This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-65810233
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Burna Boy makes history with sold-out London Stadium gig | Burna Boy makes history with sold-out London Stadium gig |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The gig probably won't be the Last Last time we see Burna Boy headlining a UK stadium | The gig probably won't be the Last Last time we see Burna Boy headlining a UK stadium |
| Burna Boy made history over the weekend when he became the first African artist to headline a stadium show in the UK. | Burna Boy made history over the weekend when he became the first African artist to headline a stadium show in the UK. |
| A sold-out crowd of 60,000 fans screamed the Grammy award-winner's Afrobeats lyrics back to him at the London Stadium. | A sold-out crowd of 60,000 fans screamed the Grammy award-winner's Afrobeats lyrics back to him at the London Stadium. |
| And he didn't disappoint with his two-hour set - bringing out famous friends like Stormzy and Dave on a giant merry-go-round to perform alongside him. | And he didn't disappoint with his two-hour set - bringing out famous friends like Stormzy and Dave on a giant merry-go-round to perform alongside him. |
| Afrobeats - a mix of African and Western influences - has seen a massive rise in popularity over recent years thanks to the likes of Burna Boy and Wizkid. | Afrobeats - a mix of African and Western influences - has seen a massive rise in popularity over recent years thanks to the likes of Burna Boy and Wizkid. |
| The pair, two of Nigeria's biggest stars, have headlined some of the world's major music festivals but it was Burna Boy who took it to another level on Saturday night. | The pair, two of Nigeria's biggest stars, have headlined some of the world's major music festivals but it was Burna Boy who took it to another level on Saturday night. |
| Fans danced in the aisles, creating a carnival like atmosphere as he bounced around the stage in a bright orange jumpsuit. | Fans danced in the aisles, creating a carnival like atmosphere as he bounced around the stage in a bright orange jumpsuit. |
| One of them was Kojo Amankwah, 27, who says he travelled 3,000 miles from Ghana to be at the historic gig. | One of them was Kojo Amankwah, 27, who says he travelled 3,000 miles from Ghana to be at the historic gig. |
| "I loved seeing how multi-racial the crowd was, united by the power of Burna Boy's music. It was unlike anything I've ever seen," he tells Newsbeat. | "I loved seeing how multi-racial the crowd was, united by the power of Burna Boy's music. It was unlike anything I've ever seen," he tells Newsbeat. |
| "It's something the greatest performers of all time like Beyoncé and Michael Jackson have been able to achieve. And now Burna Boy's done it." | "It's something the greatest performers of all time like Beyoncé and Michael Jackson have been able to achieve. And now Burna Boy's done it." |
| Kojo Amankwah travelled 3,000 miles to see Burna Boy live | Kojo Amankwah travelled 3,000 miles to see Burna Boy live |
| As well as Stormzy and Dave, Burna Boy also brought out big names like J Hus and Jamaican vocalist Popcaan as part of the star-studded gig. | As well as Stormzy and Dave, Burna Boy also brought out big names like J Hus and Jamaican vocalist Popcaan as part of the star-studded gig. |
| But Kojo says the fact he had no warm-up acts shows how far Afrobeats has come. | But Kojo says the fact he had no warm-up acts shows how far Afrobeats has come. |
| "When you go for concerts, usually there's a co-headliner, Burna Boy and his band didn't need any of that," he says. | "When you go for concerts, usually there's a co-headliner, Burna Boy and his band didn't need any of that," he says. |
| "To know he has that much star power is something we've never seen before in African music." | "To know he has that much star power is something we've never seen before in African music." |
| 'It's for the people' | 'It's for the people' |
| Someone else who was at the gig was Cata Hopkins - who was so excited that she was at the stadium for 10:00 GMT. | Someone else who was at the gig was Cata Hopkins - who was so excited that she was at the stadium for 10:00 GMT. |
| "It's so hard to even put it into words, the energy was just wild the whole entire day," she says. | "It's so hard to even put it into words, the energy was just wild the whole entire day," she says. |
| "I met so many friends and other people that were there to have a good time and I think the best thing about the atmosphere was just how positive it was. | "I met so many friends and other people that were there to have a good time and I think the best thing about the atmosphere was just how positive it was. |
| "Everyone was just happy and everybody was there feeding off the amazing energy that Burna and his band bring to the performance." | "Everyone was just happy and everybody was there feeding off the amazing energy that Burna and his band bring to the performance." |
| Cata Hopkins made sure she got to the London Stadium early for the gig | Cata Hopkins made sure she got to the London Stadium early for the gig |
| Selling out a UK stadium has been hailed as a massive moment for the genre, which has been appearing on charts across the world and taking over TikTok dance challenges. | Selling out a UK stadium has been hailed as a massive moment for the genre, which has been appearing on charts across the world and taking over TikTok dance challenges. |
| It's also been embraced by some of the world's biggest stars - with Beyoncé and Drake featuring Afrobeats artists on their albums. | It's also been embraced by some of the world's biggest stars - with Beyoncé and Drake featuring Afrobeats artists on their albums. |
| The Official Charts company has told Newsbeat that Afrobeats songs are now spending nearly 10 times as many weeks in the top 40 than they did two years ago. | |
| Burna Boy's hit Last Last peaked at number four in the Official Singles Chart Top 40, while Rema's Calm Down - which features Selena Gomez - is currently number three. | |
| Afrobeats: 'The sound that's penetrated around the world' | Afrobeats: 'The sound that's penetrated around the world' |
| Listen back to the latest Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show | Listen back to the latest Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show |
| Typewriter artist surprised by Burna Boy's response | Typewriter artist surprised by Burna Boy's response |
| Burna Boy's also dominated the Official UK Afrobeats Chart, which launched on BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2020. | |
| And he's also taking Afrobeats to the football this weekend, when he performs at the Champions League final in Istanbul. | |
| TBaze is an Afrobeats musician in the UK who feels inspired by Burna Boy's success and the rise of his sound. | TBaze is an Afrobeats musician in the UK who feels inspired by Burna Boy's success and the rise of his sound. |
| "It's not even just about the artist, musicians or fans. It's for the people," he says. | "It's not even just about the artist, musicians or fans. It's for the people," he says. |
| "The crowd represents a diverse community and it's cross-cultural. We're learning about different cultures through this experience." | "The crowd represents a diverse community and it's cross-cultural. We're learning about different cultures through this experience." |
| Burna Boy brought out some big names, like Dave, for the sold-out concert | Burna Boy brought out some big names, like Dave, for the sold-out concert |
| Looking ahead to the future of the genre, TBaze says the genre is growing because of social media. | Looking ahead to the future of the genre, TBaze says the genre is growing because of social media. |
| "A lot of artists have to think about how the music relates to things like TikTok dance challenges. It could be Instagram reels or freestyle challenges. | "A lot of artists have to think about how the music relates to things like TikTok dance challenges. It could be Instagram reels or freestyle challenges. |
| "That accessibility is essential and I think about that when I'm writing a song. | "That accessibility is essential and I think about that when I'm writing a song. |
| "In future, I'd imagine people will be fusing Afrobeats into their genres even more." | "In future, I'd imagine people will be fusing Afrobeats into their genres even more." |
| Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube. | Follow Newsbeat on Twitter and YouTube. |
| Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. | Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Afrobeats | Afrobeats |
| Dave | Dave |
| Nigeria | Nigeria |
| London | London |
| Stormzy | Stormzy |
| Ghana | Ghana |
| African Music | African Music |
| Music | Music |