That helped make his last record, African Giant, a breakthrough in the US. In a parallel world, he would be continuing the gruelling tour schedule of the last few years, which has seen him bounce between Europe, the US and Africa. The chaos caused by Covid-19 means that Burna Boy is conducting promotion for his forthcoming album, Twice As Tall, from his home. With his partner, British R&B star Stefflon Don. In the end, however, it turns out he has quite a lot to say. “If you ask a question, he’s gonna answer it honestly, but it’s not gonna be a very long answer,” says a member of his team before we get started. I’m told he hates it when journalists expect long, detailed answers if he feels a short, curt response is all that’s needed. “I love the helicopter, you know,” he says, as I struggle to wrestle his attention from the on-screen destruction.
#BURNA BOY DANGOTE MP3 TOOXCLUSIVE PS4#
Then, after a few moments, the phone is put in front of Burna Boy, who says hello before picking up a PS4 joypad and carrying on a game of Grand Theft Auto. It looks a bit like the Korova Milkbar from A Clockwork Orange, all geometric shapes and bursts of dazzling white.
As the handset is passed around, I get a tour of the living room in his Lagos home. After a couple of false starts, his sister, who has been tasked with ensuring the interview takes place, answers the phone. Getting in touch with Burna Boy isn’t easy. Is that to make a political point? “It’s not a statement – it’s just me being who I am.” And who is that exactly? The music site Pitchfork described him as an “ everyman, local griot, global ambassador, party-starter”, but before we can find out, we have to get hold of him. That shows in the music,” he says, referring to the fact that he sings in a mix of Yoruba, Igbo and pidgin English. “I don’t really speak one language and I don’t only talk one way. But when he talks about his beloved Nigeria, the rich tones of the west African country are exposed, and it’s this that has made him arguably the continent’s most sought-after musical export. Ask him about the US, and a mid-Atlantic lilt comes into play quiz him on his time in the UK, and he sounds more like Skepta than King Sunny Ade. B urna Boy might be Africa’s biggest music star, but when he speaks, it’s hard to place exactly where he’s from.
0 kommentar(er)
