YouTube on Tuesday launched its spotlight story documentary on Nigerian Afro-fusion singer and songwriter, Damini Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy.
“The 18-minute documentary, which can be viewed, tells the story of the rise of Afrobeats and the role YouTube has played, through Burna Boy’s eyes.
“In addition, the video sees Burna Boy and his Manager, Bose Ogulu (his mum), sharing some of his coming-of-age stories.
“This is not the first time YouTube has built a story around Burna Boy. In October 2018, he got an ‘Artist on the Rise’ feature on the YouTube for Artists’ web page.
“Video streaming service has played a major role in supporting African musicians and artists in sharing their voice, art and culture with the world,’’ Awofisayo said in a statement.
Awofisayo said that “not only does YouTube’s global reach helps break artists, and brings African music to the world, its audience makes fan content that helps amplify the reach of African voices.’’
She said that YouTube’s technology allowed music producers to be inspired and to collaborate more.
“Cultural movements grow and build on YouTube. African music is the most recent example.
“For years now, YouTube has played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound.
“It has helped in exporting African music to listeners worldwide, enabling collaborations within the global and regional music industry and accelerating the transition to digital for fans on the continent,’’Awofisayo said.
She said that a large share of YouTube views for top African artistes came from outside the continent with international artists such as Kanye West, Beyonce and Childish Gambino integrating African elements into their music, choreography, and visual style.
According to her, 10 years ago, African producers and artists had no easy way to hear, be inspired by and influence sounds and artistry from around the world.
“YouTube technology changed all that. It will continue to do so too.
“With the launch of products such as YouTube Go in 2018, more African artistes will be able to share their work with an increasingly large audience, fully cementing their place on the global map,’’ Awofisayo said.
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