By Murphy Akanji
The Recording Academy has just announced the nominees for the 66th Grammy Awards and Nigerian afrobeats artists Burna Boy, Olamide, Asake, Ayra Starr dominate the new category, Best African Music Performance.
Unveiled in June, this category sees four out of five nominations going to Nigerian talents. They include Asake and Olamide for their song “Amapiano,” Burna Boy for his song “City Boys,” Davido featuring Musa Keys for “Unavailable,” and Ayra Starr’s “Rush.” The fifth nominee is the South African new sensation Tyla for her song “Water.”
This marks the first time Asake, Olamide and Ayra Starr will earn a nomination in the Grammys, marking a significant milestone for the Nigerian music industry as well as for afrobeats.
Burna Boy secures nominations in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category for “Sittin’ on Top of the World” featuring 21 Savage, and Best Global Music Album for “I Told Them…” Davido also got a nod in the latter category for his album “Timeless.”
The Grammy Awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 4, 2024, at the Crypo.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Burna Boy, who bagged four nominations at the 66th Grammys, officially becomes the Nigerian artist with the most nominations in the history of the award (10), just as he also becomes the first Nigerian artist to earn a Grammy nomination in 5 consecutive years (2019-2023).
He also becomes the first Nigerian artist to earn a Grammy nomination in 5 consecutive years (2019-2023).
The song will contest the gong with Doja Cat’s ‘Attention’, Drake & 21 Savage’s ‘Spin Bout U’, SZA’s ‘Low’, and Lil Durk and J. Cole’s ‘All My Life.’
Meanwhile, Olamide has made history as the first Nigerian rapper to bag a Grammy nomination. His collaborative song with Asake, ‘Amapiano’ was nominated in the maiden Best African Music Performance category at the 66th Grammys.
‘Amapiano’ will contest the award with Davido’s ‘Unavailable’, Ayra Starr’s ‘Rush’ Burna Boy’s ‘City Boys’, and Tyla’s ‘Water.’
Similarly, 21-year-old Ayra Starr has made history as the youngest Nigerian to bag a Grammy nomination. Her hit song ‘Rush’ was nominated in the inaugural Best African Music Performance category at the 66th Grammys.