Current:Home > ScamsThe Burna Boy philosophy: 'Anybody not comfortable with my reality is not my fan' -WealthMindset Learning
The Burna Boy philosophy: 'Anybody not comfortable with my reality is not my fan'
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:14:24
Just a few years ago, when Burna Boy would perform in D.C. he'd attract a solid crowd of about 2,000. Earlier this month when he came to town, it was for a sold out arena of more than 20,000 screaming fans.
At Capital One Arena, fans told NPR why seeing a Nigerian artist recognized on this global level was so important to them, and about how great of a performer he is.
"Whatever you hear tonight, you're going to be like, 'Damn. This guy — he's got it. He's him. He's that guy,'" said Dayo Ajanaku.
Burna Boy has broken records all over the world. He was the first Nigerian artist to sell out Wembley Arena in London and Madison Square Garden in New York. His latest album, "Love, Damini," named after his birth name, is the highest-charting Nigerian album in history.
He also recently produced The Black River: Whiskey Documentary, a short film about his hometown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and the environmental issues there.
Burna Boy spoke with NPR about his connection to his fans, his home, and the ways he makes sense of who he is as a person and who he is as a performer.
This has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
On his relationship between Burna Boy and Damini
I mean, for a long time, I thought they were different people, but I realized that they are the same person. Me realizing they're the same person, it helped me to be able to use it to its full potential, you know?
On what it's like to get personal and vulnerable with his music, and what he hopes his fans will take away from it
For me, it's very — how do you say? You know when you get weight off yourself, like the weight's taken off your shoulders? I don't know the word to describe it, but that's how I feel. It feels like I feel lighter every time I perform that to people ... I want them to know that, man, they're not perfect, and neither am I. And that's OK. And another thing I want them to take away is the sense of self, you understand? Like, a sense of pride of self.
On the pressures of representing something greater for his fans, as a Nigerian artist who has made it to this level, and whether this can feel like a burden
I mean, yes, sometimes it can feel like that. But when I think about it deeply, it's something I thank God for, you know? Something I'm happy about and I thank God for, because that's really the essence of who I am. That's who I started doing this for in the first place. So I feel a sense of the mission being accomplished. And I always wanted to be, like — everyone that heard my music or came to my shows or anything to resonate with what they see and hear, you know? I wanted to feel like they see and hear their own selves, their own souls. I just want them to see that it's not me doing it, you understand? It's them. It's something that belongs to them.
On whether there's a track on "Love, Damini" that speaks to his heart
If you ever heard my voice on it, then you're hearing my heart. I don't make that type of music that you can pick a favorite. You know, 'This is the one. Oh, this is the..." No, everything is a part of my soul and a part of my being and a part of my experiences in life.
On his documentary, and meeting the residents of Port Harcourt
The people who have the worst end of the stick — you know, people who have basically been forgotten by everyone and by the government and by the powers that be and, you know, just forgotten — to me, that's the part that really breaks me the most, to see that there's actually people that have been forgotten.
It's almost like my people are superhuman, man. Like, no matter what happens, we still find a way to put smiles on our faces, man, even when we should be crying all day long.
On whether he's afraid of losing fans when he writes about social or environmental issues, like the pollution in Port Harcourt
I have no problem losing fans because of that. Anybody who's not comfortable with hearing the reality — my reality — has no business being my fan.
veryGood! (16129)
Related
- Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy case reaches 'impasse' over NIL information for CU star
- Get 2 Benefit Cosmetics Liquid Eyeliners for the Price of 1, 62% off Free People Dresses, and More Deals
- The women’s NCAA Tournament had center stage. The stars, and the games, delivered in a big way
- Here’s how to protect yourself from common scams this tax season
- Bet365 ordered to refund $519K to customers who it paid less than they were entitled on sports bets
- Why this fact about sperm matters for couples trying to conceive
- As US traffic fatalities fall, distracted drivers told to 'put the phone away or pay'
- Bucknell University student found dead, unrelated to active shooter alert university says
- Golf's No. 1 Nelly Korda looking to regain her form – and her spot on the Olympic podium
- Billie Eilish Reacts to Backlash After Comments About Artists Releasing Wasteful Vinyls
Ranking
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- The Daily Money: Who wants to live to 100?
- Young children misbehave. Some are kicked out of school for acting their age
- Judge refuses to toss out tax case against Hunter Biden
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Beyoncé pushes the confines of genre with 'Cowboy Carter.' Country will be better for it.
- Rep. Mike Turner says there is a chaos caucus who want to block any Congressional action
- Multiple people hurt in Texas crash involving as many as 30 vehicles during dust storm
Recommendation
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
Shooting at a Walmart south of Atlanta left 1 dead and a girl wounded. Suspect is on the run.
Women's Elite Eight: 'Swatkins' and Portland's screwy 3-point lines among winners, losers
Donald Trump has posted a $175 million bond to avert asset seizure as he appeals NY fraud penalty
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé's first country album, has arrived
'American Idol' recap: Who made it into the Top 24 contestants during 'Showstoppers'?
Person is diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with cows in Texas