Nigerian Grammy winners: every win and near-miss, from Sade to Tems
Nigerian Grammy winners range from 1980s soul star Sade to Afrobeats leaders Burna Boy, Wizkid and Tems. This guide lists every major win and near-miss, and explains why no two “Nigerian Grammy” totals agree. Figures are from the Recording Academy’s own artist pages, checked in September 2026.
By Editorial Team
The short answer
- Most wins (Nigerian-born or of Nigerian heritage): Sade and Seal, with four each. Both built their careers in the UK.
- Most wins by a Nigeria-based artist: Tems, with two (2023 and 2025).
- One win each: Burna Boy (2021) and Wizkid (2021).
- Most-nominated Nigeria-based artist: Burna Boy, with 13 nominations and one win.
- Highest honour: Fela Kuti received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2026. He was the first African to get it.
- No Nigerian win in 2026: South Africa’s Tyla won Best African Music Performance for the second time, beating Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr.
Nigerian Grammy winners at a glance
All win and nomination counts below are from grammy.com artist pages (checked 29 September 2026). Grammy years refer to the ceremony, not the release.
| Artist | Grammy wins | Nominations | Winning work(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sade (band fronted by Ibadan-born Sade Adu) | 4 | 9 | Best New Artist (1986); “No Ordinary Love” (1994); Lovers Rock (2002); “Soldier of Love” (2011) |
| Seal (London-born, Nigerian heritage) | 4 | 15 | “Kiss from a Rose”: Record, Song and Male Pop Vocal (1996); “Imagine” collaboration (2011) |
| Tems | 2 | 8 | “Wait for U” with Future and Drake (2023); “Love Me JeJe” (2025) |
| Burna Boy | 1 | 13 | Twice as Tall, Best Global Music Album (2021) |
| Wizkid | 1 | 6 | “Brown Skin Girl” with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter, Best Music Video (2021) |
The pioneers: King Sunny Adé, Sade and Seal
Juju star King Sunny Adé is widely cited as the first Nigerian-based Grammy nominee. His album Synchro System was nominated for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording at the 26th Grammys in 1984, according to his grammy.com page. He was nominated again later for Odu, but has never won.
The first wins came from Britain. Sade, the band led by Nigerian-born singer Sade Adu, won Best New Artist in 1986. It has won three more since, including Best Pop Vocal Album for Lovers Rock. Seal, the London-born singer of Nigerian heritage, took three awards in one night in 1996 for “Kiss from a Rose”, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Nigerian roots also run through the “world music” categories. Femi Kuti has six nominations and no wins, per grammy.com. Talking-drum master Sikiru Adepoju shared a 2009 win as part of Mickey Hart’s Global Drum Project, Vanguard reports.
The Afrobeats breakthrough: 2021
The 63rd Grammys in March 2021 were a turning point. Burna Boy won Best Global Music Album for Twice as Tall, a year after African Giant was nominated. Wizkid won Best Music Video for “Brown Skin Girl”, his collaboration with Beyoncé and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
Tems followed at the 65th Grammys in 2023, winning Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Wait for U” with Future and Drake. That year she was also nominated for Best Rap Song and, as a contributor, for Album of the Year for Beyoncé’s Renaissance.
Best African Music Performance, 2024 to 2026
The Recording Academy announced the category in June 2023. It covers styles including Afrobeats, Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Alté, amapiano, highlife and fuji. (Not sure how these differ? See our Afrobeats vs Afrobeat explainer.) Nigerians have been the majority of nominees every year so far, but have won once.
| Year | Winner | Nigerian nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tyla, “Water” (South Africa) | Burna Boy “City Boys”; Davido “Unavailable” ft Musa Keys; Asake & Olamide “Amapiano”; Ayra Starr “Rush” |
| 2025 | Tems, “Love Me JeJe” | Tems; Burna Boy “Higher”; Asake & Wizkid “MMS”; Yemi Alade “Tomorrow”; Chris Brown ft Davido & Lojay “Sensational” |
| 2026 | Tyla, “Push 2 Start” (South Africa) | Burna Boy “Love”; Davido ft Omah Lay “With You”; Ayra Starr ft Wizkid “Gimme Dat” |
Tems’s 2025 win made her the first Nigerian winner of the category. BBC News described her as the first Nigerian to win two Grammys. That framing sets aside the UK-based acts Sade and Seal.
The near-misses
Several of the biggest names in Nigerian music are still waiting for a first win. According to grammy.com:
- Davido: 5 nominations, 0 wins.
- Femi Kuti: 6 nominations, 0 wins.
- Asake and Ayra Starr: 2 nominations each, 0 wins.
- Rema: 1 nomination, for the album Heis (Best Global Music Album, 2025).
- Yemi Alade, Olamide, Omah Lay, Lojay, Seun Kuti and Made Kuti: 1 nomination each.
Burna Boy has the widest gap between nominations and wins among Nigeria-based artists: 13 nominations since 2020 and one win.
Why Nigerian Grammy totals don’t match
Lists of Nigerian Grammy winners disagree for four main reasons:
- Who counts as Nigerian? Some lists include British or American artists of Nigerian heritage, such as Seal. Others count only artists based in Nigeria.
- Group and credit wins. Musicians who played on, wrote for or produced a winning record can be recipients without being the headline artist.
- Special Merit awards. Fela’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2025 induction of his album Zombie into the Grammy Hall of Fame are honours, not competitive wins.
- Mistakes and old data. Blogs often repeat outdated totals. The Recording Academy’s own pages are the safest check.
So when you see a single “total Grammys won by Nigerians” figure, check who it includes.
What to watch
The 2027 Grammy nominations will be announced on 16 November 2026, covering releases from 31 August 2025 to 28 August 2026. The ceremony is on 7 February 2027 in Los Angeles. Best African Music Performance remains the likeliest route for Nigerian artists. That matters more now that the MTV VMAs have dropped their Best Afrobeats award. More in our Music and Afrobeats sections.
Sources
- GRAMMY.com: Sade, Seal, Tems, Burna Boy, Wizkid artist pages (checked 29 September 2026)
- GRAMMY.com: Davido, Femi Kuti, King Sunny Adé, Rema artist pages
- Recording Academy: new categories for 2024
- GRAMMY.com: Africa’s moment at the 2024 Grammys
- GRAMMY.com: 2025 winners and nominees
- NPR: 2026 Grammy winners and nominees
- Recording Academy: 2026 Special Merit Awards
- Recording Academy: 2027 Grammys key dates
- BBC News: Tems wins at 2025 Grammys
- Vanguard: Nigerians with the most Grammy awards (30 January 2026)
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