Top Nigerian artistes Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid and Ayra Starr did not win in their nominated categories at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States, on Sunday night.
The ceremony took place at the Crypto.com Arena and was hosted by South African comedian Trevor Noah. It was broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
In the Best African Music Performance category, South African singer Tyla won with her song ‘Push 2 Start’, edging out a strong field that included several Nigerian entries.
Burna Boy was nominated for ‘Love’, Wizkid and Ayra Starr for ‘Gimme Dat’, and Davido with Omah Lay for ‘With You’. Ugandan artistes Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin were also nominated with ‘Hope & Love’.
Burna Boy also received a nomination in the Best Global Music Album category for his project No Sign of Weakness, but the award went to Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo by Brazilian musicians Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia.
Tyla’s win makes her the first artist to claim the Best African Music Performance award twice since the category was introduced. She previously won in 2024 with her hit song Water.
Reacting after the ceremony, social media commentator VeryDarkMan wrote, “CONFIRMED 🤦♂️💔 All Nigerian artistes nominated at the 68th Grammy Awards have lost in all categories.”
He added, “None of them is flying back to Lagos with a trophy. But still, congratulations guys. You did your best.”
VeryDarkMan also said, “Jokes aside, Grammys dey use Nigerians promote their award. They always do this.”
The 2026 Grammy Awards featured winners across several categories, with major honours shared among artists from different regions of the world.
