Daniel Etiese Benson (born 14 May 1997), known professionally as Bnxn (pronounced as Benson) and formerly known as Buju,[1][2] is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer.[3]
Daniel Etiese Benson was born in Lagos. He hails from Akwa Ibom state, grew up in Gbagada with his family, but relocated to Ogun State. Benson was introduced to Afropop through Nigerian music artists 2Baba as a child, and credits Burna Boy as his inspiration for becoming a musical artist.[4]
Bnxn released the extended play project Sorry I'm Late on 27 October 2021, under the management of T.Y.E/EMPIRE. It featured guest appearances from Nigerian Highlife music duo, The Cavemen, and production from Steph, Perlz, Denzl, Timi Jay and Rexxie. It was mixed and mastered by Vtek and Poppil.[5] Motolani Alake of Pulse Nigeria said that it "projects confidence, wins and 'comfort".[6][7][8] Buju performed his first show in London on 30 November, marking the beginning of his Sorry I'm Late tour.[9]
On 22 December 2021, Buju headlined his first sold-out concert,[10][11] which was also his debut concert in Lagos.[12] held at Balmoral Convection centre, Lagos.[13]
In 2022, Buju officially changed his name to BNXN to avoid confusion for being mistaken with Buju Banton and having more unique branding.[14] In March 2022, he collaborated with Pheelz on the single "Finesse";[15] the song peaked at number 52 on the UK's Official Singles Chart.[16] In July 2022, he featured on the Jae5 song "Propeller" alongside British rapper Dave.[17] The song became Bnxn's first Top 40 single in the United Kingdom, entering the chart at number 38.[18]
On the 24th of August 2022, Bnxn released an EP which he titled 'Bad Since '97'. The EP featured prominent afrobeats artist such as Wizkid, Olamide and Wande Coal and on the 4th of September 2022, Bnxn won The Headies 2022 Next Rated award which was held on Sunday at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.[19]
On October 4 2023, Bnxn released his debut album, Sincerely, Benson. The album comprised fifteen songs, and featured appearances by a variety of artists including Headie One and Popcaan.[20]
In 2024, Bnxn released a joint EP with popular artist, Ruger. The album came as a shock to fans, due to the previous feud between the two singers. It was titled RnB, and it comprised seven songs. [21]
| Year | Title | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Catch a Vibe" | |
| "Wahala" | ||
| 2019 | "Energy" | |
| "Commander" | ||
| "Spiritual" (featuring Zlatan) | [24] | |
| "L'enu" | ||
| "Ohema & TMXO" | ||
| 2020 | "So Lovely" | |
| "Lenu Remix" (featuring Burna Boy) | [25] | |
| 2021 | "Outside" | [26] |
| "Testimony" | ||
| "Italy" (featuring Blaq Diamond) | ||
| 2022 | "Kenkele" (featuring Wande Coal) | [27] |
| 2025 | "Cutesy" | [28] |
| 2025 | "Very Soon" (with FOLA) | [29] |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NG [30] |
US Global [31] |
UK [32] |
UK R&B [33] |
UK Afrobeats [34] |
ZA [35] | ||||
| "Feeling" (Ladipoe featuring Buju) |
2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Providence | |
| "Bling" (Blaqbonez featuring Amaarae and Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Sex Over Love | ||
| "Alubarika"[36] (Zlatan featuring Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Confident" (Savage featuring Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Mood"[37] (Wizkid featuring Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Made in Lagos | ||
| "Your Body"[39] (Basketmouth featuring Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Times Two"[40] (Wani featuring Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Cold Outside" (Timaya featuring Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sweet Daddy" (Remix) (Dai Verse featuring Buju) |
2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Saloo" (Remix) (Kashcoming featuring Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Hustle" (Reminisce featuring Buju and D Smoke) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Finesse" (Pheelz featuring Buju) |
1 | 131 | 52 | 28 | 1 | 31 |
| ||
| "Propeller" (Jae5 featuring Dave and Bnxn) |
— | — | 38 | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Ocean" (B Young featuring Bnxn) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Pray 2 The East" (M Huncho featuring Bnxn fka Buju) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||
| Year | Event | Prize | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Headies 2020 | Rookie | Himself | Nominated | [42] |
| 2020 | City People Entertainment Awards | Revelation of the Year | Himself | Won | [43] |
| 2021 | AFRIMMA | African Fan Favourite | "Outside" [A] | Nominated | |
| AFRIMMA | Best Artist or Duo Group | Ladipoe featuring Buju – "Feeling" [A] | Nominated | ||
| AFRIMMA | Best African Rapper or Lyricist | Ladipoe featuring Buju – "Feeling"[A] | Nominated | [44] | |
| AFRIMMA | Best Promising Artiste | "Outside" [A] | Nominated | [45] | |
| AFRIMMA | Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African Hip Hop | Blaqbonez – "Bling" featuring Amaarae and Buju) [A] | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | Grammy Awards | Best Global Music Album | Made in Lagos Deluxe Edition by Wizkid | Nominated | [46] |
| The Headies 2022 | Next Rated | Himself | Won | [47] | |
| Best Rap Single | "Feeling" – Ladipoe feat. Bnxn | Won | [48] | ||
| 2023 | Soundcity MVP Awards | Best Collaboration | Finesse | Won | [49] |
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