Nigerian music continues its global dominance as several of the country’s stars earned nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, with Afrobeats once again taking center stage.
The Recording Academy unveiled the full list of nominees for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on November 7, 2025, covering music released between September 16, 2024, and August 31, 2025. The ceremony will take place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
In the Best African Music Performance category, Nigeria maintains a strong presence with Burna Boy earning a nomination for “Love”, Davido and Omah Lay recognized for “With You”, and Ayra Starr alongside Wizkid for “Gimme Dat.” Other nominees in the category include “Hope & Love” by Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin, and “Push 2 Start” by South African star Tyla.
Burna Boy, one of Nigeria’s most decorated global artists, also bagged a nomination in the Best Global Music Album category for his project “No Sign of Weakness.” He faces competition from Youssou N’Dour (“Eclairer le monde: Light the World”), Shakti (“Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live)”), Anoushka Shankar featuring Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar (“Chapter III: We Return To Light”), Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia (“Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo”), and Siddhant Bhatia (“Sounds Of Kumbha”).
The Best Global Music Performance category, however, does not feature any Nigerian artists this year. Nominees include Bad Bunny for “EoO”, Ciro Hurtado for “Cantando en el Camino”, Angélique Kidjo for “Jerusalema”, Yeisy Rojas for “Inmigrante Y Que?”, Shakti for “Shrini’s Dream (Live)”, and Anoushka Shankar for “Daybreak.”
This year marks Burna Boy’s seventh consecutive Grammy nomination, a streak that began in 2020 and reinforces his consistency on the global music scene. Davido now holds five career nominations, while Wizkid has accumulated six with this latest recognition.
Although artists such as Rema, Seyi Vibez, Bnxn, Shallipopi, Asake, and Moliy submitted their projects for consideration, they did not make the final cut. Still, the strong showing by Nigerian acts in multiple categories reflects Afrobeats’ unstoppable rise and continued influence in shaping the sound of modern global music.