Best African Music Performance Nominees at 2025 Grammy's

Like never before, Africa finally got recognized at the Grammy's. The 67th Grammy Awards will have a special prize for the best African music performance for the second time in a row This will be the second event as far as rewarding the GRAMMY Award for Best African Music Performance goes. While artists from Africa have received a Grammy before in other categories, this is the second time that they will have a category of their own. Thus, a chance was given to top performers from Africa to get worldwide recognition once again, and make a step up in their career at one of the biggest possible stages. 

Last year, the inaugural honour was given to Tyla with her song Water. Her song and performance were both amazing, and the song has managed to crack the Billboard Hot 100. Millions of listeners will be tuning to this year's award ceremony where some of the top songs from Africa could receive an additional boost, not that we're not already talking about songs that have millions of listens. 

Tyla made history by reaching the Billboard Hot 100 as she became the first African singer in the last 55 years to receive that honour. While her career went higher after the win, this year none of her songs was topping the African charts. So, she will not be defending the title, but few other artists from the continent will have that opportunity in a few months' time. Without further ado, let's check out which African performances have gotten worldwide recognition this time around. 

Chris Brown "Sensational" feat. Davido & Lojay

While one could argue that this song belongs more to Chris Brown than to Davido and Lojay, we beg to disagree. The Afrobeat of the two featuring artists cannot be denied, and while the Brown's name is first, this song is equally theirs. Chris has had ups and downs in his career, and getting back into the big Grammy stage is a good sign he has revitalized his career to an extent. Back in the day, Brown was always a sure fire bet to have his name said out loud at Grammy's. After all, he has won the award for the best R&B Album (F.A.M.E.). With hits such as Run It, No Guidance, Look at Me Now, and Kiss Kiss, Chris Brown has had a long history with Grammy's but this time around it's not all about him. 

At the Grammy's, Chris will now perform with his co stars Davido and Lojay. The three men collaborated on Brown's album 11:11, on the song Sensational, which stood out thanks to its Afrobeat background, and the unique touch the two African artists created. This is not the first time Brown experimented with his music, but it is the first time that he jumped into the creative pool that Afrobeat is. Loyaj has done well with his verses on the song, but we need to argue that the style and the general direction of the song has the touch of the genre's leading star, Davido. The Nigerian superstar was nominated last year too, and this time he has returned to take the win. 

Davido has been on the rise in recent years, and while this song features a well renowned artist in Chris Brown, he has been making strides on his own too. While his music career is on an upward trajectory, it is not the only thing happening in his career. Davido Grammy nomination is just a part of his most recent success. If you didn't know the artist has signed a deal with the online crypto casino and sportsbook Stake, for which he will serve as an worldwide ambassador with a focus on Africa. The two entities collaborate in what is a partnership that blends the values of both the gambling company and the artist himself, who is one of the leading faces of the music industry tied to Stake brand together with the likes of Canadian rapper, Drake. With such a deal pocketed, winning a Grammy in a few months time would only be a cherry on the cake for Davido, and we hope he gets it. 

As far as Africa goes, we can freely claim that Yemi Alade is the queen of pop there. Even without e being nominated for a Grammy she would remain a musical legend on the continent and beyond. Her career spans for a few decades, and many of you already know her songs such as Johnny and Oh My Gosh. Alade has taken a new shift in her career, and on her latest album called Rebel Queen, she showed a new direction that features pieces of highlife and dancehall all to serve the celebration of the Black music. You do not get the nickname Mama Africa without representing your roots at every step. 

She will walk out on the Grammy's stage with her song Tomorrow, and will be looking to claim the win in a heavy competition. Her odds of doing so are quite good as this song is bright, charming, and represents what the GRAMMY Award for Best African Music Performance represents in its score. The song was produced by Yasso, and its chore vocals in both English and Nigeria Pidgin make it stand out even after the first listen. While Yemi Alade has had an illustrious career to date, this is her first shot at Grammy's as she was never nominated before. If you think she can win it, it is good to know that Stake.com has a dedicated betting market dedicated to Grammy's where you can back your favorite artist through wagering.

With the way Burna Boy developed his career, we should not be surprised to see him nominated for this award every year. He was nominated last year, and the same thing happened this year. He is printing hits like it is counterfeited money, and the man simply can't stop. What he can be proud of is that he already has a Grammy to his name attained through a reward for the Best Global Music Album for Twice as Tall in 2021. Last year, he was nominated for the City Boys song, but fell short to Tyla's Water. 

Now, Burna Boy is back to claim another Grammy win, and it is all thanks to his 2023 album titled I Told Them, from which the song Higher stands out. The song is not only brimming with overall production quality put forth in the hands of Yo Dibs and his amapiano beat, but it also sends a fine message to listeners as Burna Boy reflects on his limited time on Earth. The harshness of daily life is a common subject among African performers, but Burna Boy knows how to deliver a message better than anyone. 

While many observers argue that the song is much like Drake's God's Plan as far as its concept goes, Burna Boy delivers a more subtle but direct message. The message was also well received as the song received a record number of listeners on Spotify peaking at 1.3 million in a day which is a record for an African artist to this day. Considering the popularity of Burna Boy, and the overall quality of his product, it wouldn't be a surprise that he is the one to claim this year's Grammy in the category for Best African Music Performance. 

Asake & Wizkid "MMS"

The music industry in Africa is on the right path, and it is all thanks to the performers such as Asake. In just a few short years, he has managed to make a name for himself and become one of the leaders of the new movement among the top young African musicians. He has charisma and talent, and we're lucky he decided to pour it all into Afrobeats. Asake takes the best from all parts of Africa and his 2023 album title Work of Art perfectly blends southern sounds from South Africa, and the northern Nigerian beats. A clear sign that he has been doing a good job in the last few years is the fact that he was in the Grammy conversation last time around with this single Amapiano. 

Just being in the conversation was not enough for Asake, as he continued releasing hit after hit, and on his 2024 single titles Lungu Boy he created a one of a kind collaboration with worldwide stars such as Stormzy, Central Cee, and Travis Scott. As far as Grammy's go, he will feature with the song called MMS that he co created with Wizkid, and unlike some of his previous works this one had the intention to remain local, and yet it went global. Of course, Wizkid is also a renowned artist who already has a Grammy won through his participation in Best Music Video for his feature on Beyonce's Brown Skin Girl. It is a feature song from The Lion King: The Gift project. It also featured Jay-Z's and Beyonce's daughter Blue Ivy Carter.

Asake and Wizkid collaboration is one of a kind project that blends jazz, R&B, and Afrobeats, while the lyrics are a one of a kind mixture of English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin. Considering the size of the two artists creating this masterpiece, it is no wonder they got nominated for the Grammy, and it would come as no surprise if they managed to win it. 

Tems has had an interesting career. Many people do not know that she already owns a Grammy award. It came her way thanks to Future who sampled her son Higher for his Wait For U song, and the rest is history. While Tems got the spotlight thanks to the Future, this time around she will step out as a star of her own. Her debut album, Born in the Wild was an instant hit. The first single released, Love Me JeJe, was the No1 on the UK Afrobeats charts and No3 at the Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs. What followed was the Grammy nomination, and here we are talking about a potential African Grammy winner in Tems. 

Love Me JeJe is not just a song. It is a memento to the 1997 hit song from Seyi Sodimu. Both songs carry the same name, and both are hits, one a 90s classic, while the new one is a tender Afrobeats song that captivates listeners on the first listen. Tems has one of the smoother vocals on the subcontinent and they perfectly blend with the song's tune and the Pidgin phrase used in the title. With the song's release Tems was planning to bring together the belongings of the pop musical movement in Africa to modern day performers, and to share the joint results to American audiences during her 2024 Coachella performance. With the Grammy nomination and high chances of getting the award, the mission was accomplished. 

With the Grammy's only a few months removed, the tensions will grow as we get closer to the award ceremony. The likes of Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, Asake, Wizkid, and Yemi Alade will have a chance to write history as so many African artists before them. Just some of the names that have put their names on the award include Miriam Makeba, Sade, Ali Farka Touré, Cesária Évora, Youssou N’Dour, Angélique Kidjo, RedOne, Tinariwen, and Black Coffee. 

The next year's ceremony will feature artists from all over the world, but we have a gut feeling that one of the 5 nominees from Africa will be able to steal the spotlight. The songs have quality to them, a soul, and come from a genre that is still battling for its place under the musical sun. As far as Afrobeats go the goal was always to spread all over the world and not to be only a part of communities where Africans live. Creating quality music was the first step in doing so, with the second one being recognized by Grammy's with a separate award for African arts and as for the next one, we'll leave that in the hands of Burna Boy, Tems, Davido and the rest. 

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