Biography
Who is Burna Boy?
Early life and education
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu was born on July 2, 1991, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His mother, Bose Ogulu, worked as a translator and later managed his music career. His father, Samuel Ogulu, ran a welding company. His maternal grandfather, Benson Idonije, previously managed Fela Kuti.
He attended Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State, before moving to London for his studies. He spent time at the University of Sussex between 2008 and 2009 studying media technology. He also studied media communications and culture at Oxford Brookes University from 2009 to 2010.
Music career beginnings
Burna Boy started making beats using FL Studio while growing up in Southern Nigeria. After his studies, he returned to Port Harcourt for a year-long internship at Rhythm 93.7 FM. He officially launched his professional music career after moving to Lagos.
The singer gained significant recognition in 2012 with the release of his single "Like to Party." This track led to his debut studio album, L.I.F.E, which arrived in 2013. That debut album sold 40,000 copies on its first day and was nominated for a Nigeria Entertainment Award in 2014.
Major album releases
In 2017, he signed with Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group. His third studio album, Outside, was released in 2018 and featured artists like J Hus and Lily Allen. This project was described as a mixtape containing elements of dancehall and reggae.
The fourth album, African Giant, came out in 2019 and won Album of the Year at the All Africa Music Awards. His fifth album, Twice as Tall, was released in 2020 and reached number one on the Billboard World Albums Chart. This record also won a Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.
Recent achievements
His sixth studio album, Love, Damini, was released in July 2022. It achieved the highest debut for a Nigerian album on the Billboard 200. It also reached the top of the charts in the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands.
In 2023, Rolling Stone listed him as one of the 200 greatest singers of all time at number 197. He also won several awards at The Headies 2023 for his song "Last Last." He is the first African artist to have two albums surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Birthday and age
Burna Boy was born on July 2, 1991, which makes Burna 35 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Burna shares the date with 29 other famous people.
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