Grammy Award–winning singer Burna Boy has responded to the backlash he faced after ejecting a sleeping fan from his concert in Denver.
Taking to his Instagram Stories, the ‘Last Last’ hitmaker defended his actions, saying he had long accepted that there was “an agenda” against him and that his “skin is bulletproof at this point.”
Using metaphors to explain why he felt disrespected, the Nigerian star compared the situation to making a pilot uncomfortable during a flight or disrupting a teacher in class.
“You will be boarded or arrested as soon as you land,” he wrote.
“You pay school fees, but you will be kicked out of the class if you make it uncomfortable for the teacher to do his job.”
Burna Boy said he was startled to see the fan, now identified as Chaltu Jateny, sleeping during his set, insisting that people facing far tougher battles attend his shows and stay engaged.
“My shows have people who have beaten cancer or overcome something serious, and none of them have slept,” he said.
The controversy erupted after Chaltu explained on X that she had recently been grieving the death of her daughter’s father and had attended the show hoping to relax.
She claimed Burna Boy did not perform at the scheduled time and that she was exhausted by the time he got on stage.
The 34-year-old maintained that he gives every performance his full commitment, describing it as “leaving his soul on every stage—even if it only has ten people in attendance.”
Standing firmly by his decision, he added that he would “gladly be cancelled” if audiences expected him to tolerate disrespect.
“I will gladly be cancelled if we are now in a world where you can treat me like a stripper, slap my butt, and tell me to keep dancing because you throw $100 at me,” he wrote.
Burna Boy also addressed a resurfaced viral clip in which he appeared to say he only wanted fans with money.
He argued that the video was old and taken out of context, explaining that he had been joking with his band about a different issue.
“You all have spun it as usual, saying ‘Burna Boy doesn’t love his fans.’ If you hate me so much, either kill me or leave me alone,” he said, adding that he is battling his own struggles and values mutual respect above all.
“I love who loves me and respect who respects me.”
He ended his remarks with calls for global solidarity, “Free Sudan, Free Congo, Free Nigeria,” and a measured apology.
“Sincerely, I apologise if I am wrong. I’m not always right, but I feel right about this. Anyways, I’m just human.”