By By Muminat Ajide
Nigerian artists have secured seven nominations for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, fewer than Nigeria’s previous record of ten nominations in 2023.
The upcoming Grammy ceremony, set for February 2, 2025, features several prominent Nigerian artists nominated across various categories. Highlights include Burna Boy’s nomination for Best African Music Performance with “Higher,” Asake’s nomination for the same category with “MMS” featuring Wizkid, Davido with “Sensational” featuring Chris Brown and Lojay, and Yemi Alade with “Tomorrow.” Tems is up for three awards: Best African Music Performance for “Love Me Jeje,” Best Global Music Album for Born in the Wild, and Best R&B Song for “Burning.” Rema earned a nomination for Best Global Music Album with HEIS, and Lojay shares the Best African Music Performance nomination with Davido and Chris Brown for “Sensational.”
Recall In 2024, Nigerian artists faced a disappointing outcome as none of the ten artists nominated across five categories secured a Grammy. Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, Ayra Starr, Olamide, and Asake, nominated for the newly introduced Best African Music Performance, lost to South African artist Tyla for her hit song “Water.”
Davido, who was nominated in three categories, including Album of the Year for Timeless and Best Global Music Performance for “Feel,” was also unable to secure a win. Burna Boy, nominated in four categories, lost Best Global Music Performance to “Pashto” by Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck, and Edgar Myer.
When South African artist Tyla won Best African Music Performance, Nigerian fans expressed disappointment on social media, feeling Nigerian artists were overlooked. Another point of controversy emerged in the Best Global Music Album category, where This Moment by Shakti won, despite reportedly modest streaming numbers compared to Davido’s Timeless and Burna Boy’s I Told Them, which each amassed millions of views.
With major nominations for the 2025 Grammys, these Nigerian artists aim to make a strong showing and potentially reverse the outcome of last year’s contentious awards.
