Ten years on and Burna Boy is playing in venues that he had dreamt of.
Ever since the release of debut album Life, the Nigerian Afrobeat singer has grown from a promising talent who performed at clubs to becoming the first African artist to sell out stadium shows in Europe and North America.
Those sold-out concerts at London Stadium and New York’s Citi Field not only places him in a rarefied category of pop stardom, but it also increases the anticipation for the August 24 release of his next album I Told Them.
With a new world tour planned and undoubtedly featuring more stadium gigs, does the Location singer have what it takes to pull off such a mammoth feat regularly?
Here is what The National learnt from Burna Boy’s headline performance in front of 30,000 people at the Big Slap Festival in Malmo, Sweden on Friday.
1. He has mass appeal
A key factor to Burna Boy’s rise is an all-encompassing appeal.
Selling out stadiums often requires a body of work that attracts casual listeners and dedicated fans. Burna Boy’s successful headline performance at the Big Slap Festival shows he has achieved that balance.
In a day of eclectic performances by hip-hop, RnB, pop and EDM acts, his performance was sparkling in its positivity and genre-bending songs.
Whether it’s the euphoric hooks of Wonderful to the grinding Afrobeats groove of Gbona, there is something for everyone to sing and dance to in a Burna Boy show.
2. He has a killer band
Another aspect that distinguishes Burna Boy from arena-performing peers Wizkid and Davido is that he performs with full live accompaniment on stage.
Then again to describe The Outsiders as a mere backing band is a disservice.
At the Big Slap Festival, they totalled a dozen, featuring five backing singers along with a horn and rhythm section.
With no DJ in sight, the group skillfully recreated the colourful melange of West African and Western sounds and styles of Burna Boy tracks.
Better yet, the band also puts on a show of their own.
The Outsiders often take the front of the stage with their instruments – including portable drum sets – and dance away with Burna Boy and the crowd.
More than entertainment, it is these kind of seemingly off-the-cuff moments that make stadium shows special.
3. He is a showman
While there is a fair share of bravado, Burna Boy’s onstage demeanour has an endearing child-like glee.
Both aspects came to light in Malmo in a particularly concerning moment.
During the opening minutes of the show, Burna Boy fell headfirst into one of the spotlights.
Using a towel to dabble the blood away from the gash on his head, bravado mode kicked in as he coolly stated: “I will bleed for my fans".
A few minutes later, his mega-watt smile was back as he danced around the stage and engaging with the crowds.
While his recorded vocals are often a seductive croon, Burna Boy dials it up on stage giving high-energy performances for songs such as Ye and Last Last.
Blending along with his backing vocalist, the concert is full of some awe-inspiring vocal harmonies owing more to gospel music than Afrobeats.
The fact the music was accessible enough that crowds sang along to the lyrics that featured a mix of languages including Nigeria’s Yoruba, Igbo and pidgin English, is the biggest sign that Burna Boy is not done conquering stadiums yet.
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Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Results
2.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner Lamia, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner Jap Al Afreet, Elione Chaves, Irfan Ellahi.
3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m
Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m
Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.
Company%20Profile
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LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
