Burna Boy announces livestream of KOKO gig celebrating ‘African Giant’

23 July, 2024

Burna Boy performing at the Five Years of 'African Giant' celebratory concert at London's KOKO. Photo credit: Ashley Verse

Burna Boy has teamed up with YouTube to stream an intimate one-off concert he did in London for the fifth anniversary of ‘African’ Giant’.

Earlier this month July 15, the Nigerian superstar took over the 1000-capacity KOKO in Camden, performing tracks from his highly acclaimed fourth album as well as his debut single ‘Like To Party’ and latest single ‘Higher’.

The performance followed his recent historic debut on the Pyramid stage at this year’s Glastonbury and second sold-out London Stadium gig.

Throughout his 45-minute set, he was accompanied by a live band and string quartet playing renditions of ‘African Giant’s biggest hits, including ‘Gum Body’, ‘Dangote’, ‘Gbona’ and more. He also chose not to perform his breakthrough hit ‘Ye’, opting to prioritise songs “which [he] never gets to play live”.

Burna Boy performing at the Five Years of 'African Giant' celebratory concert at London's KOKO. Photo credit: Ashley Verse
Burna Boy performing at the Five Years of ‘African Giant’ celebratory concert at London’s KOKO. Photo credit: Ashley Verse

In the press release, Burna said: “Celebrating the five-year anniversary of ‘African Giant’ with a special performance in London, sponsored by YouTube Music, has been an incredible experience.

“This album holds a special place in my heart as it represents a pivotal moment in my career and a powerful statement of African pride,” he continued. “Performing these songs for my fans, who have supported me every step of the way, is a reminder of the journey we’ve shared and the cultural impact we’ve made together.

“I’m grateful to YouTube Music for helping us create this memorable event and to all my fans for their unwavering support. Here’s to many more years of making music that resonates and inspires.”

Fans who were unable to attend the one-off celebration can watch it back in full on Burna Boy’s official YouTube channel for 24 hours this Friday (July 26). You can find the African Giant’s channel here.

When ‘African Giant’ was released in 2019, NME called the record “an all-over entertaining album, demonstrating that he’s one for his people”.

In other news, Burna Boy joined Little Simz and Coldplay on stage at the latter’s headlining Glasto 2024 to debut an unreleased song. Fans have currently dubbed the tune ‘We Pray’ and it is expected to feature on Coldplay’s upcoming 10th album ‘Moon Music’, out this October.

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