Burna Boy’s mother makes Billboard’s 2021 International Power Players list

Burna Boy’s mother and manager, Bose Ogulu, has been named as one of the 2021 International Power Players by Billboard.

Billboard’s International Power Players list recognizes leaders in the music industry on a global level. Honourees are nominated by companies and peers in the business and then selected by the editors — with primary responsibility outside the United States.

Honourees in the list include label executives, music publishers, independent entrepreneurs, artist managers, and concert promoters.

Also known as Mama Burna, Billboard in the article published on Monday recognized Ogulu for her work on the Twice As Tall album by  her Grammy award-winning son, Burna Boy.

“Amid the pandemic, Ogulu co-executive-produced released and promoted the ‘Twice As Tall’ album from Nigeria’s breakout global star Burna Boy (aka her son, Damini Ogulu),” Billboard wrote.

“He is signed to Bad Habit/Atlantic in the United States and Warner Music International for territories outside of Africa. ‘Twice As Tall’ won Best Global Music Album at this year’s Grammy Awards.

“Bose has set up a publishing company through Spaceship Collective to enable Africans to own their own catalogs ‘so that the authenticity of our stories, our glory, our culture is sustained,’ she says, ‘and we are empowered’.

In the list, Ogulu stands with the likes of Simon Robson, President, International Warner Recorded Music, Warner Music Group; and Monica Cornia, Senior VP International Marketing, RCA Records and Arista Records, Sony Music Entertainment.

Bose Ogulu who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages, a Masters of Arts in Translation from the University of Port Harcourt, can speak English, French, German, Italian, and Yoruba. She held a successful career as a translator for the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce, and currently the CEO of Spaceship Collective, the holding company to Spaceship Records and Spaceship Publishing.