Wizkid, Tems Missing As Grammy Releases List Of African Winners

Nigerian singer, Ayo Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, and his colleague, Tems, were conspicuously missing from the list of African musicians who have won the coveted Grammy award since the 1960s.

Naija News reports that ahead of the upcoming 66th Grammy Awards, scheduled to hold on February 4, organisers unveiled notable African 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, including Burna Boy, 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

It would be recalled that 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.

Tems, in 2023, made her mark by securing her debut Grammy award, in the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category for her role in ‘Wait for U,’ the 2022 hit song by Future featuring Drake.