Six Nigerian Grammy Award Winners You Probably Didn’t Know About
The whole country is on its toes to see if Nigerian Afro-fusion Burna Boy will win that Grammy and put our metaphorical enemies to shame. We have all been waiting for this since the Grammy nominations were announced back in November.
The 2020 Grammy awards will take place at the Staples Centre on Sunday (Jan 26). A win by Burna Boy would no doubt be a win for African music as a whole. But while we eagerly wait, here is a list of other Nigerians who have won a Grammy award in the past.
1. Sikiru Adepoju
Sikiru Adepoju is a percussionist and recording artist and plays primarily in the genres of traditional African music and world music. He plays a variety of instruments and styles.
The Nigerian drummer first won a Grammy in 1991 as a part of Mickey Hart’s group Planet Drum, whose title album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album. That was the first time there was a Grammy in that category.
He won again on 8 February 2009 as a part of Mickey Hart’s latest group Global Drum Project, whose title album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 51st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
2. Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel (Seal)
Born Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel in 1963, he is better known by his professional name Seal. He is a British-Nigerian musician, singer and songwriter best known for his 1994 hit song, Kiss from a Rose.
He has 14 Grammy nominations to his name and has won four. His song, Kiss From A Rose earned him three Grammy awards in 1996. In 2011, Seal nabbed his fourth Grammy for Imagine. He holds one of the highest numbers of Grammy awards by a Nigerian.
3. Helen Folasade Adu (Sade Adu)
Helen Folasade Adu was born in Ibadan in 1959. Professionally known as Sade Adu, the singer, songwriter cum actress grew up in Essex, England.
She is as the lead singer of her eponymous band. She holds the title of the first artiste of Nigerian origin to win a Grammy Award.
Her first Grammy was in 1986 for Best New Artist. Then another followed in 1994 with No Ordinary Love for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.
She earned her third Grammy in 2002 with Lovers Rock in the Best Pop Vocal Album. Sade Adu bagged her fourth in 2011 with Soldier of Love for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.
4. Lekan Babalola
Born in 1960, Lekan Babalola is a Nigerian jazz percussionist and musician who started playing the conga at an early age. He has seven albums to his name and two Grammy awards.
He began his professional career after joining a band called Samba Samba Band. Babalola later New York City-based Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers band. There, he perfected playing the Bongo drums and performing jazz music.
In 2006, he became Nigeria’s first Grammy Award winner for his work on Ali Farka Touré‘s In the Heart of the Moon; on which he got credit in three tracks. He also won a second Grammy in 2009 for his work on Cassandra Wilson‘s 2008 album titled Loverly.
5. Hakeem Seriki (Chamillionaire)
Born Hakeem Seriki but professionally known as Chamillionaire, he is a rapper, entrepreneur, and investor. Chamillionaire was born to a Muslim Nigerian father and an African-American Christian mother in Washington D.C. and moved to Houston, Texas at the age of four.
He scored a Grammy in 2007 for his song, Ridin’ under the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group category. He received a total of four nominations that year.
6. Kevin Olusola
Kevin Olusola was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, to Nigerian father Oluwole Olusola and Grenadian-born Curline Paul. Olusola is a musician, beatboxer, cellist, rapper, record producer, singer, and songwriter.
He is most popular for being the beatboxer of the vocal band Pentatonix.
He has three Grammy awards to his name. In 2015, Pentatonix won a Grammy in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or a Cappella category. This was for their song Daft Punk, a medley of songs by Daft Punk.
In 2016, Pentatonix won a Grammy in the same category, this time for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from their That’s Christmas to Me album.
On February 12, 2017, Pentatonix won a Grammy in the Best Country duo/group performance category for Jolene which featured the original singer Dolly Parton.
Honourable mentions of Nigerians artists who have received Grammy nods include King Sunny Ade. He became the first to ever receive a nomination in 1983.
Afrobeat artiste Femi Kuti has four nominations to his name. Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie-Ngozi also has a nomination thanks to her feature on Beyonce’s 2015 album
On Sunday, we will know if Burna Boy will make the list or become an honourable mention.
