African Brilliance On The Global Stage
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- February 15, 2024
The annual Grammy Awards are known by most to be music’s biggest stage. This award honours individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the music industry. This year, the 66th Annual Grammy Awards was held on the 4th of February at the Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena. The 66th Grammy Awards didn’t just honour the contribution of foreign artists but also recognised ever-rhythmic African sound by creating a new category, Best African Music Performance. This move solidifies African music internationally and shows how far the Afrobeat genre has come.
This piece will look at the nominees who have worked to push their art out of the continent and into the global stage and the eventual winner.
Asake x Olamide-Amapiano
It’s not news that Asake has been the rave of the moment since he came into the limelight, and his hard work has paid off. His hit single Amapiano, which features his record label boss, Olamide, got 4.95 million streams on TurnTable, making it Asake’s 10th Number 1 song and making him the first artist to achieve such a feat on the Turn-Table Hot 100.
Davido x Musa Keys-Unavailable
From Davido’s “Timeless” album came the hit track Unavailable. From his fans to other celebrities, Unavailable became a hit track that had the world of entertainment up and moving to its unique dance moves. The global acknowledgement of this song earned it a nomination at the 66th Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance.
Burna Boy-City Boys
With this hit song earning top numbers in the charts of over three countries and number one in the U.K Afrobeats Chart, it was no surprise to see that Burna Boy’s City Boys got a nod of approval at the Grammy’s, and the best thing is, this track continues to thrill many music enthusiasts till this day.
Ayra Starr-Rush
One of Mavin’s talented acts, Ayra Starr, put out a certified club jam titled Rush, and it didn’t fail to meet expectations as it became the first solo song by a female Nigerian artiste to achieve over 300 million views on YouTube. Such a milestone was deemed fit to get a nomination at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Tyla-Water (Winner)
From clubs to Tik-Tok trends and Instagram reels, Tyla’s smashing hit single, Water, had its effect on the entertainment world. The song has also been a well-known feature on other charts, including Hot R&B Songs (No. 6), Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 22), and others.
This global hit was enough to win Tyla the distinguished Grammy Award, making her the first-ever recipient of that award.
It’s a joy to see how much the African sound has grown. It became a force to reckon with that couldn’t be ignored anymore, and it found a way to go global and have a category on the world’s biggest music stage. A win for one is a win for all. BIG-UPS AFRICA!!!
Johnson Chukwueke
Johnson Chukwueke is a content and creative writer with over 3 years of experience as a professional. A microbiology graduate from the Imo State University, Johnson is a music enthusiast who also enjoys movies, reading, and swimming. He is a writer at THEWILL DOWNTOWN.
