15th March 2021 was a day to remember for the Nigerian Music industry as Nigeria music stars, Wizkd and Burna Boy finally brought the much-coveted Grammy Award home.
Burna Boy won the Best Global Music Album category
Burna Boy, real name Damini Ogulu, a nominee for a second consecutive year, won with his Twice as Tall album.
The 29-year-old beat four others including the Malian band, Tinariwen.
The Grammys described Twice As Tall as “a masterclass in the vibe and hustle that have made Burna Boy an international musical force”.
“[He] continues to torch limitations, seamlessly blending styles and genres and fearlessly fuelling the fire heating the melting pot of pop, Afrobeat, dancehall, reggae and more,” it said.
The album features a wide range of international artists such as Stormzy, Youssou Ndour, Naughty By Nature, and Chris Martin of Coldplay, and had Sean Combs as executive producer.
This a big win for my generation of Africans all over the world and this should be a lesson to every African out there, no matter where you are, no matter what you plan to do, you can achieve it because you are king,’’ Burna Boy said in his acceptance speech.
Second time lucky for Burna
Burna Boy was nominated in the same category in 2019 – then known as Best World Music Album – but lost out to Angelique Kidjo at the awards ceremony in 2020.
However, Kidjo dedicated her win to him, saying: “Burna Boy is among those young artists that come from Africa that is changing the way our content is perceived and the way that African music is the bedrock of all music.”
Born in Nigeria’s Port Harcourt, Burna Boy released his first album, LIFE, an acronym for Leaving an Impact For Eternity, in 2013.
That album was followed by the release of Redemption in 2015 and Outside in 2018 that included the international hit track, Ye.
But it was with his 2019 African Giant album that Burna Boy hit the international scene and earned his first Grammys nomination.
Often compared to Nigerian superstar Fela Ransome-Kuti, whose songs Burna has sampled generously, he has become increasingly vocal about social causes in Africa.
Wizkid, on the other hand, won a Grammy for the Best Music Video’ for his role in ‘Brown Skin Girl’, Beyonce’s 2019 hit song. The Best Music Video award is given to the artist, video director, and video producer. Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy was also a winner on the song.
This year’s edition of the Grammys was earlier scheduled for January but postponed amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles.
