Burna Boy, also known as Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, has been named by Times Magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in 2024.
The Grammy-winning Nigerian artist shared in an interview with the magazine that he encourages aspiring musicians to embrace the richness of traditional African music instead of imitating American artists.
His words: “Ten years ago or so, when young African musicians would come to me for advice, I would tell them, “You don’t need to mimic American artists! The world needs the amazing richness and beauty of our traditional African music and our culture. This land is where most of modern music comes from. This source of inspiration is inexhaustible. Its freshness and its elegance will get the world’s attention for sure.”
Times Magazine highlighted Burna Boy’s success in the music industry, recognizing his signature style and infectious rhythm that have captivated audiences worldwide.
It read: “Burna Boy has made that vision a global reality. Inspired by the fantastic drums of Nigerian folk music, and studied in the craft of the great African singer-songwriters, he follows in the footsteps of Fela Kuti—the internationally celebrated Afrobeats artist and activist. Burna Boy’s deeply original flow and his signature groove have conquered the world with an impressive series of firsts: in 2023, he became the first African artist to sell out a U.S. stadium, and in 2024, he became the first Afrobeats artist to sing at the Grammys. He is history in the making. Now a whole generation of young people from the continent is looking up to him.”
