Bose Ogulu, also known as Mama Burna, is a Nigerian academic, businesswoman and talent manager. She manages her son Burna Boy's musical career.

Early life

Ogulu is the daughter of Nigerian music critic Benson Idonije, who was the manager of Fela Kuti. With a Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages and a Masters of Arts in translation from University of Port Harcourt, Ogulu had a successful career as a translator for the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce. She is fluent in English, French, German, Italian, and Yoruba.[1][2] She then ran a language school called Language Bridges, where she organized cultural immersion trips for over 1,800 young people.[3]

In addition, she taught French for a decade at the University of Education in Port Harcourt, retiring in 2018.[4]

Career

Ogulu manages the musical careers of her son Damini, who performs as Burna Boy, and of her daughter Nissi Ogulu. She managed Burna Boy until 2014 and then again from 2017 onwards, gaining the nickname Mama Burna.[5][6] She has collected awards for Burna Boy at various events, including the All Africa Music Awards, The Headies and the MTV Europe Music Award.[7] When Ogulu heard that Burna Boy had won the 2019 MTV award for Best African Act, she interrupted his show to tell him.[8]

When Burna Boy won four prizes at the 2018 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, Ogulu represented him and caused a social media sensation by saying "Expect more madness".[6] At the 2019 BET Awards in California, Ogulu stood in for her son to collect the award for Best International Act and gave a speech reminding African-Americans to remember "you were Africans before you became anything else" which resulted in a standing ovation.[9][10]

Bose Ogulu is the founder & CEO of Spaceship Collective, the holding company to entertainment label Spaceship Records and publishing outfit Spaceship Publishing.[11]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref
2021 Net Honours Most Searched Person Nominated [12]
The Beatz Awards Best Artist Manager of the Year Nominated
2022 The Headies Special Recognition Won [13]

References

  1. ↑ Ogunnaike, Lola (4 March 2020). "Burna Boy Is Trying to Wake Up Africa". GQ. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  2. ↑ Kotto, Rolyvan (31 March 2020). "Burna Boy révèle pourquoi il préfère que sa mère soit son manager". Life (in French). Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "Bose Ogulu (Mama Burna)". 100women.okayafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  4. ↑ Okoruwa, Samuel. "Facts About Burna Boy's Mom: Bose Ogulu". Reterdeen. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Title of new album and other Burna Boy's revelations in Twitter Q&A". Pulse Nigeria. 31 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 Durosomo, Damola (29 March 2019). "The Internet Doesn't Know Mama Burna At All". OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Burna Boy absent at coronation as Africa's artiste of the year - P.M. News". PM News Nigeria. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Ekechukwu, Ferdinand (9 November 2019). "Burna Boy Relishes MTV EMA Trophy". THISDAYLIVE. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Remember you were Africans before you became anything else, Burna Boy's mum gives epic speech at BET Awards". Punch Nigeria. 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Duerden, Nick (19 July 2019). "How Burna Boy Became Nigeria's Surprise Success Story". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  11. ↑ Obinna, Emelike. "A look at Spaceship Collective; a rising indegenous [sic] record label". Business Day. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Net Honours - The Class of 2021". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  13. ↑ "Wizkid & Tems Are Top Winners at 2022 Headies Awards (Full Winners List)". Billboard. 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2022-09-21.


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