The Grammy Awards, widely regarded as the highest honor in all of music, have been an elusive dream for many Nigerian musicians of the past. While very few managed to break through and secure nominations. The journey towards Grammy success for Nigeria Musical Artists and Afrobeats as a whole has been paved with both triumphs and setbacks. In this, we delve into the history of Nigerian artists at the Grammy’s, their successes, and the challenges they have faced.
Nigeria, very well known for boasting some of the world’s most creative people, along with its rich musical heritage and diverse talent pool, has produced countless musicians who have garnered international recognition. However, it was not until the late 20th century that Nigerian artists started to gain any sort of international recognition, a big chunk of that was attributed to the “Father of Afrobeats” Fela-Anikulapo Kuti.
However, Fela’s popularity and musical acclaim did not earn him a Grammy or even a mere nomination, it was another Nigerian musical Legend, King Sunny Ade, that won Nigeria first Grammy nomination in 1984 for his album “Syncro System”, unfortunately he did not win. King Sunny Ade, got another nomination 15 years later and lost, again. The first Nigerian to win a Grammy was Babatunde Olatunji, in 1991, who won “world music album”, for his Album “Planet Drum”.
Since then, Nigerian musicians have continued to receive Grammy nominations, although the wins have been few and far between. The notable successes include Burna Boy, a fusion Afrobeat artist, who was nominated for the Best World Music Album category, in 2019 and 2020, eventually winning the award in 2021, with his critically acclaimed album “Twice As Tall.” Burna Boy’s historic win marked a significant milestone for Nigerian music, firmly establishing the country’s presence on the global stage.
Quite a few Nigerian artists have since been Grammy-nominated, including Wizkid, who has 1 win and 4 nominations, Tems, Davido, Olamide, the Nigerian-American duo, Blackmagic, Femi Kuti among others, Femi Kuti, Son of the “King of Afrobeat” Fela Kuti, has been nominated seven times without a win. Wizkid received his first nomination for his collaboration with Drake on the hit single “One Dance”, and owes his first and only win yet to the song “Brown Skin Girl”, a collaboration with Beyonce, that won the best music video in 2021. Tems won in 2022 for her collaboration with Hiphop giants, Drake and Future, for the song “Wait for you”
Other singers who have Nigerian descent, but were born or raised elsewhere have represented Nigeria at the Grammys. An example is RnB and Soul legend Sade Adu, who won 4 Grammy’s and Seal, whose real name is Henry Olusegun. He also won four Grammy’s with multiple nominations
Further from the Grammy’s, Afrobeats has suddenly become one of the most prominent musical genres in the world, Thanks to viral hits, popular releases and the sheer brilliance of the sound, which has continued to rake in more listeners by the day, all over the world. In recognition of the phenomena of the vast arrays of musical styles and cultures, that is and can be fusion-ed into the Afro-Beat sound. The Recording Academy announced an award, that is specially for Afrobeat in 2023 called ”Best African Music Performance”
However, the Grammy’s selection process, itself has come under fire for its lack of diversity and representation. Critics argue that the awards often favor mainstream genres, such as pop and rock, leaving little space for recognition of artists from non-Western backgrounds. This perceived bias has hindered the chances of many Nigerian musicians and others, from similar backgrounds.
However, despite the challenges, Nigerians continue to strive for Global success. The increasing global recognition of Afrobeat music, spearheaded by the likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido, has opened doors for future generations of Nigerian artists. The rise of streaming platforms and social media, has also provided a platform for Nigerian musicians to showcase their talent, to a worldwide audience.
In conclusion, the journey of Nigerians at the Grammy’s, has been one of both success and failure. While the successes of artists have brought global recognition to Nigerian music, there is still much work to be done to ensure fair representation, for all talented Nigerian musicians. The future looks bright enough, as new talents emerge seemingly everyday in the industry, and some of them like Rema, Fireboy and Ayra Starr, have gone to make huge success on their own. With continued tenacity and creativity, Nigerians have the potential to make an even greater impact on the Grammy’s stage, in the years to come.
Burna Boy’s Performance lights up Grammy Stage
At the 2024 Grammy’s, Nigeria’s Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, brought the spirit of his homeland to the Grammy’s stage. Dressed in a red designer jacket, jeans and his now-popular Louis Vuitton Timberland boots. He opened his set with Gangan (Talking drum) players, drumming in a circle with him in the middle, dancing to the melody from the drums. He proceeded to perform three hit songs, from his recently released acclaimed album “I TOLD THEM”. During his performance, Burna Boy, sang one of his songs that was up for the awards, City boys, that was nominated for new Best African music performance. He performed “On Form” and “Sitting On Top Of The World”.
The last song had Brandy and 21 Savage, join him on the stage. Burna Boy’s song “City Boys”, got the attention of viewers and people present, before Brandy wowed everyone with her singing, showing why her old song “Top of the World”, was perfect for Burna Boy’s new version. With a rap from 21 Savage, the trio nailed the performance.
The night wasn’t all smiles, as Burna boy lost the Award to Tyla, for her viral smash hit “Water”
However, Burna Boy, has won a Grammy before for his album “Twice as Tall”, in 2020, making him the first male Nigerian artist to win such award for his own music. Burna Boy’s performance at the Grammy’s was historic, showing the rising influence of African artists in the music world. Even the Grammy’s host, Trevor Noah, praised Burna Boy’s global success before he took the stage
