Nigeria's Burna Boy says Grammy win marks 'big moment' for African music

By Alexis Akwagyiram and Angela Ukomadu
LAGOS, March 22 (Reuters) - Modern African music is altering
perceptions of the continent as part of a global cultural shift
that marks a "big moment", Nigerian music artist Burna Boy told
Reuters after hailing his first Grammy award.
Burna Boy was awarded a Grammy for the Best Global Music
Album this month for 'Twice As Tall' which was released last
year.
He is part of a generation of Nigerian music artists, which
include Wizkid and Davido, that has enjoyed global success in
recent years as proponents of the Afrobeats sound. The African
genre is now almost as likely to be heard in London or Los
Angeles as it is in Lagos.
"It's a big moment and a big time for African music and
Africans in general," said Burna Boy, during an interview at his
home in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos.
The artist, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, said his award
was part of a "domino effect" that gives Africans more control
over the way they are perceived through technology, as streaming
services take the continent's arts to a global audience.
"I didn't even want to be African when I was little," he
said. "I wanted to be anything but who I was, because who we are
wasn't really the cool thing to be," said the artist, who grew
up in southern Nigeria and moved to London as a child before
returning to the west African country.
He said his win showed that African music was attracting
worldwide respect.
Those sentiments were shared by many at Edge Music Academy,
in the Jakande district of Lagos, where students compose music
in a studio decked out with microphones, laptops and a keyboard.
"The future is bright," said student Obi Prince. "The way
Afrobeats is represented in the world right now can only be a
start for Nigerian artists. We just have to do our thing and
bring out ourselves more globally," he said.
The academy's chief executive officer, Michael Tijani, said
Burna Boy's win was a "huge deal" for Nigerian music.
"People coming into the industry now have a more concrete
belief that you can actually get as far as anybody else in the
world can go," he said.
Reclining in a chair in his home studio, Burna Boy reflected
on his success.
"You can't mention the top five musicians in the world
without throwing me or an African in there," he said, smiling.
"Now we're eye to eye with the people we used to look up to."

(Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Marguerita Choy)