Davido, Ayra Starr, Asake, Olamide Hopeful at 66th Grammys

Ferdinand  Ekechukwu

Will Davido, Ayra Starr, Asake and Olamide win their first Grammys? The answer most likely would be in the affirmative as lovers of Nigerian music have turned their attention to the 2024 Grammys set to hold on Sunday night (February 4) in Crypto Arena, Los Angeles, USA.

Quite interesting in this 66th Grammys, also known as the Recording Academy, is that Nigerian music stars dominate the list of nominees in all Africa categories, which would be hosted by South African comedian, Trevor Noah.

As earlier reported, eight Nigerian artists are on the nomination list (as solo and joint/featured artists) for the most prestigious award in global music. Among the artists are Davido, Asake and Olamide, Burna Boy, and Ayra Star who all top charts in 2023, with the most internationally successful Afrobeats songs.

These five Nigerians nominated across four categories at the upcoming Grammys, which is a record for the Nigerian music industry. They are all nominated in the newly created category, Best African Music Performance.

Burna Boy emerged the most nominated in four categories – Best Global Music Album (I Told Them), Best African Music Performance (City Boys), Best Global Music Performance (Alone), and Best Melodic Rap Performance (Sittin’ On top Of the World).

A first time nominee, Davido bagged three nominations for Best Global African Album for his last body of work, ‘Timeless’, Best African Music Performance for his hit song ‘Unavailable’ featuring Musa Keys, and Best Global Music Performance for his other song ‘Feel’.

Indigenous rapper and music executive, Olamide and his protégée Asake received their first-ever Grammy nominations for their song ‘Amapiano’ in the category of Best African Music Performance.

Ayra Starr was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category for the worldwide hit ‘Rush’. Fireboy DML earned a nomination in the Album of the Year category for his contributions to Jon Batiste’s World Music Radio’. This category is one of the most coveted at the Grammys.

‘Love Nwantiti’ hit-maker, CKay earned a Grammy nomination for his work on Janelle Monáe’s The Age of Pleasure’, which was nominated for Album of the Year and Tems’ nomination came from her contribution to Rihanna’s ‘Lift Me Up’.

Ahead of this edition of the Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy, which is in charge of the organisation, added three new categories to the annual award ceremony that celebrates musical excellence across the globe.

The three new categories which made debut at the 2024 Grammys include ‘Best African Music Performance’, ‘Best Alternative Jazz Album’ and ‘Best Pop Dance Recording’.

The additions are part of a larger set of amendments aimed at making the Grammy Awards process “more fair, transparent and accurate,” according to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

Meanwhile, the organisers recently shared a list of 10 African musicians who have taken home Golden Gramophones since the 1960s. The list sparked controversies as two Nigerian superstars, Tems and Wizkid were omitted in the list.

In March 2021, Wizkid bagged a Grammy award for his role in ‘Brown Skin Girl’, a 2019 song by Beyonce, the American musician. The project won the ‘Best Music Video’ category.

In 2023, Tems won her own first-ever Grammy award. The Afrobeats singer won the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category for her role in ‘Wait for U’, the 2022 hit song by Future featuring Drake.

Upon the release of the list by the organisers of the Grammys, observers raised questions about what yardsticks were used to assemble the list.

Some argued that Wizkid and Tems were left off the list because they won Grammys as featured artists. According to the list, Miriam Makeba, the late South African singer, remained the first from Africa to win a Grammy award.

Sade, the pop singer, followed in the list, making her the first Nigerian to win the global award, while Burna Boy is the most recent and last Nigerian to win the prestigious gong. The ‘African Giant’ is also expected to make history as the first African artist to perform on the Grammy Awards stage on Sunday night.