Nigerian stars Davido, Asake, Tems, Ayra Starr submit works for 2027 Grammy consideration across top categories
Nigerian music stars Davido, Asake, Tems, and Ayra Starr have submitted albums and songs for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, targeting recognition in major categories including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best African Music Performance. Davido entered his sixth studio album Oriadé and tracks 'B4 B4' (with Mayorkun and FOLA) and 'Nakupenda' (with TxC, Zlatan, Shoday, Scotts Maphuma and Al Xapo). Asake submitted his album M$NEY and songs 'Gratitude' and 'Jogodo' (with Wizkid). Tems put forward her project 'Love Is a Kingdom' and collaborations with Dave ('Raindance'), Justin Bieber ('I Think You're Special'), and others. Ayra Starr entered her album 'Starrgirl' and features with Zayn ('Heaven Baby'), Rema ('Who's Dat Girl'), Davido ('Le Show'), and Latto ('Show Me').
The Recording Academy's first-round voting for nominees runs from October 12 to 22, 2026, with the full nominee list scheduled for announcement on November 16, 2026. The 69th Grammy Awards ceremony will be held on February 7, 2027, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Importantly, submissions do not guarantee nominations—artistes must pass eligibility screening and voting rounds. Davido previously received three Grammy nominations in 2024 (for album Timeless and songs 'Unavailable' and 'Feel') without winning, while Tems is already a two-time Grammy winner (Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2023 and Best African Music Performance in 2025).
These submissions reflect Nigerian artistes' ongoing efforts to secure recognition across both general-field and genre-specific categories at the Grammys. With African music gaining increased visibility in recent Grammy cycles, will these entries translate to wins in 2027, or will the Recording Academy finally award African artists in the prestigious Album, Record, or Song of the Year categories?