Must You Return To Your Root As An African Artiste In Diaspora To Succeed? Here’s Burna’s Take

Burna Boy

Afrofusion artiste, Burna Boy has opined that it is important as an African artiste in the Afrobeat genre or any other genre that tells the African story to not isolate themselves in other countries or be contented in operating in another country without experiencing their country of origin by coming back home. To Burna, this attitude might hamper the success of the artiste.

This was revealed in his recent interview with UK Based Nigerian media personality, Dayo on The BeatFM London. Speaking about how important it is for an artiste operating in the diaspora to come back home, Burna Boy used himself as an example and also stated that while his opinions are his, whoever understands him can learn from it.

He said;

I can only speak for myself and if anyone can relate to what I’m saying, that’s cool, but for me, it’s like being here and doing afrobeat or whatever genre you guys call it, it’s almost like…  what tree are you gonna climb? A tree with no root or one with solid root? Because you know that when you climb you won’t fall right? If you’re here (diaspora) and you don’t go back, you don’t know who you are and you don’t know what you’re really doing in the first place. So you have to go and know and see and understand and become before you can come back. But as I said, I speak for myself coz I don’t know other people’s situations.

To Burna Boy, an African artiste has to go back to his root so he can understand and fully become after being informed. This knowledge which will inform your music has the tendency to make you more accepted because the people you sing about and sing for can now relate to your song, and that is a win because it has the chances of making those people your fan.

The issue of acceptance, using Burna Boy as a case study is not usually not intentional, however, your story and lyrical delivery as an African will tell through your music that you understand the African story your craft narrates and this also makes you more real to Nigerians and make them see you more as their artiste than when you don’t come back at all.

To Burna Boy, coming back gives you an understanding of the story your music tells and also a sense of belonging, hence his analogy to the tree you climb which is the growth of your career and the root to give you balance and support.

But what do y’all think? How important is it for an African artiste to come back home? Do you also think an African artiste cannot succeed if he doesn’t come back home? Let’s hear it!

The post Must You Return To Your Root As An African Artiste In Diaspora To Succeed? Here’s Burna’s Take appeared first on Latest Naija Nigerian Music, Songs & Video.

by Linorajj via Latest Naija Nigerian Music, Songs & Video