Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, professionally known as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer (born 2 July 1991). He is recognized as one of the artists promoting Afrobeats globally. After the release of “Like to party” in 2012 which became the lead single of his debut album, L.I.F.E, was when Burna Boy rose to stardom. Burna Boy is the founder of Spaceship Entertainment and is currently signed to Warner Music Group.
Profile Summary
| Real Name | Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu |
| Stage Name | Burna Boy |
| Date of Birth | July 2, 1991 |
| State of Origin | River State |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter and Record label owner |
| Net Worth | $20 million |
Early Life/Education
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu was born in Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria. He grew up alongside two sisters, Jehovah-Nissi and Romani. Burna Boy’s parents are Samuel Ogulu (father) and Bose (mother). His father worked in a welding company while his mother worked as a translator for the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce, she was also a former Kalakuta Queen, one of the female dancers of Fela Kuti.
He gained admission into the University of Sussex to study Media Technology from 2008 to 2009. From 2009 to 2010, he studied Media Communications and Culture at Oxford Brooks University.
Burna Boy’s grandfather by name Benson Idonijie, a veteran radio broadcaster, music critic and one-time band manager of Fela Kuti. Burna Boy attended Montessori International School before proceeding to Corona Secondary School in Agbara, Ogun State, for his secondary education. After completing his secondary education, Burna Boy relocated to the United Kingdom to further his studies.
Career
Burna Boy’s passion for music started when he was in secondary school, he joined a music group that played at events.
As his love for music keeps increasing, he went to London for further studies. His love for music was so strong that his mother noticed it and helped him get an internship at a radio station. Burna Boy dedicated his time for music as he would work during the day and then spend time recording songs in the studio after work.
He did a one year internship with Rhythm 93.7 FM Port Harcourt before officially launching his professional music career when he was signed on to Aristocrat records which prompted his permanent relocation to Lagos State.
Burna Boy has released a series of EPs, singles, mixtapes and albums including 2018’s extraordinary “Outside”. The award-winning collection led to Burna’s U.S breakthrough, debuting at #3 on Billboard’s “Reggae Albums”chart, which was partly fueled by the blockbuster single/video, “Ye”. His most recent album, “African Giant”, released in July 2019 has garnered praise from both Nigerian and international media.
Furthermore, the “African Giant” album got nominated for the 62nd Annual Grammy Award in the Best World Album category.Burna is among contemporary African music’s brightest stars and also the pioneer of an enigmatic genre he simply dubs “Afro-fusion”. The gifted singer-songwriter got featured on American songstress Beyonce’s curated Lion King soundtrack, “The Gift”. He also recently took home the 2019 BET Best International Act Award and 2019 MTV Europe Music Award for “Best African Act”.
Little wonder achieving remarkable feats such as performing at Coachella, releasing an EP with DJDS, selling out SSE Wembley 12,500 capacity Arena (making him the first Afrobeat artist to sell out the arena), making his debut appearance on NPR-Tiny Desk concert, appearing and performing at top interviews such as “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, “Daily Show” with Trevor Noah and “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon – and appearing on the cover of a lot of local and international magazines, wasn’t as surprising. He has also had over 70 performances with over 40 sold out shows across America and Europe in 2019 alone.
Relationship
Burna Boy splits his time between Lagos and London, where his girlfriend by name Stefflon Don lives. However, Burna posted on Instagram that he is no longer in a relationship with Stefflon Don.
Net Worth
Burna Boy is one of the top and successful artists in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. His success in the music industry has given him the opportunity to earn a fortune from his career through Royalties, brand partnership deals and performance at gigs.
He has an estimated net worth of $20 million to $25 million.