The highly anticipated 66th Grammy Awards took place on February 5, 2024, in Los Angeles, creating a buzz among Nigerian music enthusiasts.
However, the aftermath of the event left Burna Boy, Davido, Asake & Olamide, and Ayra Starr, all homegrown talents, disappointed as they failed to secure any of the 10 nominations they were competing for.
According to Harvey Mason, the President of the Recording Academy Board of Trustees, the selection process was fair and rigorous. Mason emphasized that the Academy evaluates the quality of each submitted song, and the winners are determined based on the opinions of its members.
He made it clear that the Academy’s membership consists solely of music professionals from the United States, whose votes solely shape the outcomes in each category.
“Streams, fan base, or followers are not the deciding factors for winning a Grammy. It is purely the opinion of the membership in that specific year that influences the outcome,” Mason explained to the press, dispelling any notions of external influences impacting the decision-making process.
The absence of wins for Nigerian artists has ignited debates about the fairness of the results. In the category for Best African Music Performance, Davido’s ‘Unavailable’, Asake & Olamide’s ‘Amapiano’, Ayra Starr’s ‘Rush’, and Burna Boy’s ‘City Boy’ lost to ‘Water’ by Tyla.
Similarly, Davido’s ‘Feel’ and Burna Boy’s ‘Alone’ were overlooked for the Best Global Music Performance award, which was awarded to ‘Pashto’ by Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain Featuring Rakesh Chaurasia.
Additionally, Davido’s ‘Timeless’ and Burna Boy’s ‘I Told Them’ fell short in the Best Global Album category, yielding to ‘The Moment’ by Shakti.
