The 2025 Grammy Awards were an exciting event, creating unforgettable moments of connection and admiration between celebrities and their fans.
This year’s ceremony highlighted African artists and celebrities, allowing them to present their cultural influences in fashion, music, entertainment, and film, which captivated audiences worldwide.
With African culture receiving significant recognition, the esteemed South African comedian Trevor Noah had the privilege of hosting the 68th Grammy Awards, alongside many others who played important roles throughout the event.
This occasion represented a major advancement for African entertainment, film, and music, indicating the continent’s rising significance in these sectors.
African artists performed exceptionally well in several prestigious categories, with many nominees participating as performers or presenters.
South African artist Tyla won the “Best African Music Performance” category for the second consecutive year with her song “Push 2 Start.”
The event highlighted the increasing global influence of African music, featuring performances, nominations, and special acknowledgments for numerous African artists.
Tyla’s victory on Monday morning marked her second win in this category.
A remarkable honor, the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award,’ was awarded posthumously to Nigerian music legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti, with his children (Yeni, Kunle, Shalewa, and Femi Kuti) accepting the award on his behalf.
Many nominees were from Africa, including Burna Boy (Nigeria) for his love song “Love,” Davido (Nigeria) featuring Omah Lay with “With You,” and Ayra Starr (Nigeria) featuring Wizkid with “Gimme Dat.” Other nominees included Ugandan artist Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin for their hit song “Hope & Love.”
In the Best Global Music Album category, Nigerian artist Burna Boy was nominated for “No Sign of Weakness,” while Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour was nominated for “Éclairer le Monde (Light the World).” Although Burna Boy did not win the top award, most nominees in major categories were Nigerian artists.
Burna Boy made history as the first African artist to perform on the main Grammys stage in 2024, while Tems won Best African Music Performance at the 2025 Grammys for “Love Me JeJe.”
Wizkid received the Best Music Video award for “Brown Skin Girl” in 2021, and Black Coffee won Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022.
Angelique Kidjo from Benin, a regular at the Grammys with five wins, received a nomination for Best Global Music Performance in 2026.
The Best African Music Performance category, introduced in 2024, has become a vital platform for celebrating diverse African sounds, including Amapiano, Afro-fusion, and Afrobeats.
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The 2025 nominees included Yemi Alade, Asake, Wizkid, Davido, Lojay, Burna Boy, and Tems. The 2026 awards continued to showcase the substantial and growing influence of artists from Nigeria and South Africa.
The 2026 awards highlighted the growing and significant impact of artists from Nigeria and South Africa on the global music scene. However, despite the success of Nigerian stars, the recently held Grammy 2025 awards did not favor many prominent Afrobeats artists, as South African musician Tyler won the top award for ‘Best African Music Performance’.
Davido, who has recently faced child paternity allegations, was unable to secure the prestigious award, leaving his fans hopeful and excited before the event, only to be disappointed when Tyler was announced as the winner. Davido has previously received numerous awards and nominations, showcasing his rise to prominence.
Davido later shared that his hit single “With You,” featuring Omah Lay, almost didn’t make it onto his 5IVE album. He mentioned that the song, which HYPETRIBE uploaded on Monday, did not impress during internal listening sessions and was not considered a standout by his team. “It’s crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. You weren’t in anyone’s top five,” he stated.
Davido expressed that the song’s tremendous success became an emotional moment for him, as he often thinks about how close it was to being excluded. “And now look at it go. Every time I performed it, my heart would race, thinking, ‘What if I hadn’t included this song?’” he added.
In previous years, Davido has won Grammy Awards and received nominations, including his song “Feel,” which earned him Best Global Music Performance in 2024, an award he lost to Tyler in 2025. Other notable awards include “Unavailable” (featuring Musa Keys) for Best African Music Performance in 2025, “Sensational” (with Chris Brown & Lojay), and the recent 2026 award for “With You” (featuring Omah Lay).
