Burna Boy announced for UEFA Champion’s League kick-off show

16 March, 2023

Burna Boy has been announced to co-headline this year’s UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi.

The Nigerian Afrobeats star will perform at the sporting final on June 10 at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium, alongside another soon-to-be-announced “global sensation”, according to a press release.

“As a huge football fan myself, I know it doesn’t get any bigger than the UEFA Champions League!” Burna Boy said in a statement.

“That’s why I’m so excited to be performing on the Pepsi MAX stage at this year’s final. Music and football are the ultimate combination, so you already know I’ll be bringing the vibes and making magic in Istanbul. The world ain’t ready for what we have in store!”

Gustavo Reyna, Pepsi MAX’s senior director of global marketing, said: “The UEFA Champions League Final is the stand-out date of the club football calendar, and Pepsi MAX prides itself on marking the occasion with the very best entertainment spectacles.

“The newly named ‘Kick Off Show by Pepsi’ is going to be huge this year; we’re so excited to welcome Burna Boy, one of the world’s most exciting artists, to the Pepsi x UEFA Champions League stage and we can’t wait to see which fans are selected to feature as part of this truly unmissable performance. Stay tuned to find out who is co-headlining alongside Burna Boy in the weeks to come!”

UEFA marketing director, Guy-Laurent Epstein, added: “The UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show is a significant part of our joint efforts with Pepsi MAX, providing an incredible opportunity to reach new and younger audiences with some of the biggest names and rising stars in music. We’re excited to showcase a line-up of talented artists at this season’s final in Istanbul in what is sure to be an energetic and memorable performance.”

Alongside the announcement, the African Giant has teamed up with Lionel Messi, Vinícius Júnior and Leah Williamson to encourage fans to show off their best ball or dance skills under the hashtag #PepsiKickOffShow. The best submissions will be picked to perform as part of the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi.

Burna Boy is also set to perform a show at the London Stadium on June 3. “This is going to be legendary, it’s history and I can’t wait for you all to be a part of that,” he said upon the announcement.

Reviewing Burna Boy’s last album, ‘Love, Damini’, NME described it as an “an eclectic, emotional exploration of afro-pop”.

Back in 2020, the musician spoke to NME during a Big Read cover interview about the recently launched Official UK Afrobeats Chart.

“My only thing is, whoever is doing the Afrobeats chart in the UK should not even be in the UK,” he said. “If you’re doing a grime chart, then you can be in the UK, but it’s not fair for the people who have really based their lives on this, who have really grown up on this. This is their culture. It’s a lot bigger than what the charts are presenting it as, but at the same time I’m still happy about it, I’m still thankful, because it’s a step in the right direction.”

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