When Nigerian superstar Burna Boy met tennis legend Roger Federer, the conversation was as electric as expected. Their chat offered fans a rare peek into Burna’s love for football and the unique path of his music career.
Federer asked which albums shaped his youth, and Burna mentioned Joe’s debut album, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III, Tupac’s Makaveli, and “all of Fela’s albums,” which he discovered through his grandfather.
But when Federer pressed him to pick the most influential, Burna surprised everyone:
“Honestly, none,” he said flatly.
A visibly shocked Federer leaned forward. “Really? Are you for real?”
Burna doubled down.
“I promise you. Well, Fela was a big influence on me.”
The mood shifted when Federer asked about favourite footballers, and Burna’s face lit up. Without hesitation, he named Nigerian legend Austin “JJ” Okocha.
“My good soccer player is JJ Okocha,” the singer stated.
Federer nodded in agreement. “I remember JJ Okocha, of course. He scored some great goals.”
Burna went on to praise Victor Osimhen and Ronaldinho for their creativity and flair. Speaking about Nigeria’s national team, he added a playful jab:
“The Super Eagles. That’s super cool. Why Super Eagles? They can’t fly, but you know, they win some games.”
Watch the interview here:
Read some comments below:
@uccie_standard:”And Whats wrongs with him not being able to draw inspiration from his music? Is inspiration supposed to be forced? The choice of people who reach out to me sometimes inspire our exquisite beaded bag design but not everyone. I could even come from the person who is paying for the lowest product so Whats the point”
@hjiop5071:”Make una nor mind this mumu blogs ooo. Please go to YouTube and watch the interview. He cited Fela as a big inspiration”
@therealdonwilly:”OKOCHA is the best player in Africa”
@different.chris:”Grow big and now downplaying where your growth started from. Make sure you won’t need Nigerians again sha.”
@kaycee_autos10010:”Fela spread taking hard drugs in Nigeria while wole Soyinka brought cultism in Nigeria”
@ilesanmi.dammy:”Someone that built African giant based on fela sounds, he sample more than 8 fela songs on Africa giant album”
