5 Nigerians Who Have Been Nominated For The Grammy Awards

Since its first edition held on May 4, 1963, the Grammy Awards have been presenting awards to talented musicians in recognition for their outstanding performance and achievements in the entertainment industry.

The annual event is considered one of the top four major annual entertainment awards in America, along with the Emmy Awards, Academy Awards, and the Tony Awards. And the first of the “Big Three” major music awards, along with the Billboard Music Awards and the American Music Awards (AMA), which are held each year.

Qualification and Entry Process 

Both media companies and individuals belonging to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences have the right to nominate recordings for consideration. Also, entries can be made and submitted online. Submissions of entries will go through a review process by over 150 recording experts to determine what category of awards such music would fit in.

After going through the eligibility process, the entries are then calculated by the voting members, each of whom may vote to nominate in the general fields and in up to nine out of 30 other fields on their ballots. The five songs that earn the most votes in each category become the nominees. while in some categories, review committees determine the final five nominees. And in some instances, there may be more than five nominees.

Nigerian Artists Who’s Have So Far Received Grammy Nominations 

Nigerians and Africans have been nominated for and won Grammy awards in the past. Among notable musicians that have in the past been recognized for their hard work by getting nominated are; 

• King Sunny Ade in 1984 for his synchro system song
• Babatunde Olatunji, a talking drummer in 1998
• Femi Kuti in 2003 for his song Fight to Win, Day by Day in 2010, Africa for Africa in 2012, Pa pa pa, and Legacy+ got nominated in 2022 and No place for my dream in 2014
• Burna boy’s African Giant, and Twice as tall got nominated 2020 and 2021 respectively
• WizKid’s Made in Lagos nominated in 2022

Two Nigerians Nominated For 2023 Grammy Awards

The Recording Academy has announced the nominees for the 65th Grammy Awards, which will be held on May 5. This is the first of the “Big Three” major music awards, which also include the Billboard Music Awards and the American Music Awards (AMA). 

Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, who got nominated in three different categories with her song “Wait for You” featuring Drake, in the Best Melody Rap Performance Award, and Best Rap Song, also got nominated for her writing in Beyonce’s Renaissance on March 14, 2023, at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, America.

Tems released her debut extended play, “On September 25th, 2020,” for Broken Ears, and her second extended play, “If Orange Was a Place,” in 2021, and got signed to RCA Records in 2022. Her song “Wait for U” led to her debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first African artist to debut at number one and the second Nigerian artist to top the chart.

Tems became one of five notable Nigerian women who made history in the month of July, as she won a BET award

The second Nigerian is afrobeat sensation, Burna Boy. Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, also known as Burna Boy, got his third Grammy nomination in a row for “Best Global Music Performance” and “Album of the Year” for his” Love Damini” album.

Burna Boy rose to fame in 2012 after releasing “Like to Party,”  the lead single from his debut studio album, LIFE 2013.

He won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards and was announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist. His fourth studio album, “African Giant,” won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards (AAMA) and was nominated for a Grammy for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.  

He was awarded the African Artist of the Year at the 2020 VGMAs. He released his fifth studio album, Twice as Tall, in August 2020, which was nominated for the same category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making him the first Nigerian artist with back-to-back nominations at the Grammys in 2021.

Twice as Tall won the Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.