This time last year, you couldn't enter a club without hearing the jittery drums and pulsating rhythm of Burna Boy's sticky party bangers like "On The Low" or "Killin' Dem." When the pandemic tilted the world on its head earlier this year, the self-professed African Giant—like many musicians—was forced to pivot, recalibrate, and re-strategize his rollout plans. But that couldn't rain on Burna's dance party—even if he'll be doing his signature gbese in the comfort of his home. His latest single "Wonderful," culled from his upcoming album Twice as Tall, is proof the party has just begun.
In a statement, Burna Boy explained that "Wonderful" serves as a reminder to him that "no matter how far you go, or how hard you work; you must be ready to come home." In the video for "Wonderful," premiering exclusively on ELLE.com, home is exactly where Burna takes us. The visual opens with a giant gorilla waking up Burna from a deep sleep. He's met by a phalanx of dancers dressed in traditional garments, and they move freely around the Nigerian star. As day turns to night and back, he joins in with the dancing, because even Burna can't resist the gbedu (big drums).
“The objective of the ‘Wonderful’ video is two-fold," he tells ELLE.com. As the precursor to Twice as Tall, his fourth studio album, "Wonderful" is Burna's way of ushering in the next chapter of his music. "The album is deliberately set 'in the land of Warriors, Kings and Queens' to depict the strength in our origins as Black people, as Africans. We are the most resilient people, always able to find the silver lining in every situation and turn it to a cause for communal celebration. Then we live to fight another day," he adds.
The African Giant's mellifluous vocals float over the bouncy, cheerful melody as he manifests a life as successful as Nigerian lawyer and investment banker Adebayo Ogunlesi ("As I dey hustle like Adebayo Ogunlesi/No go talk say me I too lazy") and encourages listeners to continue dancing—not that you needed a reason to.
With a rhythm this enchanting and magnetic, we'll be dancing until Burna delivers the next batch of party anthems on Twice as Tall later this summer.
