Nigeria’s Burna Boy, born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, has achieved a historic milestone in the music industry by becoming the first international Afrobeats artist to attain the coveted number one position on the UK album charts with his latest release, “I Told Them…,” as confirmed by the UK’s Official Charts Company on Friday. This achievement follows closely on the heels of his previous album, “Love, Damini,” which reached the second spot on the UK album rankings the previous year.
While several British talents, such as J Hus, have enjoyed chart-topping success within the Afrobeats genre, Burna Boy’s accomplishment stands out as the first instance of a foreign artist achieving this distinction. This milestone signifies the continued ascent of Afrobeats not only in Britain but also globally, with artists like Wizkid and Davido garnering mainstream recognition and significantly influencing segments of popular culture.
Martin Talbot, the CEO of the Official Charts Company, commended Burna Boy for pioneering this achievement, describing it as a “fantastic accomplishment” that showcases British music fans’ openness to new music and diverse cultural influences. The past decade has witnessed a surge in interest in Afrobeats’ musical culture, reflecting the enthusiasm of Western audiences for this genre.
Afrobeats, named after the Afrobeat genre popularized by Fela Kuti in the 1970s and originating in Nigeria, first captured Western audiences’ attention in 2016 with the hit song “One Dance,” featuring Canadian superstar Drake and Wizkid. This track became the most-played song on Spotify, amassing over one billion streams. Alongside Nigerian luminaries like Burna Boy and Wizkid, Ghanaian musicians with substantial social media followings are also emerging, poised to make their mark on the global stage.
