Nigerian musician, Burna Boy, wins Grammy award

Nigerian music superstar, Burna Boy, has won a Grammy award.

The musician, who was nominated for the 2020 edition of the global award, lost to Angelique Kidjo.

The singer won the Best Global Music Album category for his latest body of work, ‘Twice As Tall’.

Born in Nigeria’s Port Harcourt, Burna Boy released his first album, LIFE, an acronym for Leaving an Impact For Eternity, in 2013.

That album was followed by the release of Redemption in 2015 and Outside in 2018 that included the international hit track, Ye.

At the height of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa in 2019, he threatened to never set foot in the country again unless the government took action, although he has since performed in the country.

He was also closely involved in the #EndSARS anti-police brutality protests in Nigeria last year, setting up a fund for victims and releasing a song in memory of those killed on 20 October 2020 at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos.

He also recently tweeted his support for protesters in Senegal who took to the streets after the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Sikiru Adepoju, a percussionist, is the first Nigerian to have won the Grammy. He won it in 2009 with the “Global Drum Project” a collaborative album with Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, and Giovanni Hidalgo.

Ayo Balogun, the Afrobeats superstar popularly known as Wizkid, is the other Nigerian who has won the grammy; coincidentally he and Burna Boy got their first awards on the same day at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards ceremony.

While Wizkid won for his collaboration with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy on the song “Brown Skin Girl”, Burna Boy who is dubbed ‘Odogwu’ won for his fifth studio album.

The news of Burna’s victory has fans gyrating all over social media, with many saying that the Afro-Fusion star has now placed Nigeria back on the world’s music map.