Alex Omenye
South African music sensation Tyla has achieved a historic feat by clinching the inaugural Best African Music Performance award at the 66th Grammy Awards.
The event, held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, saw Tyla making history by triumphing over Nigerian superstars Davido, Burna Boy, Asake, and Ayra Starr with her hit single ‘Water.’
The Best African Music Performance category is a dedicated Grammy category for African music. The Recording Academy’s official website announced the new category’s introduction for the 2024 Grammy Awards, acknowledging the rich musical diversity of the African continent.
Described as a category recognizing recordings that incorporate distinctive local expressions from across Africa, it highlights various regional musical traditions, including Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro-Pop, Afrobeats, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz genres.
The addition of this category solidifies considerations that have been taking place behind the scenes for decades, aiming to provide a platform for African artists on the global stage.