African Music Had Minimal Highlights at the 2025 Grammys But the Vibes Were Mainly Positive

For the most part, conventionality was perhaps the general theme ofthis year’s Grammy Awards – and I mean that in the best way possible. In the general field, Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic salvo in the biggest rap beef of the millennium won both Record and Song of the year, and Beyoncé finally won the long overdue, previously elusive Album of the Year gramophone for her versatile country-fusion LP, Cowboy Carter.

That theme crossed over into the Best African Music Performance category, where Nigerian singer Tems won her second Grammy for the joyous “Love Me Jeje.” Nominated alongside several Nigerian superstars (and American singer Chris Brown), Tems’ single was a big favorite heading into Sunday’s premiere ceremony and arguably the best of the five nominated songs.

“Love Me Jeje” is Tems in her bag as a pop hit-maker, albeit one that still retains her uniqueness when she’s at her most accessible, as seen in songs like “Damages” and “Crazy Tings.” This song is her most colorful effort yet, greatly aided by the singer taking inspiration from and heavily interpolating melodies and lyric lines fromthe Nigerian pop classic of the same title by Seyi Sodimu – which also features vocals by veteran Nollywood actress Shaffy Bello.

That level of rootedness, refreshing and infectious without any corny kitsch often caused by sampling old songs, received high praise from those familiar with its reference points. For those previously unfamiliar, Tems’ undeniable charm and the charisma of her big voice is its own selling point. “Love Me Jeje” was one ofOkayAfrica’s best Afrobeats songs of 2024, with Asake and Wizkid’s “MMS” being the only other Grammy-nominated song to make it to our selection. It also rankedtop of Rolling Stone’s Afropop Songs of 2024.

The critical acclaim was also matched by tangible commercial success relevant to the Grammys. “Love Me Jeje” peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Afrobeats chart and reached the summit of the U.K. Afrobeats chart. It made all the sense that Tems won this year’s Best African Music Performance Grammy –all qualms considered.

The African music-focused category was undoubtedly the most remarkable highlight for many of us. However, there were two more notable wins by Africans last night. Although they will only receive Grammy certificates for their contributions, Wizkid and Bloody Civilian can be counted among last night’s winners.Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired by the Film won the award for Best Reggae Album; both Nigerian artists performed a cover each for the multi-artist LP.

Meanwhile, South African composer and master flutist Wouter Kellerman added one more gramophone to his collection, winning the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album award. Kellerman won in this category in 2015 for Winds of Samsara, his collaborative album with Indian composer Ricky Kej.

Last night, he won for Triveni, the August-released collaboration with renowned American Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto and Indian American composer Chandrika Tandon. This makes Kellerman a three-time Grammy winner afterwinning Best Global Music Performance in 2023 for “Bayethe,” his uplifting folk-pop song with Nomcebo Zikode and Zakes Bantwini.

In the Best Global Music Album, American artist Matt B won for his LP,Alkebulan II, in collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. During his acceptance speech, Matt Bsaid he created the album as “a way of shining a light on Africa and the beautiful culture that [Black people] from the diaspora come from.” He also revealed that his experimentation with popular African music styles resulted from an ancestry test that showed he’s of Nigerian descent.

The Chicago-born singer was nominated at the 2023 Grammys for Best Global Music Performance for “Gimme Love,” featuring Ugandan artist Eddy Kenzo. Fusing several contemporary African pop music styles with orchestral touches, alongside spoken word interludes by South African poet Nomfundo Khambule, Matt B’s win is mainly intriguing, not unlike Paul Simon’s winning Album of the Year at the 1987 Grammys for Graceland, which heavily leaned on South African soul at the time.

The ambiguity of Best Global Music Album, formerly Best World Music Album, has made it difficult to pinpoint the criteria for elected winners. Tems and Rema were the two African artists nominated in the category this year. While it can be argued that Tems’Born in the Wild was primarily defined by her R&B leanings, Rema’sHEIS is a roving, incredibly authentic and exciting affair rooted in his Benin identity, which should have helped his case in this category.

During the main ceremony, there was little related to African music.American Nigerian breakout artist Shaboozey lost out on all his five nominations. Still, he graced the main stage in a medley of performances by several Best New Artist nominees.

Fifth-time hostTrevor Noah was as vivacious as ever, kicking things off with a decent monologue that riffed on Taylor Swift’s constant Grammy domination, Donald Trump’salready tumultuous entry back into the U.S. presidency, as well as affecting words for victims and survivors of thewildfires in Los Angeles. Noah kept things going on a night full of really good vibes.