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Burna Boy brings the heat to 2023 UEFA Championship

Singer excited to perform on Pepsi stage in Istanbul

Published:Wednesday | March 22, 2023 | 1:02 AM
Burna Boy performing at Burner Boy Live held at National Stadium in Kingston on Monday, December 19, 2022.
Burna Boy performing at Burner Boy Live held at National Stadium in Kingston on Monday, December 19, 2022.
A huge football fan, Burna Boys says that music and football are the ultimate combination.
A huge football fan, Burna Boys says that music and football are the ultimate combination.
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The African Giant, Burna Boy, continues to make headlines. Still savouring the taste of his summer hit Last Last being certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA, less than one year after its release, thus making it the fastest Afrobeats song in history to reach this height, he shared what he called “big news” with his fans last week.

“Hello everyone, this is Burna Boy and I’ve got some big news. I’ll be perfoming at the UEFA Chanpions League Final Kick-Off Show by Pepsi. Come on! Let’s go!” the global chart-topping megastar, who thrilled fans in Jamaica last December, told his followers on social media.

The organisers, who have an aim to “unite the worlds of football and music through one unmissable entertainment moment that stops fans in their tracks and leaves them wanting more”, noted that the event is “the perfect demonstration of Pepsi’s ‘Thirsty For More’ platform”.

They were equally enthusiastic in making the announcement about Burna Boy being on the line-up. In a press relese, they stated, “UEFA and Pepsi are excited to announce that Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum-selling singer, songwriter and producer Burna Boy will co-headline the highly anticipated 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show by Pepsi on June 10. For the first time ever, fans will have the opportunity of a lifetime to be part of the biggest annual global sporting event for themselves.”

The release added that Burna Boy will bring his “signature soulful vibes of Afrobeats to Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium as millions of fans from across the globe tune in to watch the must-see performance only moments before the biggest game in club football gets under way”. Burna Boy, fresh from a record-breaking year and the release of his sixth studio album, Love, Damini, will take to the Pepsi stage alongside another soon-to-be-announced global sensation.

Revealed on TikTok, Burna Boy has teamed up with Pepsi ambassadors and football royalty — world champion Leo Messi; reigning UCL champion Vini Jr; and Euro-winning Lionesses star Leah Williamson — to encourage fans to showcase their best dance moves or ball skills by posting them to TikTok using the hashtag #PepsiKickOffShow. The best submissions will be hand-picked to show off their skills as part of the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show by Pepsi performance.

Burna Boy commented: “As a huge football fan myself, I know it doesn’t get any bigger than the UEFA Champions League! That’s why I’m so excited to be performing on the Pepsi stage at this year’s final. Music and football are the ultimate combination, so you already know I’ll be bringing the vibes and making magic in Istanbul. The world ain’t ready for what we have in store!”

Gustavo Reyna, Pepsi’s senior director of global marketing, added: “The UEFA Champions League Final is the standout date of the club football calendar, and Pepsi prides itself on marking the occasion with the very best entertainment spectacles. The newly named ‘Kick-Off Show by Pepsi’ is going to be huge this year; we’re so excited to welcome Burna Boy, one of the world’s most exciting artistes, to the Pepsi x UEFA Champions League stage, and we can’t wait to see which fans are selected to feature as part of this truly unmissable performance.”

UEFA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein noted that the UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show “is a significant part of our joint efforts with Pepsi, providing an incredible opportunity to reach new and younger audiences with some of the biggest names and rising stars in music”.

Now in its seventh year, the UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show by Pepsi, formerly known as the UEFA Champions League Opening Ceremony, will air in over 200 countries and territories globally, just minutes before the standout fixture of the club football season commences.