I’ve known since Burna Boy was 13 that he would be great – Bose Ogulu

Bose Ogulu, the mother of popular singer, Damini ”Burna Boy” Ogulu has said she knew he would be great at something, since he was a teenager.

According to the talent manager, when her son was around 13/14 years, she started seeing signs of who he would grow up to be.

She stated this in a recent interview with BBC, adding that Burna is still a work in progress in spite his achievements.

Mrs Ogulu revealed that in order to manage the Grammy winner, she had to step away from the language school she was running – a decision she says she was confident in making.

She said; “I admire the diligence, the hard work but he’s still a work in progress. There are many more milestones to attain. We need to not just step down and look at what we’ve done, but keep doing more.

“I ran a language school for 18 years. I quickly understood the power of languages and the power of culture. I have known since he was probably 13 or 14 that he was going to be great at something. I had already seen him in the studio, I had already watched him form a high school band.

“From when he was in JSS3, which I think would be Year 9, we started trading studio time for grades. I would say: ‘OK, if you make a B or an A in this, I’ll pay for studio time during your mid-term’.”

However, she said she wasn’t prepared for Burna Boy to drop out of university in order to pursue his burgeoning music career.

She said; “That was my problem, like ‘OK you can do this, but you’re almost there. How about you just finish this degree programme’.

“That’s where the African in me came out. Together his father, my father and I sat down and told him the consequences of doing it his way and he was like: ‘That’s fine’.”

Burna Boy won a Grammy award in 2021 after being nominated twice. He clinched the award for Best Global Music Album for his 2020 album ‘Twice as Tall.’