Nigerian music fans have had mixed reactions to Nigerian artists missing out on the 66th Grammy Awards held Sunday night at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, USA.
The likes of Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Davido, Asake, and Olamide nominated for the Best African Music Performance category, stood mouth agape as South African Tyla clinced the award with her song ‘Water.’ Davido and Burna Boy also failed to get the nod in their nominations for the Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance categories.
Cobhams Asuquo ace music producer said it was perplexing Nigerian artists were not voted for despite their songs making massive waves across the globe.
“We should take the ‘Headies’ more seriously, we have to step up and celebrate our own contributions
“To be honest we don’t fully understand the prerequisite, criteria, we don’t understand the voting members of the academy. Don’t know how they arrived at their decision, because these songs were massive hits not only in Nigeria but across the globe.
“The Grammies have recognised there is an emerging movement in Africa, hence the category that has been created.”
“This Grammys no sweet oo!,” Timaya posted on his Instagram account.
Adesope Olajide a.k.a Shopsydoo, also made his disappointment known.
He said, “Tyla’s ‘Water’ [was announced as winner], the band is playing Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s ‘Water’ while somebody that has a different ‘Water’ was working on the stage. If you want to know about an organisation that has no clue, the Grammy has no clue.
“They have no clue, they know nothing about our culture. And we shouldn’t be wasting our energy there. These bums gave Tyla’s ‘Water’ an award and they are playing Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s ‘Water’ in the background. Is that an organisation that understands us? They don’t care about us, man”.
“They just want to use us for promotion. One billion people in Africa, they want us to continue to sell the Grammy.
“I’m telling you for a fact, they used Davido heavily to promote their platform. They rely hugely on the incredible numbers and eyes that Nigeria and Africa bring and they used our artists. They announced one of the greatest artists of our time, Burna Boy as a performer which got us all excited. They nominated Burna Boy four times, they nominated Davido three times, but they knew that they were going to f*ck them up.”
On X formerly Twitter the hashtag #GrammySnubNaija trended
@NaijaMusicLover: “I can’t believe what I just witnessed. All our hopes were dashed in one night. Davido and Burna Boy deserved better.”
@AfrobeatsQueen shared a meme of a shocked face, captioned, “Me watching the Grammys realising they snubbed our Nigerian kings. #ShameOnGrammys.”
@NaijaJollofQueen: “This is beyond heartbreaking. Our artistes have been making waves globally, and the Grammys failed to acknowledge their impact. Disappointed but not defeated. We’ll keep shining.
@MusicAficionado: “It’s not just about winning awards. Nigerian music has influenced the world. Our artists have elevated the game. Grammy or not, we are a force to be reckoned with. #NaijaStandUp.”
@AfrobeatInsider tweeted, “Let’s not forget Nigerian music’s impact globally. Awards are just one part of the journey. Our artistes have opened doors for Afrobeats worldwide. The movement continues.”
TEAM Disappointment...Davido, Burna Boy, Olamide and Ayra