![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/129994386_burnaboy2-696x392-1.jpg\" "\\"_129994386_burnaboy2\\"\/")
<\/div>\nBurna Boy made history over the weekend when he became the first African artist to headline a stadium show in the UK.<\/p>\n
A sold-out crowd of 60,000 fans screamed the Grammy award-winner\u2019s Afrobeats lyrics back to him at the London Stadium.<\/p>\n
And he didn\u2019t disappoint with his two-hour set \u2013 bringing out famous friends like Stormzy and Dave on a giant merry-go-round to perform alongside him.<\/p>\n
Afrobeats \u2013 a mix of African and Western influences \u2013 has seen a massive rise in popularity over recent years thanks to the likes of Burna Boy and Wizkid.<\/p>\n
The pair, two of Nigeria\u2019s biggest stars, have headlined some of the world\u2019s major music festivals but it was Burna Boy who took it to another level on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Fans danced in the aisles, creating a carnival like atmosphere as he bounced around the stage in a bright orange jumpsuit.<\/p>\n
One of them was Kojo Amankwah, 27, who says he travelled 3,000 miles from Ghana to be at the historic gig.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved seeing how multi-racial the crowd was, united by the power of Burna Boy\u2019s music. It was unlike anything I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d he tells Newsbeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something the greatest performers of all time like Beyonc\u00e9 and Michael Jackson have been able to achieve. And now Burna Boy\u2019s done it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As well as Stormzy and Dave, Burna Boy also brought out big names like J Hus and Jamaican vocalist Popcaan as part of the star-studded gig.<\/p>\n
But Kojo says the fact he had no warm-up acts shows how far Afrobeats has come.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you go for concerts, usually there\u2019s a co-headliner, Burna Boy and his band didn\u2019t need any of that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo know he has that much star power is something we\u2019ve never seen before in African music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Someone else who was at the gig was Cata Hopkins \u2013 who was so excited that she was at the stadium for 10:00 GMT.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so hard to even put it into words, the energy was just wild the whole entire day,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met so many friends and other people that were there to have a good time and I think the best thing about the atmosphere was just how positive it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was just happy and everybody was there feeding off the amazing energy that Burna and his band bring to the performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selling out a UK stadium has been hailed as a massive moment for the genre, which has been appearing on charts across the world and taking over TikTok dance challenges.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also been embraced by some of the world\u2019s biggest stars \u2013 with Beyonc\u00e9 and Drake featuring Afrobeats artists on their albums.<\/p>\n
The Official Charts company has told Newsbeat that Afrobeats songs are now spending nearly 10 times as many weeks in the top 40 than they did two years ago.<\/p>\n
Burna Boy\u2019s hit Last Last peaked at number four in the Official Singles Chart Top 40, while Rema\u2019s Calm Down \u2013 which features Selena Gomez \u2013 is currently number three.<\/p>\n
Burna Boy\u2019s also dominated the Official UK Afrobeats Chart, which\u00a0launched on BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2020.<\/p>\n
And he\u2019s also taking Afrobeats to the football this weekend, when he performs at the Champions League final in Istanbul.<\/p>\n
TBaze is an Afrobeats musician in the UK who feels inspired by Burna Boy\u2019s success and the rise of his sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not even just about the artist, musicians or fans. It\u2019s for the people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crowd represents a diverse community and it\u2019s cross-cultural. We\u2019re learning about different cultures through this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead to the future of the genre, TBaze says the genre is growing because of social media.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of artists have to think about how the music relates to things like TikTok dance challenges. It could be Instagram reels or freestyle challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cThat accessibility is essential and I think about that when I\u2019m writing a song.<\/p>\n \u201cIn future, I\u2019d imagine people will be fusing Afrobeats into their genres even more.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n![\"Burna](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/_129994388_burnaboy3.jpg\")