Ahead of the upcoming 66th Grammy Awards scheduled to hold on February 4, organisers recently unveiled a list of African musicians who have won the coveted award since the 1960s.
Surprisingly, Nigerian superstars Wizkid and Tems are conspicuously missing from the list, which highlights notable achievers in the realm of global music recognition.
The list commences with Miriam Makeba, the late South African singer, as the pioneering African recipient of a Grammy award. Subsequently, pop sensation, Sade is featured.
Notably, Burna Boy stands as the most recent and last Nigerian artiste to achieve the feat.
Below is the compilation of the 10 African winners acknowledged by the Grammys:
1. Miriam Makeba (South Africa) — Best Folk Recording (with Harry Belafonte) – 1966
2. Sade Adu (Nigeria/UK) — Best New Artist – 1986
3. Ali Farka Touré (Mali) — Best World Music Album – 1994
4. Cesária Évora (Cape Verde) — Best Contemporary World Music Album – 2004
5. Youssou N’Dour (Senegal) — Best Contemporary World Music Album – 2005
6. Angélique Kidjo (Benin/France) — Best Contemporary World Music Album – 2008
7. RedOne (Morocco) — Best Dance/Electronic Album – 2010
8. Tinariwen (Mali/Algeria/Libya) — Best World Music Album – 2012
9. Burna Boy (Nigeria) — Best Global Music Album – 2021
10. Black Coffee (South Africa) – Best Dance/ Electronic Album — 2022
Controversy Ignites on Social Media as Wizkid and Tems Omitted from Grammy Winners List
In March 2021, Wizkid achieved a significant milestone by achieving his first Grammy award for his contribution to ‘Brown Skin Girl,’ a 2019 song by the American musician, Beyoncé.
This particular project won the ‘Best Music Video’ category.
Tems in 2023 made her mark by securing her debut Grammy award.
The Afrobeats sensation triumphed in the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category for her role in ‘Wait for U,’ the 2022 hit song by Future featuring Drake.
Credit: Grammy