Nigerians at Grammys: Meet 7 Female Artists Nominated for the Prestigious International Music Award
- The Nigerian music industry recently got a huge win again with Tems winning a Grammy award, but in truth, she isn't the first woman from the Naija to win it
- There are other international female Nigerian stars that have also been recognised, nominated and won the Grammys before Tems, like Sade Adu, Chimamanda Adichie and Cynthia Erivo
- In this article, Legit.ng has compiled a list of Nigerian women that have done the country proud by being nominated for a Grammy award, and some even won it
Success is defined in many forms. Winning individual awards, especially those one's peers deem one worthy of on a global stage, is always seen commendable feat.
Particularly at the pinnacle of one's career, internationally recognised awards are considered the highest recognition for a singer, footballer and even an academician's talent and hard work.
The first Nigerian artist to get nominated for a Grammy award was King Sunny Ade for his 1983 record Syncro System. Since then, many other Nigerian creatives have earned global recognition for their works, including Chimamanda Adichie, Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Sikiru Adepoju.
Source: Instagram
However, Tems recently became the first Nigerian-born and bred woman to win a Grammy Award for her craft that started and matured in Nigeria. There have been other women who were also in a position to achieve this feat.
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Legit.ng, in this article, has highlighted seven other Nigerian women who have done the country proud by being nominated for a Grammy award in the past and some of them won it.
1. Chimamanda Adichie 2015
Internationally renowned Nigerian author, writer and literacy icon Chimamanda Adichie was nominated and won a Grammy award in 2015 as a credited artist on Beyonce's self-titled album in 2013.
Adichie's famous speech, We Should All Be Feminist, was sampled by Beyonce on Flawless. The project was nominated in the album of the year category at the 2015 Grammy awards.
2. Kah-Lo 2017
Faridah Seriki, with the stage name Kah-Lo, is a Nigerian-born UK-raised singer and songwriter best known for her song Fasta. She received a Grammy nomination for her work with DJ Riton, a British disk jokey. Riton and Kah Lo released Rinse & Repeat, a 2016 mega-hit in the UK.
The single reached the top of several UK music charts and was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
3. Cynthia Erivo 2017 & 2021
Nigerian-born British singer Cynthia Erivo got her first Grammy nomination in 2017 for her work in the movie, 'Colour Purple'. She also received a plaque for Best Musical Theater Album at the 2017 Grammys.
In 2021, Cynthia Erivo's song Stand Up was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category. The music was used in the award-winning film Harriet directed by Kasi Lemmons.
4. Tiwa Savage 2019
The "Number 1 African Bahd Gyal" Tiwa Savage isn't left out of this esteemed list. She was nominated for a Grammy in 2019 for her contribution to Coldplay's Everyday Life album. Tiwa featured on Coldplay's song titled Eko, and her vocals were a strong focus on the track.
The project was nominated for the album of the year.
5. Jen Nkiru 2021
Jen Nkiru is a British-Nigerian filmmaker and director. She was nominated and won a Grammy for Best Music Video at the 2021 awards.
Nkiru was the director of Beyonce's inspirational music video, Brown Skin Girl, featuring Wizkid and Blue Ivy.
6. Shade Adu:
The queen mother of this list is Helen Folasade Adu, popularly known as Sade Adu. She was born in the ancient city of Ibadan on January 16, 1959.
She is the first woman with Nigerian roots to be recognised by Grammy awards for her 1985 record that won her Best New Act in 1986.
Sade Adu went on to win four Grammy awards, which include Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song No Ordinary Love in 1994, Best Pop Vocal Album for Lovers Rock in 2002, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for Soldier of Love in 2011.
7. Tems
And finally, Tems. She, at the moment, is the cynosure of all eyes in Nigeria's music industry. Some have even dared to call her the best Nigerian artist.
Tems was first nominated for a Grammy award in 2021 for her work on Wizkid's global hit track, Essence, but they missed out.
In 2022, Tems got three Grammy nominations at the 2022 Annual Grammy Awards. The nominations include Beyonce’s Renaissance for Album of the year, where Tems is credited as a songwriter.
However, in 2023 Tems couldn't be denied a Grammy for her 2022 collaboration with Future on the song Wait For You.
Source: Legit.ng
