South African music sensation, Tyla, has dashed top Nigerian artistes’ hope of winning Grammys this year as she has won the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards.
The 68th Grammy Awards took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
The feat marks Tyla’s second Grammy win, having clinched the award for her hit ‘Water’ in 2024 in the category’s debut edition.
The 24-year-old artiste secured the honour with her viral record, “Push 2 Start,” ahead of Burna Boy’s “Love,” Davido and Omah Lay’s collaboration “With You,” Ayra Starr and Wizkid’s “Gimme Dat,” as well as Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin’s “Hope & Love.”
The victory underscores Tyla’s fast-rising dominance in international award circles and highlights South Africa’s growing footprint on the African and global music stage.
For Nigerian music heavyweights, the night ended in disappointment, as stars such as Burna Boy, Davido, Omah Lay, Ayra Starr and Wizkid were just spectators at the event.
In spite of high nominations across top categories, no Nigerian artiste returned home with a Grammy trophy in 2026 edition,marking one of the rare years for Africa’s most influential music nation.
Burna Boy also suffered a setback in the Best Global Music Album category, where his project, “No Sign of Weakness,” lost out to Brazilian legends Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia, whose collaborative live album, “Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo,” claimed the prize.
NAN reports that The Best African Music Performance category, which officially debuted at the 66th Grammy Awards in 2024 is telling of the Recording Academy’s pursuit of a structural shift in its rolodex of categories.
After South African Tyla clinched the first edition of the category in 2024 the following year, Nigerian superstar Tems rose as the victor for her hit song “Love Me JeJe.”
So far, Davido has been nominated each year: in 2024 for “Unavailable” featuring Musa Keys and in 2025 for his feature on Chris Brown’s “Sensational.”
He stands as a multi-contender in the category, with each work achieving a broad global appeal.
