article

African Artistes Score Big with Nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards

by TurnTable Charts

Nov 8, 2024, 8:21:19 PM

On November 8, 2024, the Recording Academy revealed the nominees for the 67th Grammy Awards, and African artistes made notable appearances across three key categories: Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance, and Best African Music Performance.

Tems and Rema Lead with Major Nods

Tems, the first Nigerian female artiste to win a Grammy in 2023, earned her eighth nomination for Born in the Wild, her debut studio album, which reached No. 3 and spent an impressive 21 weeks on Nigeria’s Official Top 100 Albums Chart. Meanwhile, Rema celebrated his first Grammy nomination with HEIS, his sophomore project released in July 2025. The album, which debuted at No. 1 and held a spot on the chart for 17 weeks, became the first African sophomore album to be nominated in this category. Several tracks from HEIS—“OZEBA,” “HEHEHE,” “BENIN BOYS,” and “YAYO”—also reached the top 10 on Nigeria’s Official Top 100.

Both Tems and Rema are vying for the Best Global Music Album award alongside global contenders like Ciro Hurtado, Antonio Rey, and Matt B featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The former also earns a ‘Best R&B Song’ nod for “Burning.” 

Angelique Kidjo Secures Another Nod, Leading Best Global Music Performance

Five-time Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo adds to her accolades with a nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category for “Sunlight to My Soul,” a powerful collaboration with the Soweto Gospel Choir. Other artistes nominated in this category include Arooj Aftab, Rocky Dawuni, Masa Takumi, and Jacob Collier.

Best African Music Performance Sees a Strong Nigerian Presence

The Best African Music Performance category is packed with top Nigerian talent, featuring nominations for Yemi Alade, Asake, Wizkid, Davido, Lojay, Burna Boy, and Tems. Lojay, who received his first-ever Grammy nomination, collaborated with Davido and Chris Brown on the hit track “Sensational,” which spent 23 weeks and peaked at No. 12 on the singles chart. This marks Davido’s fourth Grammy nomination, while Tems secured another nod with “Love Me Jeje” from Born in the Wild, a song that held the No. 12 spot for 22 weeks on Nigeria’s Top 100.

Burna Boy, a one-time Grammy winner, received his 11th nomination for “Higher,” which dominated the charts, peaking at No. 1 and staying in the top spots for 18 weeks. Asake also earned his second Grammy nod for “MMS,” a collaboration with Wizkid that reached No. 1 and has spent 12 weeks on the Nigerian Top 100. For Wizkid, this marks his fifth Grammy nomination. Yemi Alade also celebrated a milestone with her first solo Grammy nomination for “Tomorrow,” which peaked at No. 85 and spent four weeks on the charts.

Full Nominees List for Key African-Inclusive Grammy Categories

Best Global Music Album

  • ‘Alkebulan II’ — Matt B feat. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
  • ‘Paisajes’ — Ciro Hurtado
  • ‘HEIS’ — Rema
  • ‘Historias De Un Flamenco’ — Antonio Rey
  • ‘Born in the Wild’ — Tems

Best Global Music Performance

  • “Raat Ki Rani” — Arooj Aftab
  • “A Rock Somewhere” — Jacob Collier feat. Anoushka Shankar & Varijashree Venugopal
  • “Rise” — Rocky Dawuni
  • “Bemba Colora” — Sheila E. feat. Gloria Estefan & Mimy Succar
  • “Sunlight to My Soul” — Angelique Kidjo feat. Soweto Gospel Choir
  • “Kashira” — Masa Takumi feat. Ron Korb, Noshir Mody & Dale Edward Chung

Best African Music Performance

  • “Tomorrow” — Yemi Alade
  • “MMS” — Asake & Wizkid
  • “Sensational” — Chris Brown, Davido & Lojay
  • “Higher” — Burna Boy
  • “Love Me JeJe” — Tems

The 67th Grammy Awards are set to showcase a celebration of African artistry on the global stage, highlighting the continued growth and impact of African music worldwide.

Want updates straight into your Inbox?

Enter your name and email to get the latest news from the TurnTable team, and in-depth knowledge into music and the numbers behind them.