“This is going to be legendary, it’s history and I can’t wait for you all to be a part of that”
Burna Boy announced a concert at the London Stadium on June 3, 2023.
The African giant will perform at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of his “Love, Damini” tour, making him the first African artist to perform at a British stadium — tickets go on sale at 10:00 GMT on Friday, November 25, here.
Speaking about the upcoming show, Burna Boy said: “The London Stadium will be my exhibition venue! I was told that I couldn’t achieve anything because of where I come from. I hope it can show people that when you have a dream, no matter where you come from, your dream can come true. It’s going to be legendary, it’s history, and I can’t wait for you all to be a part of it.”
Burna Boy’s sixth album, “Love, Damini,” was released earlier this year and described a three-star review as “an eclectic, emotional exploration of afro-pop.”
He continued: “Love, Damini” could be Burna’s biggest record to date, full of heart and rhythmic passion. But this is depressingly little: the melodies are repeated too often and, apart from the above-mentioned highlights, do not show much progress. There is a feeling that Burna Boy — a party lover and an emotional genius — could have done more to make something original. We’re just waiting for that magic again.”
Speaking to NME in his Big Read cover in 2020, Bern Boy called England, where he studied media at the University of Sussex and then Oxford Brookes, “literally my second home.”
“Unlike many Western countries, there are Africans in the UK,” he said. “If you go to America, see a black man and ask him where he’s from, he’ll tell you he’s from Michigan or somewhere else. When you land at Heathrow and ask any black person where you’re from, you’ll get an answer like Nigeria, Senegal or Ghana.
“The UK has very strong roots here in Africa. It’s similar to how the tree you see now in the UK was planted in Africa. That’s why he’s so strong. It is so strong that it cannot be broken.”
This year, Burna Boy performed at the Glastonbury Festival, but refused to participate in Wireless, where he was supposed to perform in London and Birmingham.
