Over the weekend, Burna Boy made history by becoming the first African artist to perform as the opening act at a stadium show in the UK.
60,000 sold-out spectators shouted back the Grammy winner's Afrobeats lyrics at the London Stadium.
And he didn't let us down with his two-hour set, performing with well-known pals like Stormzy and Dave while riding a massive merry-go-round.
Due in large part to artists like Burna Boy and Wizkid, afrobeats—a fusion of African and Western influences—have experienced a tremendous increase in popularity in recent years.
The pair, two of Nigeria's biggest stars, have performed as the headliners at some of the biggest music festivals in the world, but on Saturday night, Burna Boy upped the ante.
He bounced around the stage in a vivid orange jumpsuit as fans danced in the aisles, creating the impression of a carnival.
One of them was 27-year-old Kojo Amankwah, who claims to have flown 3,000 miles from Ghana to attend the historic concert.
"I loved observing the diverse crowd that was brought together by Burna Boy's music. He tells Newsbeat, "I've never seen anything like it.
The greatest performers of all time, like Michael Jackson and Beyoncé, have been able to accomplish it. Burna Boy has now completed the task. ".
Burna Boy invited notable performers like J Hus and Jamaican singer Popcaan to the star-studded performance in addition to Stormzy and Dave.
The absence of warm-up acts, according to Kojo, demonstrates how far Afrobeats has come.
According to him, Burna Boy and his band didn't require the co-headlining act that is typically present at concerts.
We've never before witnessed such star power in African music, to my knowledge. " .
This weekend, Burna Boy will bring afrobeats to the world of football when he performs at the Champions League final in Istanbul.
However, these sold-out performances stand in stark contrast to the star's modest beginnings.
In 2014, according to Kojo, there were only around 14 people in the audience when Burna Boy performed in Ghana.
"He didn't actually come out that night, perhaps due to the small crowd. I didn't anticipate him showing up so quickly.
The world needed a new sound after Covid, and afrobeats is currently the hottest genre. ".
The Afrobeats genre, which has been dominating charts around the world and TikTok dance challenges, is seen as having achieved a major milestone by selling out a UK stadium.
The total number of weeks that Afrobeats artists spent in the Official Chart Top 40 in 2019 increased from 24 weeks in 2017 to 86 weeks.
Some of the biggest stars in the world have since embraced it, with Beyonce and Drake including artists on their albums.
Afrobeats musician TBaze from the UK is motivated by Burna Boy's popularity and the development of his sound.
The progress our genre has made is encouraging. The sound that brings happiness to people, according to him, is Afrobeats.
"It goes beyond just the artists, musicians, or fans. It is for the populace.
"The crowd represents a multicultural and diverse community. Through this experience, we are discovering various cultures. " .
Looking ahead, TBaze claims that the genre is expanding as a result of social media.
Many musicians are required to consider how their music relates to things like TikTok dance challenges. Instagram reels or freestyle competitions might be involved.
"I consider that when I'm writing a song because accessibility is important.
"In the future, I anticipate that people will incorporate Afrobeats into their genres even more. ".
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