Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Burna Boy has shared the story behind his first-ever recording, revealing that he began making music at the young age of 13 using basic tools and video game soundtracks.
In a conversation with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, the Afro-fusion star detailed how he created his debut track on his own, long before stepping into a professional studio.
“The first song I ever recorded was by myself, you wouldn’t even believe this. I had a tape, a radio and I had a tape recorder, whatever, and I would use the beat from video games and some shit,” he said.
Explaining further, Burna Boy said the beats came from some of his favourite games at the time.
“So I used one from NBA Street, Volume II, I think, one from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, it was one of the GTAs, one of the early GTAs, I guess. So the first song I recorded was with that, playing that beat and then recording and then, yeah, that’s how it went. How old was I, man? I don’t know, man. I can’t remember. Yeah, around 13.”
The singer, popularly known as the African Giant, recently released his eighth studio album, No Sign of Weakness, and is expected to embark on a world tour in September 2025.
