No Win For Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, Others At 66th Grammy Awards
In a night marked by high anticipation and musical excellence, Nigerian Afrobeats heavyweights, including Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, Ayra Starr, Olamide, and Asake, faced a disappointing outcome at the 66th Grammy Awards. Despite a collective total of 10 nominations across five categories, the coveted trophies eluded the Nigerian contingent.
The inaugural ‘Best African Music Performance’ award went to South African singer Tyla for her 2023 track, “Water,” leaving the Nigerian nominees empty-handed in the category.
The Grammy Premiere ceremony, where numerous awards are announced before the main telecast, saw Burna Boy and Davido lose the ‘Best Global Album’ category to world fusion band Shakti, winning with their album “This Moment.” The disappointment extended to the corresponding ‘Best Global Music Performance’ category, where Indian composer Zakir Hussain secured victory for “Pashto” featuring Bela Fleck and Edger Meyer, besting Burna Boy and Davido once again.
In the ‘Best Melodic Rap’ category, Lil Durk’s collaboration with J Cole on “All My Life” triumphed, thwarting Burna Boy’s hopes of securing a Grammy out of four nominations. Despite being slated to perform the nominated track “Sittin’ on Top of The World” with American rapper 21 Savage at the live telecast ceremony, Burna Boy left empty-handed.
Tems, a previous Grammy winner in 2023 for Best Melodic Rap, faced defeat in the ‘Song Written for Visual Media’ category. Her contribution to the Black Panther theme song “Lift me Up,” performed by Rihanna, fell short against Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” from the 2023 fantasy drama ‘Barbie.’
The 66th Grammy Awards proved elusive for the Nigerian Afrobeats stars, highlighting the competitive nature of the global music landscape.
