Nigerian star Burna Boy missed his chance to make history on the evening of Sunday, February 5, 2023, at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards by losing out on the Best Global Music Album award for his latest album Love, Damini and the Best Global Music Performance with ‘Last Last’.
The win would have marked a significant milestone for the artiste and for Nigerian music, as Burna Boy would have become the first Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy twice in a major category.
South Africa’s Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikode won the award of Best Global Music Performance ahead of Burna Boy with their song ‘Bayete’ while Masa Tukumi took the Best Global Music Album with Sukura.
Despite missing out, Burna Boy’s nomination is a testament to his talent and impact on the music world and has sealed the place of Nigerian music as an integral part of world music. His feat is coming on the heels of his award for Best Africa Act at the 2022 MTV European Music Awards and his feature on the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He also won the Best Male Artist & Best African Act at the 2022 Headies Awards and received major awards at the 2023 AFRIMA – among others.
The Nigerian songstress Tems, meanwhile, has received a Grammy in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category for her feature on Future’s ‘Wait For U’ ft. Drake. Tems’ win comes days after receiving a nomination for her role in ‘Lift Me Up’, a soundtrack off Marvel’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, in the ‘Best Original Song’ category of the 2023 Academy Awards held on January 24, 2023.
Fans and industry insiders alike are now eagerly awaiting to see what Nigerian artistes have in store next as the only way to go is up.