Nigeria’s singers, Wizkid and Burna Boy have won in separate categories at the 63rd Grammies.
While Burna Boy won the Best Global Music Album category, Wizkid won the Best Music Video for his song with Beyonce, the Brown Skin Girl.
This is Wizkid’s first Grammy Award. A profile of his numerous music exploits are chronicled by Wizkid Gallery:
Beyonce’s daughter, Blue Ivy becomes the second youngest singer to win an award for her part in the song with Wizkid.
29-year-old Damini Ogulu, better known by his stage name as Burna Boy is a Grammy nominee for the second consecutive year with his Twice As Tall album.
The Grammys described Twice as Tall as a “masterclass in the vibe and hustle that have made Burna Boy an international music force.”
They acknowledge that he “continues to touch limitations, seamlessly blending styles and genres fearlessly feeling the fire heating the melting pot of pop, Afrobeat, dancehall, reggae and more.”
On hearing the announcement today, considering that he was not at the event, Burna Boy had this to say:
Burna Boy’s album features notable international artistes like Stormzy, Yousou Ndour, Naughty By Nature and Chris Martin of Coldplay. He also worked with notable producer, Sean Combs.
In 2019, Burna Boy was nominated in the same category of Best World Music Album with Angelique Kidjo but lost to Kidjo during the awards ceremony in 2020.
Nonetheless, she dedicated the award to him saying that, “Burna Boy is among those young artistes that come from Africa that is changing the way our continent is perceived and the way that African music is the bedrock of all music.”
The 2019 nomination was his first at the Grammies. His subsequent work and recognitions establish him as one of the biggest international artists in the world.
Burna Boy is indeed acknowledged as one of the biggest contributors to the explosion of the Nigerian music scene. His growth has spiralled since his first hit in 2013. The song was titled LIFE, an acronym for Leaving an Impact for Eternity.
He is sometimes compared to the Afro Beat maestro, Fela Anikulapo Kuti whose songs he has sampled generously.
Still a bit like Fela, he has participated actively in activism with his vehement opposition to xenophobia in South Africa, and his role and sponsorship at the #EndSARS protest as well as the protest against Police Brutality in Senegal.
After the killings of #EndSARS protesters in October 2020, he released a song in memory of the dead and set up a fund for victims of police brutality.
Burna Boy’s recent music wins include the MTV European Music Awards (EMA) for ‘Best African Act,’ the All Africa Music Awards album of the year and winner, ‘Best International Act’ for Black Entertainment (BET) awards and the 2020 Dutch Edison Award for ‘World Album.’
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