“This album is a statement; BlownBoy is not just a title, it’s a mindset. It’s about where I am now, what I’ve been through, and where I’m going.”
Solidifying his place as one of the globe’s most in-demand Nigerian artistes, the MOBO ‘25 nominee and Spotify ‘Artist To Watch 2025’ shares his huge 2nd album, boldly fusing afrobeats and dancehall with 13 hit tracks featuring Tiwa Savage, Kranium, Zlatan and Haile
Nigerian singer-songwriter Ruger (MOBO 2025 nominee, Spotify ‘Artist To Watch 2025’) drops his new album, BlownBoy Ru, on March 28th, including the acclaimed singles “Jay Jay”, “Toma Toma” Ft. Tiwa Savage and the focus single and music video for the party-starting “DuDu”, featuring Jamaican dancehall favourite Kranium. This comes hot on the heels of his recent viral COLORS performance, in which he performs “Toro” (also from the album.)
BlownBoy Ru, Ruger’s incredible sophomore album and the follow-up to his 2023 debut Ru The World sees him expand on his globally adored Afrodancehall sound. While his signature energy remains, this project reflects his growth as an artiste - as he explains:
“With Ru The World, I was proving a point, showing people that Ruger is not just a hitmaker but an artiste with depth and range. But on this album, I feel more comfortable in my artistry. My songwriting has evolved; with more intentional lyrics, delivery, and emotions I’m passing across. I still have that raw energy, but now it’s refined, more calculated.”
This album is a statement; BlownBoy is not just a title, it’s a mindset. It touches on Ruger’s journey, love, enjoyment, reflection, and just living life to the fullest. Sonically, it’s as eclectic as ever—RnB, pop, Afrobeats, dancehall, and even Fuji influences shine through.
“I never want to be boxed into one sound. My music has always been a blend of influences—Afrobeats, Dancehall, R&B, even Pop. On this album, I just let myself be free,” he says.
Key highlights include the trap-infused “Give Away,” featuring Nigerian rapper Zlatan, and the amapiano-tinged “Runaway,” featuring Ugandan soul singer-songwriter Haile. Tiwa Savage joins Ruger on the high-energy “Toma Toma,” which has already surpassed 30 million global streams. Meanwhile, “DuDu” with Kranium delivers smooth, sensual vibes that make it an instant standout.
Since November, anticipation for BlownBoy Ru has been building. “Toma Toma” became a streaming juggernaut, while January’s “Jay Jay”—a tribute to Nigerian football legend Jay-Jay Okocha—racked up 234K opening-day Spotify streams and exploded on TikTok with 50 million+ views. Following the release, Spotify featured Ruger in its hugely influential Global Artist To Watch 2025 list, alongside Lola Young and Mercury Prize-winner Barry Can’t Swim. February also saw Ruger nominated for the 2025 MOBO Award for Best African Music Act and making waves with his BBC 1Xtra Live Lounge debut.
Ruger heads out on a massive US & EU tour this Spring, performing at iconic venues like Philadelphia’s Brooklyn Bowl, Thalia Hall in Chicago, Brussels’ Ancienne Belgique, and Vienna’s Hallmann Dome. In September, he returns to the UK a year after his sold-out show at the Outernet, with headline dates at Manchester’s O2 Ritz, Birmingham’s O2 Institute, and London’s Indigo at The O2.
Ruger’s keenly awaited second album, BlownBoy Ru is released on March 28th via Promised Land Records and is set to solidify his position as one of the globe’s most in-demand African artistes, boldly fusing Afrobeats with dancehall. LISTEN HERE
About Ruger:
In just a few short years, Ruger has become one of Nigeria’s biggest artistes. Describing his music as Afrodancehall – a fusion of Afrobeats with Dancehall elements – Ruger has brought childhood inspirations with his natural musical abilities to create music that has captivated audiences from around the world. His impressive catalogue includes many multi-million streaming records including “Asiwaju” (#1 single in Nigeria, 130M YouTube views, 155M Spotify streams, 1M TikTok creations) “Toma Toma” with Tiwa Savage, “Girlfriend” (133M YouTube views, 75M Spotify streams) “Dior,” “Bounce” and “We We”. An in-demand artiste all over the globe, Ruger’s also collaborated with a vast array of superstar artistes, such as Rema, BNXN, Clean Bandit, David Guetta & Anne Marie.
‘Blown Boy Ru’ Tracklist:
- REintroduction
- Muah (Soulmates)
- Give Away Ft. Zlatan
- Jay Jay
- Dudu Ft. Kranium
- Rub Minds
- Toma Toma Ft. Tiwa Savage
- Wish You Well
- Toro
- 99
- Runaway Ft. Haile
- Hell Cat
- BlownBoy Anthem
Ruger Tour Dates:
April:
3rd - Philadelphia, Brooklyn Bowl
4th - Boston, Big Night Live
5th - Brooklyn, Monarch
9th - Silver Spring, The Fillmore
11th - Columbus, Skullys
12th - Minneapolis, The Caboose
16th - Chicago, Thalia Hall
18th - Atlanta, The Masquerade Heaven
19th - Miami, UVA
20th - Dallas, Granada Theatre
23rd - Houston, Warehouse Live
25th - Phoenix, The Ainsworth
27th - Denver, Masterpiece Ballroom
May:
2nd - Portland, Morrison Market
3rd - Oakland, Continental Club
4th - Los Angeles, Vermont Hollywood
10th - St Lucia Jazz Festival
17th - Bologna, Boma
23rd - Stockholm, A15 Venue
27th - Brussels, AB
30th - Copenhagen, Poolen
31st - Vienna, Hallmann Dome
June:
2nd - Tel Aviv, Hangar II
15th - Dusseldorf, Rheinriff
September:
Sept 24 - O2 Institute, Birmingham
Sept 25 - O2 Ritz, Manchester
Sept 27 - Indigo At The O2, London