Mick Jagger teams up with Burna Boy on new song, ‘Empty Chairs’
The Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger has lent his voice to Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy for a new collaboration, ‘Empty Chairs’.
The unlikely pairing came about after supermodel Naomi Campbell, a mutual friend of both musicians, reportedly connected Burna Boy and Jagger to unite the duo. From there, they began trading musical ideas over WhatsApp.
Jagger opens the song with isolated vocals above a twangy guitar. “Am I the only one that’s sitting in this hot seat?” he sings, adding “Am I the only one that’s listening to this heart’s beat / Your friends all lie, and your enemies cheat / Watching the world drive by.”
Jagger has spoken about his love of hip-hop on many occasions, and in 2023, he revealed that British rapper Dave is one of his favourites before adding that there “are many, many very good rappers” around currently.
Speaking of their Afro-beat-rock collaboration, Burna Boy told The Independent, “That’s how I see the future of our music… music that’s supposed to last, music that you can perform forever. That’s where I want to be when I’m that age.”
The 16-track album, No Sign of Weakness, also features Shaboozey on ‘Change Your Mind’ and Travis Scott on ‘TaTaTa’. It was released on July 10th and is the follow-up to his 2023 album, I Told Them…
Jagger has had many musical collaborations in his life. He recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of ‘Dancing in the Street’, admitting that it was “a real shame” that it was the only time he collaborated with David Bowie.
Similarly, Linda Ronstadt admitted that Jagger was one of her favourite musicians to collaborate due to his seemingly never-ending energy. “I loved it. I didn’t have a trace of stage fright,” she said. “I’m scared to death all the way through my own shows. But it was too much fun to get scared. He’s so silly onstage, he knocks you over.”
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