The 2026 Grammy Awards have turned into a victory lap for Nigeria’s music powerhouses, as Davido, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, and Omah Lay lead the African wave of nominations announced on Friday, November 7, 2025, by the Recording Academy.
Davido and Omah Lay clinched a joint nomination for Best African Music Performance with their soul-stirring collaboration, “With You,” while Ayra Starr’s high-energy duet “Gimme Dat” featuring Wizkid also made the cut. Burna Boy, a Grammy veteran and Africa’s global music icon, earned double recognition — including Best Global Music Album for his critically acclaimed body of work, “No Sign of Weakness.”
The Best African Music Performance category — introduced in 2023 to recognize the continent’s sonic influence — has become one of the Grammys’ most competitive segments. Alongside Nigeria’s finest, South Africa’s Grammy darling Tyla returns with “PUSH 2 START,” while Uganda’s Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin make the list with “Hope & Love.” Industry insiders say this year’s nominations reflect the “unstoppable globalization” of Afrobeats and African pop sounds that have redefined mainstream music.
For Burna Boy, this marks his fifth career Grammy nomination and a chance to reclaim the global title after winning in 2021 for “Twice As Tall.” His album “No Sign of Weakness” will battle heavyweight contenders such as Anoushka Shankar’s “Chapter III: We Return To Light”, Youssou N’Dour’s “Light the World”, and Caetano Veloso’s “Ao Vivo” in the Best Global Music Album category.
Meanwhile, Davido’s latest nod further cements his historic 2024 Grammy debut with “Timeless.” Music analysts believe this nomination signals his continued dominance on the global stage. For Ayra Starr, the nomination alongside Wizkid — two of Nigeria’s youngest global exports — is a career-defining moment that amplifies her reputation as the “Gen Z queen of Afrobeats.”
The announcement has sparked waves of celebration across social media, with fans declaring 2026 as “the year Afrobeats officially conquers the world.” The Recording Academy’s recognition of multiple Nigerian stars underscores the genre’s unprecedented crossover appeal, blending African rhythms with international soundscapes that continue to reshape global music culture.
The 2026 Grammy Awards are set to hold on February 8, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, and will broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+. If the predictions are right, this could be the night Africa dominates the global stage once again.
