Burna Boy Becomes First African Artist to Sell Out a Stadium in the United States
A very popular African artist recently made history when he performed at a venue in New York City this past weekend.
According to OkayAfrica, as he stood on the stage of Queens, NY’s Citi Field, Burna Boy became the first African artist to perform at a sold-out stadium in the United States. The feat took place this past weekend on Saturday, July 8 where every seat in the stadium (41,800) was occupied. On his Instagram account, this appears to be his fifth showcase at a New York venue following stints at the PlayStation Theater in 2017, followed by a show he did at the Gramercy Theater the next year in 2018. He took on Harlem’s The Apollo stage in 2019 and performed at Madison Square Garden last year. When he took on Madison Square Garden, he became the first Nigerian artist to headline a show there.
View this post on Instagram
The African artist allowed the crowd to hear songs from some of his projects including “Love Damini,” “Twice As Tall,” “African Giant,” and “Outside.” Burna Boy, real name Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu MFR, is from Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Global Grind has reported that the Nigerian made history last month when he became the first African artist to be the headliner at a stadium in the United Kingdom. When he performed at London Stadium, he did so in front of a sold-out crowd of over 60,000 people. During his two-hour set, he brought out some of his celebrity friends like Stormzy and Dave on a giant merry-go-round to perform alongside him.
The Nigerian’s popularity has soared over the past few years. Even Swizz Beats has taken credit for helping Americans discover him and his music according to HipHopDx. “[I was the] first person to bring Burna Boy to the States. Actually, he had a Ruff Ryders bandana on and I introduced him on the stage.
The popularity of Burna Boy doesn’t seem like it will die down anytime soon.
