Burna Boy Tells Apple Music’s Dotty About His Love For The Clash, Favourite Genres & Misconceptions About Him

Global superstar Burna Boy has joined Dotty on The Dotty Show on Apple Music 1 to discuss his relentless work rate and why passion keeps him creating, whether he’s ever felt close to burnout, and why he never looks back at his albums once they’re released.

He also opens up about his eclectic taste in music, from his love of rock legends The Clash to appreciating every genre as a universal language, and addresses some of the strangest misconceptions about him.

Burna Boy opens up on his love for The Clash and listening to all genres of music…

“I’m a music guy. You see, that’s the thing. It’s like you won’t believe the kind of music I listen to. I listen to rock bands like The Clash and ‘Bankrobber’. “He was a bank robber. He never hurt nobody. He just love to live that way. He love to take your money.” That’s The Clash. And then the Clash – ‘I fought the law’. My mum’s music. It’s not just that I listen to some of that. I listen to everything. Everything that makes me feel something. I appreciate it because that’s what music is. Music is a language. Just like English is a language and French is a language and you understand. But the problem is all these other languages have divisions. English is a universal language. You understand? Everyone understands it. Even if you speak different languages. I listen to all types of music and appreciate all types of music the same way I appreciate my own. So yeah”.

Burna Boy discusses his relentless work rate and feelings towards taking his foot off the gas…

“It’s not even about business anymore. It’s never really been about business. It’s about passion. That’s the word. That’s the English word, but it’s deeper than that even because it’s like even when I didn’t drop an album last year, I still had an album ready. So that still means I was still working. I was still doing all the shows everywhere and still touring or whatever. But there’s always something there. There’s always music to be made and there’s just always something there. And if I don’t do it while it’s right in front of me, then I just feel like I’ve done something wrong”.

Burna Boy discusses if he’s ever been close to burn out and taking time away…

“Not seriously, you feel me? It’s only maybe when something is like – for example – I had this situation just the other day in Germany, I think where I’m performing under the rain, you feel me? And I love it, but then the mic goes off. It’s not just my mic, you feel me? Because of the rain. And then I had to go off stage the first time and wait for them to fix it and then just wait. It’s punishment, bro. You see what I’m saying? And then I come back and do the show and then I pick it back up and then somewhere along it happens again. I’m so passionate about it. So it’s like when something like that happens, it almost just throws me off. So after that happened, I’m feeling mad. I’m like, I don’t think I should perform for a while or something. This is, but then the next day it’s like I never really mean it. When I say stuff like that, it’s like I realise, I realise I’m so passionate about it. So it’s like I want to go stage now. I am over it”.

Burna Boy discusses how he’s always looking forward and never thought about which album might be his favourite to date…

“Everyone is the best one until it comes out. For me, from the moment that one comes out, I already know the next album, so I’m already there. So really what I’m doing with this one now is just touring it and performing or whatever, but then my head is already at the next one, so I can’t really – I’ve never really sat down to appreciate every album. The way someone who isn’t me would if I come out of myself and then sit where you are sitting. Yeah. Then maybe it would make sense. But I haven’t really been able to do that”.

Listen to the full interview on The Dotty Show on Apple Music 1 at 15:00 BST, or anytime on demand with an Apple Music subscription HERE.