Afrobeats star Burna Boy has opened up about how his collaboration with rock legend Mick Jagger on the hit song, “Empty Chairs”, came to be.
The Nigerian singer said everything began with supermodel Naomi Campbell. Speaking on The Jennifer Hudson Show recently, Burna Boy revealed that Campbell helped connect him with the Rolling Stones frontman.
“It is actually crazy because it was initiated by Naomi Campbell,” the Nigerian songwriter, producer and Grammy-winner shared.
“She made it happen,” Burna Boy added with a smile. “Next thing I saw, I was talking with Mick Jagger. It was like we knew each other for like forever.”
Burna Boy further explained that working with Jagger felt natural, even though they are from different musical backgrounds.
Jagger can be heard on “Empty Chairs”, which appears on Burna Boy’s newly released album, “No Sign of Weakness”. Music lovers have praised the collaboration for its remarkable fusion of Afrobeats and classic rock.
“No Sign of Weakness is really like a celebration of the fact that that I’m still here throughout all these years and all the trials and tribulations,” Burna Boy recently told the AP. “I decided to intentionally make sure everyone on this project could comfortably and genuinely say they’re a rock star.”
Campbell has always supported Burna Boy’s career. In 2020, the English model launched an attack on the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, after Burna Boy was denied a win at that year’s ceremony.
In an open letter to the organizers of the Grammy Awards, Campbell praised Angelique Kidjo for spreading the light through her music and putting the continent on the map.
But she stated that Burna Boy was denied an accolade he deserves because “of a lack of education”.
According to her, the Recording Academy failed to include afrobeats, a popular genre of music that has elements of West African styles, in the World Music Category.
“This misrepresentation diminishes an entire genre in which such a high standard of talent has emerged: a genre that has been a force of hope and positivity for many, and a vehicle for artistry on the continent of Africa,” she wrote.
She further encouraged the Academy to create a new category strictly for the genre: “Please get up to speed on the state of all popular music today, and include Afrobeats Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and all the subcategories that this genre deserves.”
Despite having one of the most successful years, Nigeria’s Burna Boy missed out on his first Grammy Award after Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo successfully claimed her fourth.
