall, which was executive produced by American music icon P. Diddy (Sean Combs) and his mother Bose Ogulu. The album was released on August 14, 2020 and won the Best World Music Album Award at the 63rd Grammy Awards. Thus, Burna Boy made history by becoming the first Nigerian artist to be nominated for consecutive Grammy Awards.
Burna Boy’s single “Destiny” (one of the tracks from the African Giant album) was included in Joe Biden’s playlist for his inauguration as President of the United States. His song “My Money, My Baby” was featured on the soundtrack album of the movie “Queen and Slim”. His latest single “Ballon D’Or” with Wizkid was released in January 2022.
In August 2023, Burna Boy released his 7th studio album titled I told them,track Big 7, Taliban II (Starring Byron Messiah) Thanks (With J. Cole) Giza (Featuring Seyi Vibez), On top of the world, Trick me (Starring Dave) On Form, I told them (Featuring GZA), City Boys, 12 gemstones (with RZA) and others played an important role in this project. This album follows his sixth studio album Love you, Damini.
Discography
- Double your height
- African Giant
- external
- On the spacecraft
- Life
- redemption
- Fire Warning
- Love you, Damini
- I Told Them(2023)
Social Media
Burna Boy is one of the most followed Nigerian artistes on social media because of his strong influence on pop culture.
He has over 8.8 million followers on Instagram and over 5.9 million followers on Twitter.
- Instagram – @burnaboygram
- Twitter – @burnaboy
Personal life
In some quarters, Burna Body is considered a giant in the African music industry, ranked alongside Wizkid and Davido as one of the top three artists on the continent. The Port Harcourt-born singer turned 33 on July 2 and, unsurprisingly, his family, close friends and management team threw a huge party to celebrate the milestone.
Currently, he is managed by his mother, Bose Ogulu. He often travels between Lagos and London where his girlfriend lives. Burna Boy’s relationship with British female artiste Stefflon Don began in 2018.
He is one of the richest artists in Nigeria, as can be seen from his lavish lifestyle. He has been featured in top magazines such as Vogue, British GQ, and the Evening Standard. He is a football enthusiast and supports the English club Manchester United. He is a brand ambassador for Pepsi, Nigerian Breweries, and technology company Chipper Cash.
net worth
Burna Boy’s success in the music industry has given him the opportunity to earn a good amount of wealth from his career through royalties, brand partnership deals, and performance performances.
His net worth is estimated to be $20 million to $25 million.
