Nigerian artist Tems (Temilade Openiyi) earned her first Grammy award for her contribution to Future’s hit single ‘Wait For U’, which also features Drake.
The song won the Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, beating strong artists in the category, which included Jack Harlow, Kendrick Lamar and DJ Khaled.
South Africans Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman also won a Grammy in the Best Global Music Performance category, courtesy of their song, ‘Bayethe’.
“Thank you so much. This is such a beautiful moment on the road to sharing South African music and culture with the world,” Kellerman said during his acceptance speech.
“I just want to say; we are coming from Africa, South Africa. And this moment right here to anybody who’s in Africa just proves and affirms that every dream is valid,” Bantwini added.
They trounced Nigeria’s Burna Boy, Uganda’s Eddy Kenzo and Ghanaian Rocky Dawuni to win the category.
The award is the first Grammy for Nomcebo, Bantwini and Kellerman’s second.
Nomcebo, whose step-up-to-fame moment came when she featured in Master KG’s Jerusalema hit, also echoed the positive sentiments of her colleagues.
“Thank you so much to God. I once gave a song to the world that took the world by storm, but I didn’t get this award, and he then said, ‘don’t worry, my daughter, I will give you Bayethe’,” she said.
Other Africans featured in the nominations (but did not win) included Uganda’s Eddy Kenzo, who made his debut in the Grammy’s nomination list in the Best Global Music Performance category with his song ‘Gimme Love’.
In a Twitter message, the 33-year-old expressed gratitude to his fans while promising them more music.
“And the baby went to south Africa; thank you for the support, my people. I’m forever grateful. Viva Uganda. This is just the beginning, mbagala nyo,” Kenzo wrote on Instagram.
Ghana’s Rocky Dawuni, a three-time Grammy nominee, was also among the Best Global Music Performance category nominees.
In an interview with VOA Africa, the artist, whose music features Afro Roots blended with Reggae and Soul, said the nomination was important for him because it meant “your peers within the music industry globally acknowledge your work.”
While Nigeria’s Burna Boy did not secure a win this time, he is no stranger to the awards, having previously won a Grammy in 2021 with his album ‘Twice as Tall’ winning the Best Global Music Album.
Harry Styles scooped the coveted Album of the Year gong for his third solo album, Harry’s House, while Lizzo’s viral single About Damn Time was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year went to Bonnie Raitt for her song Just Like That.
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Nigerian artist Tems (Temilade Openiyi) won her first Grammy for her role in Future's hit single "Wait For U," which features Drake. The song bagged the Best Melodic Rap Performance award at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
South African artists Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode, and Wouter Kellerman won the Best Global Music Performance category with their song "Bayethe." This marked the first Grammy for Nomcebo and the second for Kellerman. Their achievement was celebrated as a significant moment for sharing South African music and culture globally.
Other notable African nominees included Uganda's Eddy Kenzo and Ghana's Rocky Dawuni. Despite not winning, they expressed gratitude and the importance of their nominations in advancing African music on the global stage.
Notably, Harry Styles won Album of the Year for "Harry's House," Lizzo's "About Damn Time" was named Record of the Year, and Bonnie Raitt's "Just Like That" won Song of the Year.
