The 2026 Grammy Awards, staged at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, witnessed five Nigerian musicians—Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Omah Lay, and Ayra Starr—fall short in their nominated categories.
South African artist Tyla secured the title for ‘Best African Music Performance’ for the second consecutive time since the category’s inception in 2024, leaving the Nigerian nominees disappointed.
This outcome prompted extensive discussions and debates concerning the criteria and influences impacting the results, raising doubts regarding the legitimacy of the selection process.
In an effort to clarify these issues, Richardine Bartee, an African-American music and lifestyle blogger based in New York and a Grammy Recording Academy member since 2022, spoke with Vanguard newspaper to elucidate how the awards are determined.
Bartee elaborated that the awards are conferred by voting professionals from the music industry, including artists, producers, and executives, who assess and identify outstanding work among their colleagues.
She highlighted that Tyla's success was largely attributable to her robust support system and broad global reach, attributing her latest victory over Nigerian nominees to the backing of her formidable team.
"A crucial factor influencing Tyla’s Grammy win is the solid foundation of her support and international recognition. Signed to Epic Records, which boasts a prestigious roster and a history of collaboration with top-tier artists like Michael Jackson, she enjoys significant promotional advantages and industry networking opportunities that amplify her music’s accessibility to influential audiences,” Bartee remarked.
She emphasized that Tyla’s consistent achievements across major awards are not merely a reflection of her innate talent, but also a testament to the effectiveness and experience of her professional team.
In February 2024, this publication scrutinized the Grammy voting mechanism and winner selection standards, following public discontent from Nigerians alleging unfairness in Tyla's triumph over notable Nigerian artists.
Tyla's hit song, “Water”, emerged victorious against entries from Davido, Asake, Burna Boy, and Ayra Starr.
The Grammy selection procedure initiates with the entry submission, followed by a screening process to confirm eligibility.
Subsequent to nominations, Recording Academy voting members—encompassing performers, songwriters, producers, and other active industry professionals—cast votes to decide the winners.
Voting members can participate in up to ten categories across a maximum of three genre fields, in addition to the four General Field categories.
To maintain the integrity of the process, members are instructed to vote only in categories where they have market familiarity with the nominees.
An independent accounting firm, Deloitte, manages the tallying of votes once voting concludes, maintaining confidentiality and security until the official results are announced.
It is noteworthy that several Nigerians, including Davido, songwriter Tito Da Fire, rapper and Big Brother Naija winner Laycon, and singers Oxlade and Praiz, are part of the Grammy voting body.
This newspaper previously reported that Davido joined the voting members later, while others were admitted as part of the Recording Academy’s Class of 2022.
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