Nigeria Reacts to Tyla’s Grammy Win: Mixed Emotions Unveiled
The 66th Grammy trophies were a mixed bag for Nigeria, with all of the nominated musicians missing out on the prestigious trophies across ten nominations in five categories.
The most notable upset was in the inaugural Best African Music Performance category, where Tyla from South Africa defeated six Nigerian nominees with her 2023 tune “Water.”
The 19-year-old singer, who rose to prominence with her viral TikTok song “Getting Late,” is the first artist to receive the inaugural award, which recognizes excellence in African music.
This is for Africa, its culture, and the future. “I’m so grateful to be here and share this moment with you all, Tyla remarked in her acceptance speech.
While several Nigerian artists gratefully commemorate Tyla’s historic victory against
Burna Boy and Davido, both nominated for Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance, were outperformed by Shakti and Zakir Hussain, respectively. Shakti, a world fusion band made up of musicians from India, England, and the United States, won with the album “This Moment.”
Hussain, an Indian tabla player, won for his piece “Pashto,” which features Bela Fleck and Edger Meyer.
Burna Boy, who received four nominations in total, did not win the Best Melodic Rap award, which went to Lil Durk and J Cole for their collaboration “All My Life”.
READ ALSO: Tyla Wins Grammy For Best African Music Performance
The acclaimed African giant was scheduled to perform his nominated track “Sittin’ on Top of the World” with Tiwa Savage, however the show was cancelled owing to technical difficulties.
Tems, who won Best Melodic Rap at the Grammys last year for her appearance on Future and Drake’s “Wait for You,” was another Nigerian singer who struggled to replicate her earlier success.
This year, Tems was nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media for her collaboration on Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” the title song for the 2023 film “Barbie.”
She lost to Billie Eilish, who won with her song “What Was I Made For,” which was written for the 2023 film “The Little Mermaid.”
Despite their losses, numerous Nigerian singers showed sportsmanship by congratulating Tyla on her historic victory. Davido and Ayra Starr, who worked with Tyla on her smash song “Girl Next Door,” both turned to social media to compliment the young singer.
“Congratulations on your win, Tyllaaaaaaa! A big one for Africa! “Keep soaring,” Davido posted on his X page.
Ayra Starr wrote on her X handle on Monday morning, “Congratulations to my babessssss @Tyllaaaaaaa.”
“Congratulations South Africa! 🇿🇦 ,
You’ve officially won the Amapiano battle!
Dankie Tyla!” Drmusa wrote on his X page.
However, not everyone was satisfied with the Grammy outcomes. Davido’s hypeman, Special Spesh, criticized the Grammy organizers for their bias against Afrobeats and other African genres.
The 66th Grammy Awards Ceremony, hosted by South African-born Trevor Noah, featured performances by Adele, Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor, and Swift.
The night’s biggest winners were Billie Eilish, who took home six trophies, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year, and Lil Nas X, who received five, including Song of the Year and Best New Artist.