Burna Boy Reveals He Recorded His First Song at Just 13

At just 13 years old, Grammy-winning artist Burna Boy recorded his very first song using a tape recorder, a radio, and beats ripped from video games like NBA Street Volume II and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

In a revealing chat with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, he shared how this humble DIY setup laid the early foundation for his music career. While the teenage Burna Boy was crafting rudimentary tracks with secondhand tech, it wasn’t long before his talent began to outgrow his tools.

In secondary school, a friend introduced Burna Boy to FruityLoops, a popular music production software. He installed it on an old family computer and began experimenting with beat-making. This was a turning point—no longer limited to external instrumentals, he began creating original productions that would later evolve into his distinct “Afro-fusion” sound.

At around 19, Burna Boy landed an internship at Rhythm FM, a top Nigerian radio station. Though unpaid, it gave him exposure to real recording equipment, studio engineering, and industry connections. He absorbed the mechanics of production, promotion, and broadcasting—skills that gave him an early edge.

After secondary school, Burna moved to the UK for university studies (which he did not complete) but gained deeper exposure to Western music infrastructure. He connected with producers, refined his sonic identity, and learned the intricacies of music mixing and mastering at a global standard.

Upon returning to Nigeria in 2010, he combined his Afrobeat roots with global genres—dancehall, reggae, hip-hop, and R&B. He began working closely with Nigerian producer LeriQ, and the pair created several songs that would appear on his early mixtapes Burn Notice and Burn Identity.

Their collaboration culminated in Burna Boy’s 2013 debut album L.I.F.E., which featured tracks like “Like to Party,” “Tonight,” and “Yawa Dey.” The album sold 40,000 copies on day one, firmly planting him in the Nigerian mainstream.

As Burna Boy’s sound matured, so did his studio presence. His second studio album, On a Spaceship (2015), showed more production polish. By 2018’s Outside, he was working with global producers and engineers, fine-tuning his sound for international ears.

In 2019, African Giant became a breakout moment, earning him Grammy attention, followed by Twice As Tall (2020), which won Best Global Music Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Notably, Diddy served as executive producer on that album, solidifying Burna’s full evolution from home recordings to Grammy-winning production.

Now, in 2025, Burna Boy has released his eighth studio album, No Sign of Weakness, featuring collaborations with global stars like Travis Scott, Stromae, and even Mick Jagger. The production is world-class, layered with live instrumentation, synth-heavy Afrofusion beats, and intricate vocal engineering.

His sound once cobbled together on a tape recorder now echoes in arenas and charts worldwide.

Burna Boy’s journey from taping over radio beats as a teen to commanding billion-stream albums is a rare mix of raw talent, technological curiosity, and relentless pursuit of growth. His path reveals that artistry isn’t just about what you start with, it’s about what you do with it.