Burna Boy

Burna Boy is the professional name of Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, a Nigerian singer, songwriter and recording artist associated with Afrobeats and Afro-fusion. His public significance rests on a career that has combined global chart visibility, a Grammy win for Twice As Tall, repeated BET Best International Act awards, and recognition in TIME100 coverage.

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About Burna Boy

Profile information current to 2026-08-09.

Nigeria · Singer, Songwriter, Recording artist · 2 affiliations

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Also known as: Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu
Known for: Afrobeats and Afro-fusion music; Grammy-winning global music recording; International chart and awards recognition
Country: Nigeria

Singer
Songwriter
Recording artist

At a glance

Burna Boy is identified in music-industry sources as Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, a Nigerian singer and songwriter.
His music profile is linked to Afro-fusion and Afrobeats, with GRAMMY.com describing a blend of African rhythms with dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and R&B.
He won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album for Twice As Tall at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
BET records show him winning Best International Act in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Official Charts states that I Told Them... made him the first international Afrobeats artist to score a UK Number 1 album in September 2023.
TIME included Burna Boy in its 2024 TIME100 coverage, citing his international firsts and influence on young people from Africa.

Identity and musical profile

Burna Boy is the professional name of Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu. Apple Music and SESAC identify him as a Nigerian artist, with Apple Music associating him with Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, and SESAC describing him as a Nigerian songwriter and pop star. His public music identity is described across sources through related but not identical genre terms: Apple Music lists Afro-fusion, while GRAMMY.com emphasizes Afrobeats and notes a blend of African rhythms with dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and R&B.

Career development

SESAC says Burna Boy rose to prominence in 2012 after releasing “Like to Party,” the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E, released in 2013. The same source says he signed in 2017 with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally, and describes Outside as his major-label debut.

Awards and chart recognition

Burna Boy’s international standing is supported by awards and chart records from several sources. GRAMMY.com records his win for Best Global Music Album for Twice As Tall, BET records Best International Act wins in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and Billboard Canada’s 2023 Billboard Music Awards winners list names him Top Afrobeats Artist. Official Charts states that I Told Them... reached No. 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart in September 2023 and made him the first international Afrobeats artist to achieve a UK No. 1 album.

Wider public significance

TIME’s 2024 TIME100 coverage presents Burna Boy as an artist whose international firsts and public influence extend beyond music-industry milestones. In the reviewed sources, that wider significance is tied to his role in the global visibility of African popular music and to repeated recognition by awards, chart and media institutions outside Nigeria.

Recent release context

Warner Music Ireland announced the 2025 release of No Sign Of Weakness as Burna Boy’s eighth studio album, issued via Bad Habit/Atlantic Records, with 16 tracks and listed features including Mick Jagger, Shaboozey, Stromae and Travis Scott.

Affiliations

Bad Habit/Atlantic Records U.S. label cited in 2017 signing and release-label context for No Sign Of Weakness 2017
Warner Music Group International label context cited in 2017 signing 2017

Timeline

1991-07-02 Born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu; Apple Music associates him with Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
2012 Rose to prominence after releasing “Like to Party,” according to SESAC.
2013 SESAC identifies L.I.F.E as his debut studio album.
2017 Signed with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally.
2019-06-23 Won BET Best International Act.
2020 African Giant was nominated in Grammy records for the 2020 awards cycle.
2021 Won Grammy Best Global Music Album for Twice As Tall.
2023-09 I Told Them... reached No. 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart, with Official Charts describing him as the first international Afrobeats artist to achieve a UK No. 1 album.
2023-11-20 Named Billboard Music Awards Top Afrobeats Artist in the published winners list.
2024 Included in TIME100 coverage.
2025-07-14 Warner Music Ireland announced the release of No Sign Of Weakness as his eighth studio album.

Additional verified details

Current context

Warner Music Ireland’s 2025 release announcement states No Sign Of Weakness was available via Bad Habit/Atlantic Records. This supports the label context of that album release, not necessarily a complete current contract or management structure.

Biographical facts

Burna Boy is the professional name of Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu.
He was born on 2 July 1991 and is associated in music profiles with Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
He is identified by music-industry sources as a Nigerian singer and songwriter.
His public music identity is linked to Afro-fusion and Afrobeats; Apple Music lists Afro-fusion, while GRAMMY.com describes him as a global voice of Afrobeats who blends African rhythms with dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and R&B.
SESAC says he rose to prominence in 2012 after releasing “Like to Party,” the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E, released in 2013.
In 2017, he signed with Bad Habit/Atlantic Records in the United States and Warner Music Group internationally; SESAC describes Outside as his major-label debut.
Burna Boy won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album for Twice As Tall at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
BET records show Burna Boy winning Best International Act in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Billboard Canada’s published 2023 Billboard Music Awards winners list names Burna Boy as winner of Top Afrobeats Artist.
Official Charts states that I Told Them... made Burna Boy the first international Afrobeats artist to score a UK Number 1 album in September 2023.
TIME included Burna Boy in its 2024 TIME100 coverage, describing his international firsts and influence on a generation of young people from Africa.
Warner Music Ireland announced the release of No Sign Of Weakness as Burna Boy’s eighth studio album, issued via Bad Habit/Atlantic Records, with 16 tracks and features including Mick Jagger, Shaboozey, Stromae and Travis Scott.