In this post, platinumtimes.ng chronicles the biography, career, music, lifestyle of top Afrobeat Icon, Burna Boy.
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu,MFR also known by the stage name Burna Boy is a Nigerian musician and record producer.
He is famous for his ability to combine both dancehall, reggae, afrobeat, and pop.
He is currently signed to an American record label called Atlantic Records and the founder and CEO of Spaceship Records, a Nigerian-based record label.
Profile Summary
Real Name: Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, MFR
Stage name: Burna Boy
Born: 2nd July, 1991
Place of birth: Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Relationship status: Single
Education: University of Sussex
Career: Musician
Early life
Burna Boy was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on 2nd July, 1991 and christened with the name Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu.
Education
He schooled at Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State before moving to London, England where he studied media technology at the University of Sussex from 2008 to 2009 and media communications and culture at Oxford Brookes University from 2009 to 2010.
On his return to Nigeria, he took up a year-long internship at Rhythm 93.7 FM, Port Harcourt, Rivers State after which he moved to Lagos to pursue his music career.
Career
Burna Boy started singing right from his early years using FruityLoops, a production software that his fellow classmate gave him.
The singer launched his music career in 2010 and released his first record Shobeedo in 2011.
He is best described as as a pop and afrobeat musician owing to the way which he blends the genres of R&B, hip-hop, dancehall, and reggae.
Burna Boy’s debut studio album, L.I.F.E, was released on 12 August 2013, serving as the follow-up to his second mixtape Burn Identity (2011).
The album featured hit singles like Like to Party and Tonight and this brought him to limelight in the entertainment industry and nomination as the Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
It also peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart in August 2013.
Burna Boy has since released other songs and albums, including On a Spaceship and Outside.
He has also worked with some of the most prominent and influential artists in the Nigerian music industry, such as Reminisce, Wizkid, Timaya, Olamide and International artists.
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.
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.
He is currently signed to an American record label called Atlantic Records. He is also the founder and CEO of Spaceship Records.
Personal life
Burna Boy hails from a Christian home and is yet to be married.
His mother Bose Ogulu worked as a language translator, and his father Samuel managed a welding company.
His maternal grandfather Benson Idonije once managed Fela Kuti and he has two female siblings.
Burna Boy is described as a Pan-African who strongly believes in rebuilding bridges within the African Diaspora.
Awards
- Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR in 2022.
- The Headies Afrobeats Single of the Year category, 2022.
- Best International Act at the BET Awards, 2021.
- African Artist of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards, 2020.
- Best International Act at the BET Awards, 2019.
- Album of the Year at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards, 2018.
Net Worth
The Afrobeats Icon has an estimated net wealth of over $17 million and is ranked among the richest musicians in the continent.