For decades, the Grammy Awards has stood as the pinnacle of musical achievement, recognising excellence across genres and cultures. Dubbed music’s biggest night, the Grammys have long been a dream for Nigerian artists seeking global recognition. From the pioneering nomination of King Sunny Ade in the 1980s to the recent wins of Tems, the journey of Nigerian musicians at the Grammys spans four decades.
This story begins with King Sunny Ade, a jùjú music legend who first introduced Nigerian sounds to the Grammy stage. In 1984, his album ‘Syncro System’ earned him a groundbreaking nomination for ‘Best Ethnic’ or ‘Best Traditional Folk Recording.’
Although he did not win, King Sunny Ade’s nomination opened doors and signalled the arrival of Nigerian music on the global stage. He secured a second nomination in 1999 for ‘Best World Music Album’ for ‘Odu,’ further cementing his legacy as a pioneer.
In 1991, master drummer Babatunde Olatunji brought home Nigeria’s first Grammy as a featured artist on Mickey Hart’s ‘Planet Drum,’ which won ‘Best World Music Album.’
Although the win wasn’t for a solo project, it was a significant milestone. Olatunji later earned an individual nomination in 1998 for ‘Love Drum Talk.’
The late 90s and early 2000s saw a diversification of Nigerian Grammy stories, with Sade Adu, the Nigerian-British soulstress, winning ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’ in 2002 for the ‘Lovers Rock.’ This victory was notable as it demonstrated the broad appeal and global impact of Nigerian-heritage artists in diverse genres.
Femi Kuti, son of the legendary Fela Kuti, has been a consistent presence at the Grammys, amassing six nominations throughout his career. His first nomination came in 2003 for ‘Best World Music Album’ with his ‘Fight to Win,’ followed by nominations in 2010 (Day by Day), 2012 (Africa for Africa), and 2014 (No Place for My Dream). In 2022, he and his son, Made Kuti, earned two nominations for ‘Legacy +’ (Best Global Music Album) and ‘Pà Pá Pà’ (Best Global Music Performance).
Apart from Kuti, the 2010s saw other notable Nigerian artists and activists getting recognised in the award ceremony. D’Banj made waves by collaborating with Snoop Dogg on the remix of ‘Mr Endowed.’
A couple of years later, Wizkid broke the uncharted territories in the US and the UK, featuring songs by US artists, including Drake, Beyoncé, and Chris Brown, in his ‘Sound From The Other Side album.’ Others such as Davido followed suit, featuring Meek Mills and Nicky Minaj.
In 2015, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Wizkid were nominated for ‘Album of the Year’ for their contributions to Beyoncé’s ‘Beyoncé’ and Drake’s
With the global explosion of Afrobeats in the 2020s, Nigerian artists began securing major wins. Wizkid won his first Grammy as a featured artist on Beyoncé’s ‘Brown Skin Girl,’ which won ‘Best Music Video’ in 2021.
Burna Boy’s 2019 album, ‘African Giant,’ received a nomination for ‘Best World Music Album,’ which he lost to Angelique Kidjo. In 2021, Burna Boy finally clinched a Grammy for the ‘Best World Music Album’ with his ‘Twice as Tall,’ a historic moment for modern Afrobeats.
That same year, the ‘Best World Music Album’ category was renamed the ‘Best Global Music Album’ to remove colonial connotations and reflect a broader, more inclusive scope.
Burna Boy’s Grammy journey continued with multiple nominations in 2022, and Wizkid got nominated for ‘Made in Lagos Deluxe Edition.’
In 2023, Burna Boy received nominations for Best Global Music Performance for his ‘Last Last’ and ‘Best Global Music Album’ for Love Damini.
In 2024, he garnered three more nominations, including ‘Best Global Music Album’ for ‘I Told Them…”, ‘Best African Music Performance’ for ‘City Boys’ and ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ for ‘Sittin’ on Top of the World.’
Tems has emerged as one of Nigeria’s brightest Grammy stars in recent years. Her collaboration with Wizkid on ‘Essence’ earned a nomination for ‘Best Global Music Performance’ in 2022.
In 2023, Tems won Best Melodic Rap Performance for her feature on Future’s ‘Wait For U,’ making history with a win outside the World/Global Music categories. That same year, she also received nominations for ‘Best Rap Song (Wait For U)’ and ‘Album of the Year’ (Renaissance with Beyoncé).
In 2023, Tems secured her first Grammy win for Best Melodic Rap Performance for her feature on Future’s ‘Wait For U,’ a groundbreaking win in a major category outside the World Music or Global Music fields. That same year, she also received nominations for Best Rap Song for ‘Wait For U’ and ‘Album of the Year’ for her contribution to Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance.’
Tems’ success continued into 2024, with ‘Lift Me Up’ from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ being nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
In the 2025 Grammys, Tems secured her second win for Best African Music Performance for ‘Love Me Jeje.’ She was also nominated for ‘Best R&B Song’ for ‘Burning’ and ‘Best Global Music Album’ for both ‘Born in the Wild.’
Rising stars such as Davido, Rema, Ayra Starr, Asake, and Lojay received nominations in the Best Global Music Album and the newly established Best African Music Performance categories.
Other Nigerian music acts like Davido, Rema, Ayra Starr, Asake, and Lojay have all been nominated in both the prestigious ‘Best Global Music’ and the now two-year-old ‘Best African Music Performance’ category. From King Sunny Ade’s pioneering nomination to Tems’ groundbreaking wins, Nigeria’s Grammy journey reflects the evolution and globalisation of Nigerian music.
