In 2024, the Recording Academy, which hands out the Grammy Awards, couldn’t escape the Afrobeats virus that was spreading across the world. So they created a new Grammy category for African music. While there were several debates about whether creating a category for African music was shelving or not, the Best African Music Performance was born, and specifically, five African songs will be nominated for a Grammy award under that category every year. While African artists could also be nominated under other categories, the Best African Music Performance has been a major focus for Africans to root for their favourite African artists.
Since its creation in 2024, Tyla, the South African global artist, has been nominated twice. She has won it both times, respectively in 2024 and 2026. She made history by being the first artist to win the newly created category in 2024, winning with her global breakthrough song, “Water”, and sealed the deal in 2026 in a highly contested lineup of Davido, Burna Boy and Ayra Starr.
When the category was launched, the Recording Academy specifically cited the work of artists like Davido, Libianca, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, CKay, Wouter Kellerman, Tems, Zakes Bantwini, Tyler ICU and Nomcebo Zikode for highlighting African music on an international scale, which, from the artists mentioned, speaks that Nigerian artists are the major contenders for the category. However, only Tems, a Nigerian, has won in the category, which earns her her second Grammy award. So the outrage is understandable when a Nigerian artist is not announced as the winner. Since 2024, at least 3 Nigerian songs will be nominated, so Nigerians always feel entitled to the category.
There have been several discussions on whether international recognition is a yardstick to determine artistic success, and the conclusions are always double-edged. Everyone wants to be recognised on the big stages in the world, because even though it doesn’t validate their artistic brilliance, it’s a bonus for the amount of work put into a piece of art. Meanwhile, does being recognised also mean an artist is better or indicate success? Especially when selections are also subjective, announced by people with a particular kind of taste?
If climbing the ladder to reach the top in the music industry requires 20 steps, African artists have had to climb the double of that. So, that African music has become so global that the biggest music award show had to create a category highlight the quality and the amount of work coming out of the continent. Being nominated or winning can be considered a cherry on top of a wide, large cake of African music, especially because an artist or a song winning doesn’t translate to the kind of music being produced on the continent.
This year, Tyla with “Push 2 Start” won the Best African Music Performance at the Grammys ahead of Burna Boy’s “Love”, Ayra Starr’s “Gimme Dat”, featuring Wizkid, Davido’s “With You”, featuring Omah Lay and Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin with “Hope & Love.” The line-up already depicts the diverse sounds that come from the continent.
Not to take away from how successful Tyla has been and the impressive run she has been on since her breakout. She has not only mastered the balance between global appeal and African identity, but has done so with a clarity that feels effortless. From “Water” to “Push 2 Start” to “Chanel,” Tyla’s music travels easily across borders. Her (Grammy) wins reflect how her work resonates widely and captures a moment in global pop culture.
African artists have already crossed the most difficult threshold: being heard, shaping global sound, and forcing the world’s biggest institutions to pay attention. Awards may come and go, but the music remains, expansive and unstoppable. If anything, each nomination and win is merely a footnote in a much larger story Africa is already telling on its own terms.
So a win for Tyla is a win for the continent. Let’s celebrate that.
