Burna Boy performs during the 2021 Governors Ball Music Festival at Citi Field on September 26, 2021 in New York City.
Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Governors BallGearing up for his Hollywood Bowl performance on Friday night (Oct. 8), Burna Boy is feeling blessed. Recovering from a late-night recording session in Los Angeles that dipped into the morning, the illustrious afro-fusion star caught up with Billboard ahead of the historic set.
“I'm feeling legendary," Burna says. "Coming from where I'm from and to be doing that in L.A., the capital of entertainment of the world, for me is legendary.”
The trail-blazing artist has gone coast-to-coast, gracing the stage at New York's Governors Ball last week and gearing up for a Halloween night performance at San Francisco's Outside Lands as a part of his ongoing Space Drift Arena Tour.
His latest single, "Want It All," alongside Chicago MC Polo G, marked a step into a new genre for the afro-fusion pioneer, something he says excites him. "It's about the generation, this is kind of an evolution from the past generation and it’s crazy to see," he says.
Both Polo G and Burna are coming off of wildly successful albums, Burna's Twice As Tall debuting at No. 1 on the World Albums chart and going on to win the Grammy for best global music album in 2021. The track melds the styles of the two worlds-apart artists into an inspiring trap anthem.
"Want It All" isn't the first time the Nigerian native has dipped into other genres. He's done a number of collaborations with UK artists on pop, R&B and rap tunes, as well as linking up with Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel. Now he's adding another genre to that list. During his interview with Billboard, Burna teases future Latin music collaborations with Colombian chart-toppers Maluma -- who he's worked with already -- and J Balvin, who he plans to work with in the near future. "I'm always trying to work on something new and find that thing I've never done," he says.
As for the new generation of afro-fusion artists taking the scene by storm, Burna is proud. "Same with Fela [Kuti] creating afro-beats, I created afro-fusion. It’s my biggest achievement in life," he says. "It’s always a blessing to see [the genre] get to where it's going right now, especially with the new generation."
Tickets to tonight's show are available for purchase on Ticketmaster.
Sade will not be attending their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this week.
The English group, made up of Sade Adu, Paul Denman, Stuart Matthewman, and Andrew Hale, are among this year's inductees into the prestigious institution. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this Saturday.
However, a representative for Sade confirmed on Tuesday through the band's official website that none of the members would be attending the event.
"We're sorry that we won't be able to join everyone in person to celebrate alongside the other artists. However, our absence does not lessen how deeply this recognition means to us," they stated. "Being welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a wonderful honour and a meaningful opportunity to express our gratitude, not just to everyone who voted for us, but to every person who has made our music part of their lives."
The representative also acknowledged their manager Roger Davies for his support and paid tribute to the late engineer and co-producer Mike Pela, who passed away in 2022.
"We owe so much to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey," they continued, before signing the message: "Sade, Stuart, Andrew, and Paul. Mike Pela, the fifth member of Sade... This recognition belongs to you just as much as it does to us, Mike. You will always be our soul mate."
Sade will be joining Oasis among the artists missing this year's ceremony. Liam Gallagher previously addressed his absence in a message on X, saying the journey was "too far" for him to make just "for the night".
The other musicians being recognised at this weekend's ceremony include Billy Idol, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, the late Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
