Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born July 2, 1991) is one of Afrobeats’ foremost artists, who is known professionally as Burna Boy. Regarded as one of the finest songwriters and singers on the African continent, Burna Boy has lived up to the hype with a rich discography and numerous laurels to his credit.
He is the 2021 winner of the Best World Music album Category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for his fifth studio album: Twice As Tall.
The music giant came to the limelight in 2012 after he was signed to Aristokrat Records and dropped the song Like To Party, which was the lead single off his debut album, L.I.F.E, released in 2013. A three-time International Best Act at the BET Awards and first Afrobeats artiste to sell out Wembley arena (SSE arena), Burna Boy is the founder of Spaceship Entertainment and is currently signed to Warner Music Group.
It just took Burna Boy a couple of years to accomplish what the vast majority of his counterparts couldn’t accomplish in such a large number of years. He raged the music business in 2010 and in the long run worked his way to the top following two years, cutting a specialty for himself as one of Nigeria’s quick-rising stars to keep an eye out for.
The vocalist may not be as mainstream as Fela Kuti or King Sunny Ade yet he sure has for all intents and purposes all that it takes to become incredible like these men of greatness. Burna Boy has the voice, ability, aptitudes, allure, and a vanquishing soul that has driven them through numerous obstacles in the business.
I surmise you truly need to find out about this quick-rising whiz and his music profession. You’ll discover the real factors you have to think about Burna Boy right now.
BURNA BOY |
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 Burna Boy: History, Bio, Photo |
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| WIKI FACTS & ABOUT DATA | |
| Full Name: | Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu |
| Stage Name: | Burna Boy |
| Born: | 2 July 1991 (age 32 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria |
| State Of Origin: | Rivers State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Height: | 1.85 m |
| Parents: | Samuel Ogulu, Bose Ogulu |
| Siblings: | Romani Ogulu, Nissi Ogulu |
| Wife • Spouse: | Not Married |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Stefflon Don |
| Children: | N/A |
| Occupation: | Singer • Songwriter |
| Net Worth: | US$20 million – US$25 million |
Table of Contents
Early Life
Burna Boy was born as Damini Ogulu on the 2nd Of July 1991. He was birthed in the coastal city of Port Harcourt. An indigene of Rivers State, he hails from both the Niger Delta and South-South regions of Nigeria.
He comes from a mixed ancestry as his mother is a Yoruba woman named Bose Ogulu. His father is named Samuel Ogulu. Burna Boy comes from a very creative family.
He is the older brother of Nissi Ogulu, a singer and mechanical engineer. He has an older sibling, a sister named Romani Ogulu, who is a scientist and designer. His grandfather is Benson Idonijie, a veteran radio broadcaster, music critic and one-time band manager of Fela Kuti. Also, his mother was a former Kalakuta Queen, one of the female dancers of Fela Kuti.
His parents raised him in the Christian faith and spent his early years in Port Harcourt and Lagos City. Coming from a family with a rich art background helped Burna Boy discover his musical talent quite early, and he didn’t face any resistance from his parents in pursuing his passion. Instead, they encouraged him, which motivated him to start composing songs while he was still in high school.
Having set the goal that he wanted to be one of the most excellent musicians to ever live, he knew that his music would have to be unique so as to stand out. Thus, he chose to tow the path of Afrobeats and allowed himself to be influenced by records from the likes of Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, amongst others.
Education
Burna Boy hails from an upper-middle-class background, which allowed him to taste quality education.
He completed his creché and primary school education at a top private school in Port Harcourt. For his middle and high school education, he attended Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State.
He emigrated to the United Kingdom for his university education and studied at the University Of Sussex, bagging a degree in Media Technology.
Career
Having learnt how to produce beats using FruityLoops, Burna Boy recorded two mixtapes, Burn Notice and Burn Identity, before signing to Aristokrat Records. Under this label, he released the hit song, Like To Party, in 2012, which thrust him into the limelight.
Like To Party is the lead single off his debut studio album, L.I.F.E, which was released on the 12th Of August 2013. The project features other top-charting singles like Run My Race, Yawa Dey, Always Love You and Tonight.
Burna Boy was nominated for the 2013 Next Rated Artiste award at The Headies. However, he lost the award to fellow singer, Sean Tizzle. His debut album L.I.F.E was nominated for the Best Album Of The Year at the 2014 Nigerian 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 other commercially successful albums and music projects.
On the 25th Of November 2015, he dropped his highly anticipated second studio album titled: On A Spaceship. The album was closely supported by a debut EP, Redemption, released in September 2016.
Burna Boy made his comeback in January 2018 when he released his third album, Outside, which was dropped on the 26th of that month. The album helped him secure recognition in the international music scene with raving singles such as Ye, Heaven’s Gate, Rock Your Body, Koni Baje, Sekkle Down and Streets Of Africa. The album went on to win Album Of The Year at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards.
In 2019, he was among the group of African artists invited to work on Beyoncé‘s album, The Lion King: The Gift. He wrote and recorded the single, Ja Ara E, and earned the honour of being the only guest artiste with their own track on the album.
Burna Boy became the first Afrobeats artist to sell out Wembley Arena that same year. Moreso, he went home with four awards at the 2019 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, winning the coveted African Artiste Of The Year, Listener’s Choice and Best Male MVP award categories.
His fourth studio album, African Giant, which contains top-charting singles like Anybody, Killin’ Dem, Gbona, On The Low, Dangote, amongst others, was released to critical acclaim and commercial success on the 26th Of July 2019. The album was nominated for the Best World Music Album category at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020. However, he lost the award 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, which was released on the 14th Of August 2020, won the Best World Music Album category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Thus, Burna Boy made history as the first Nigerian artiste to have a back-to-back nomination at the Grammys.
Burna Boy‘s single, Destiny (one of the tracks in the African Giant album), was included in the playlist at the inauguration of Joe Biden as the president of the United States. His song, My Money, My Baby, appeared in the film, Queen and Slim‘s soundtrack album. His latest single featuring Wizkid, Ballon D’Or, was released in January 2022.
On August 2023, Burna Boy released his 7th studio album titled I Told Them, which tracks like Big 7, Talibans II (featuring Byron Messia), Thanks (featuring J. Cole), Giza (featuring Seyi Vibez), Sittin’ On Top Of The World, Cheat On Me (featuring Dave), On Form, I Told Them (featuring GZA), City Boys, 12 Jewels (featuring RZA), and more all played vital part in the project. The album came after his 6th studio album Love, Damini.
Discography
- Twice As Tall
- African Giant
- Outside
- On A Spaceship
- L.I.F.E
- Redemption
- Burn Notice
- Love, Damini
- I Told Them (2023)
Social Media
Burna Boy is one of the most followed Nigerian artists on social media due to 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
Burna Body is considered in some quarters to be the Giant Of African music and regarded as among the continent’s top three artists alongside Wizkid and Davido. The Port Harcourt-born singer turned 32 years old on the 2nd Of July, and as expected, his family members, close friends and management team threw a large party to celebrate the milestone.
He is currently being managed by his mother, Bose Ogulu. He shuttles his time between Lagos and London, where his girlfriend resides. Burna Boy is romantic with UK female artist Stefflon Don, which began in 2018.
He is one of the country’s wealthiest artists, and this is evident by his luxurious lifestyle. He has featured in top magazines like Vogue, British GQ and Evening Standard. He is a football enthusiast and supports the English club, Manchester United. He is a brand ambassador of Pepsi, Nigerian Breweries PLC and tech company, Chipper Cash.
Net Worth
Burna Boy‘s success in the music industry has given him the opportunity to earn a fortune from his career via royalties, brand partnership deals and performance at gigs.
His net worth estimated to be worth US$20 million to US$25 million.