Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has revealed that there was a point in his life when he considered himself “more Jamaican.”
He explained that while studying in Brixton, United Kingdom, years ago, he was surrounded by Jamaicans and developed a deep connection with the Caribbean nation.
He said listening to Jamaican music while growing up also influenced his love for the country.
Speaking in an interview with Capital Xtra London, Burna Boy said, “Jamaica has always been a part of me — from my dad playing Super Cat and stuff when I was a kid to me ending up in Brixton, when almost every Nigerian in the UK was either in school or in Peckham. I ended up in Brixton.
“So, I considered myself more Jamaican at the time simply for the fact that everyone around me was Jamaican and Caribbean. There were minimal Nigerians around me at that time. When I go back home to Nigeria, then I’m really a Nigerian. But when I was here, I’m Jamaican. Even the Africans that were my guys were not Nigerians. They were Gambians, Ugandans, and Congolese. There were only two Nigerians in my crew.”
Burna Boy has previously revealed in an interview that he sees Jamaica as “home.”
He also said his style of music is heavily influenced by Jamaican reggae and dancehall.
Burna Boy dated British-Jamaican rapper Stefflon Don between 2019 and 2021.
