Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, professionally known as Burnaboy has been named as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2024.
The 32 year old Grammy award winner was listed as an icon alongside American businessman Mark Cuban, popular movie star Taraji Henson, and Thelma Golden who was nominated by Michelle Obama.
Burnaboy was nominated by Angelique Kidjo, a senior colleague in the music industry and fellow grammy winner, notably winning the coeveted award 5 times.
Her nomination statement which earned Burnanboy a position on the list read “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.
“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.”
Kidjo was named one of the 100 most influential people by TIME magazine in 2021 in recognition of her significant contributions to music and her influence in blending cultures to create a unique and soulful sound.
Burna Boy featured Angelique Kidjo on his song including “Different” from his album “African Giant,” which won him his grammy, and has also been featured on Angelique Kidjo’s song “Do Yourself,” from her album “Mother Nature.”
