What a week it’s been for Burna Boy! The Nigerian artist was announced as the headliner for the upcoming DStv Delicious Festival just yesterday and today, he drops his highly-anticipated new album ‘Love, Damini’.
The album follows the African Giant’s Grammy Award Winning album, Twice As Tall and was written as Burna Boy’s personal letter to his fans. Each track was inspired by significant life events that have impacted Burna. The record marks a coming of age into his and captures Burna Boy’s new sound as he turns the page on a new musical era. In his recent Billboard cover story, Burna exclusively spoke to the album’s personal meaning.
Accompanied alongside the album is an official video for “For My Hand” featuring Grammy-award-winning Ed Sheeran. Burna recently joined Sheeran on stage at Wembley Stadium to officially debut the song and perform it live together for the first time. Additonally, the album features collaborations with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Kehlani, Khalid, JHus and more.
Preceding the release of the album, Burna Boy released earworm “Last Last” off the album that includes a notable sample of Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and an official visual directed by Burna himself and shot at his home amongst other handpicked locations. Produced by Chopstix (Burna Boy’s “Outside”) the single captures Burna singing with startling candor on broken hearts, mistakes, and consolations in a playful yet impactful sound that has become his very own soundtrack. The single has reached nearly 2 billion streams worldwide to date and gained virality on TikTok.
Sharing the record, Burna Boy penned an emotional letter to his fans:
After turning 30, birthdays seem to make you reflect on your life choices, or a lack thereof—your goals, dreams, hopes, achievements and fears.
Even though it put me in a vulnerable place, it also challenged me to do and feel more. I started working on a Punjab mixtape with the late great Sidhu Moose Wala, halfway through recording this project, because I needed to open my mind more.
I’m eternally grateful to him for that, and so, on this album, I thought about a few things:
“Start as you intend to finish.”
Shout-out to the iconic group from South Africa, the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo, for bringing their energy to tracks 1 and 19 (the beginning and end).
“Love is fragile.”
Relations and relationships are fragile; compartmentalising the different shades of grey around this concept in “For My Hand”, “Science” and “Last Last”. Hopefully this translates to you all.
“Expect nothing.”
Just don’t forget that life can feel like a cloak-and-dagger mission.
“Dream wildly and live intentionally.”
People may never get it, but do it anyway!
I want you to listen to this and feel like it’s a roller coaster ride. Catch a vibe, buss a whine, party like it’s your birthday, or even grab a tissue. I’ve got you, always.
Love,
Damini
Listen to ‘Love, Damini’ below and read more music news here.
