Nigerian music stars Rema, Tems, Asake, Davido, Burna Boy, and Yemi Alade have received nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards.
The Recording Academy announced the nominations on Friday during a live broadcast.
The nominations were unveiled by a lineup of presenters including Hayley Williams, Billie Joe Armstrong, Gayle King, Kirk Franklin, Kylie Minogue, and Victoria Monet.
Rema and Tems were nominated for ‘Best Global Music Album.’ Rema for his sophomore album HEIS and Tems for her debut, Born in the Wild.
This marks Rema’s first Grammy nomination, while Tems earns her eighth.
Both artists will compete alongside other global contenders, including albums from Matt B (USA) and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK), Ciro Hurtado (Peru), and Antonio Rey (Spain).
Burna Boy was the first Nigerian musician to win a Grammy for ‘Best Global Music Album’ when he won in 2021 for his album ‘Twice As Tall.’
The Best African Music Performance introduced for the 2024 awards saw South African star, Tyla win.
This year, the Best African Music Performance category is rich with Nigerian talent, featuring nominations for Yemi Alade’s “Tomorrow,” Asake’s “MMS” with Wizkid, Chris Brown’s “Sensational” featuring Davido and Lojay, Burna Boy’s “Higher,” and Tems’ “Love Me Jeje.”
Notably, Tems leads the Nigerian nominees with three nominations, including Best R&B Song for “Burning” and Best African Music Performance for “Love Me Jeje.”
It’s Asake’s second Grammy nod after his 2023 nomination for “Amapiano” with Olamide, and Lojay’s first-ever Grammy nomination.
Davido, who has earned four Grammy nominations in his career, was previously recognised in 2023 for his album Timeless and tracks like “Unavailable” and “Feel.” Yemi Alade, first nominated in 2022 for “Dignity” with Angelique Kidjo, returns with her second Grammy nod.
Burna Boy, on the other hand, marks his sixth consecutive Grammy nomination, including his 2021 win for Twice as Tall.
Other Nigerian stars nominated are Jordan Adetunji, known for his viral “Kelani,” also featured on this year’s nomination list, and Bloody Civilian earns her second nomination for contributing to the ‘Best Reggae Album’ category on the Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ soundtrack.
Interestingly, Ayra Starr, who received a nomination last year, didn’t make the list this time.
